New spin to music

Singers are doubling up as composers, a la Mariah Carey and Madonna, and vice versa. The results have been mixed…

Ho Quynh Huong is one of a few singers who succeed with their own composition

The Vietnamese entertainment industry is witnessing a new trend – singers are composing their own music and composers are trying their hand at singing.

Though the jury is still out on whether it’s a good thing, a singer who can also write his or her own lyrics and set them to tune does have an advantage.

For, nobody knows their style better than themselves while there is good money to be saved by not hiring lyricists and composers.

Mai Khoi is a singer who has composed some lovely songs like Dem (Night) and Ru tinh (Singing for love).

A budding star, she can also play the guitar.

Top model-turned-singer Ho Ngoc Ha was singing her ex-boyfriend and composer Duc Tri’s songs before trying her hand at writing herself.

Her third album, a recently released collection ofmainly R&B songs including the hit single Muon noi voi anh (Want to tell you), was written and composed by herself.

However, Khoi and Ha remain in a minority of singers who are also decent composers.

After all, it is not a skill that can be learnt at school.

Female singer Ho Quynh Huong says, “I have been composing since I was a student. I want to express my feelings and emotions in my songs (which she also writes). But I would not call myself a composer because my songs are not as good as those of professionals. It’s not easy for a singer to become a real composer.”

Some singers, in a misplaced desire to go one up on their peers, have ended up writing awful lyrics and discordant music.

In desperation, they even plagiarize others’ works.

Male singer and teen idol Quang Vinh has been panned for knocking off a song in his recently-released album Ve trai tim (Drawing heart).

Another singer, Lam Chan Huy, faces a dispute with composer Nguyen Hau leaning over the song Khong the yeu em duoc nua (Cannot love you anymore).

And composers sing their songs …

Many composers believe they can express the spirit of their music better than singers.

Composer Luong Bang Quang, who writes and sings his own songs, says: “Singers usually imitate the tone and voice of other, popular stars. Since their knowledge of music is limited, they can’t become composers. But composers can become singers if they have a good voice and practice seriously.”

Whether it is a singer who has turned to composing or vice versa, the bottom line remains the same – to succeed requires talent and great love for music.

Vietnam prepares for UN peacekeeping operations

Vietnam is completing the preparatory process for participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations in accordance with its capacity, said a Vietnamese diplomat on March 10.


Ambassador Hoang Chi Trung, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN before the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, lauded the indispensable role of the UN in restoring and maintaining peace and stability over several decades.

He said the peacekeeping operations should continue to rest upon the strict observance of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, particularly those concerning nations’ sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence as well as non-interference in their internal affairs.

Trung also spoke of the fundamental principles for establishing and conducting peacekeeping operations such as the consent of the concerned parties, impartiality and not using force except for self-defense.

The Vietnamese representative affirmed Vietnam’s strong support of efforts aimed at enhancing the UN’s ability to manage peacekeeping operations effectively and efficiently with a view of achieving: continued improvements in the deployment of missions, safety and security of personnel, accountability and effective management of resources, qualified peacekeeping capacity, and proper conduct and discipline.

Currently, the UN is conducting 17 peacekeeping operations with a total force of over 90,880 individuals, including 76,750 blue berets, 11,250 civilian policemen and nearly 2,880 military observers.

Its budget for peacekeeping operations in the 2005-2006 period was close to US$5 billion.

Lens on Vietnamese life

Everyday narratives are the theme of a new documentary competition that aims to showcase local stories to the world.
Shialey Tan is speaking at a press conference held at HCMC’s Palace Hotel Sunday

Three leading Asian television corporations – Japan’s NHK, South Korea’s KBS, and Singapore’s MediaCorp jointly held a press conference at Ho Chi Minh City’s Palace Hotel Sunday to introduce their collaborative program called “The Asian Pitch” which aims to support prospective documentary filmmakers to showcase their works to a wider international audience.

For the program’s two-year anniversary, the partners decided to focus their lens on Vietnam because, as MediaCorp Caldecott Broadcast Center sales manager Shialey Tan puts it, “Vietnam is attracting much attention from its Asian neighbors and internationally.”

“Stories about Vietnam are interesting and we think people both within Asia and all around the world want to learn more about the country by watching documentaries directly created by locals,” Tan added.

According to Tan, television viewers outside of Asia are really curious about social narratives from this region, which gave birth to the idea of “The Asian Pitch” project.

This year, the project intends to solicit exclusive detailed vignettes about everyday life of Vietnamese people and encourage local professional and amateur documentary filmmakers to enter their works into a competition hosted by the organizers.

“The Asian Pitch” would subsequently submit the winning documentaries to the annual Cannes Film Festival in France and television corporations from Japan, South Korea and Singapore may rebroadcast these unique “homemade” documentaries to their audiences.

While finance has consistently been a major obstacle for Vietnamese documentary makers, the project will sponsor grants to support film production for promising ideas.

When asked what types of ideas would have a good chance of being accepted, Tan said, “Stories featuring the unique characteristics of life in your country that can’t be found anywhere else in the world would be selected.”

Documentary drivers

During the coffee break at the press conference, local film directors, producers and scriptwriters joined in the discussion about this tremendous opportunity.

“I want the real daily lives of Vietnamese people to be filmed so that global television viewers can witness a new Vietnam that has achieved great progress while still retaining its traditional culture,” said Vietnam Cinema Association Vice President Duong Cam Thuy.

Film director Nguyen Thanh Van, who was famous for making films about ordinary Vietnamese women like Doi Cat (Sand Life), said, “I have conceived of an idea to make a documentary about the life of a community of immigrants inside a modern city; it will examine the spiritual values of a village culture, and the changes in spirituality resulting from modern times.”

Van’s wife, director Pham Nhue Giang, has also produced a famous film called Thung Lung Hoang Vang (Deserted Valley).

She chimed in with her idea of producing a documentary about poor people in contemporary life.

The documentary film competition will be judged by 16 experts from NHK, KBS and MediaCorp television corporations.

Even if an entry fails to win, Tan still urges prospective entrants to submit their ideas.

She emphasized, “Please send your stories to us. If they are not suitable for the Asian Pitch project scale, we will invite you to cooperate in other projects. We are very interested in the life of Vietnamese people.”

As the country is undergoing rapid changes, many Vietnamese are concerned about increasing social problems and the evolution of cultural mores and traditional standards amidst modernity’s lures.

The time is now for these stories to be revealed to the world as the lens zooms in.

Interview with Shialey Tan

Why do you choose Vietnam and ask film producers to make documentaries about it?

Shialey Tan: I have toured Vietnam and feel that Vietnam is dynamic and new.

I am sure there are interesting stories to tell people within Asia and outside Asia.

What do you expect from Vietnamese filmmakers in this project?

We have money, means of making films and technical engineering to support Vietnamese film producers.

We expect good stories from Vietnam – a country that is beautiful, hospitable, and has many wonderful things that television viewers from Europe and the rest of the world don’t know about.

If I have a good story, but I don’t know how to make a film about it, how can I cooperate with you or take part in this project?

You need to draft a plan in which you tell the story and suggest somebody who will serve as the director.

You should set up a team to carry out the plan.

But first, you should send your story to us.

How can film producers contact you?

You can call me at +65 63 50 32 12, fax to me at +65 62 59 20 62 and my email is shialeytan@mediacorp.com.sg.

You can visit the website: www.caldecottproductions.com for more information and get the form to register for the competition.

The deadline is April 30, 2008.

Posted by Tonylam

Vietnam trade-culture center set up in Germany

A Vietnamese center for trade, investment, culture, and tourism has opened in Berlin, Germany, and is expected to act as an economic and trade bridge between the two countries.

Viethaus, launched on March 5 as part of the Vietnamese Culture Week, will also showcase Vietnam, its people, culture, and tourism to German and other visitors.

The Vietnamese ambassador to Germany said the establishment of the center was of great significance to the 100,000-strong Vietnamese community in the country.

Viethaus is a joint venture between the Southern Airport Services Company (SASCO) and Vietnamese-German firm HMSKY.

Source VNA