Saigontimes grou

Expats Blog Record crowd expected to race in HCMC By Harry Hodge Thursday,  Jun 13, 2019,10:40 (GMT+7) Record crowd expected to race in HCMCBy Harry Hodge Children take part in Techcombank HCMC International Marathon’s Kids Run in 2017 - PHOTO: COURTESY OF SUNRISE EVENTS VIETNAM HCMC - The sounds of 10,000 sets of feet pounding the pavement will echo through HCMC streets this December. The event kicks off on Friday, December 6, 2019, with a “Marathon Village,” which is open through the weekend. Just as the event aims to ignite healthy habits across all demographics, the Marathon Village will offer fun activities for the entire family with exciting exhibitors, live music performances, clinics, special talks, and food and beverage offerings. The marathon (42.2 kilometers), half-marathon (21.1 kilometers), 10 kilometers, 5 kilometers and Kid’s Run, for young athletes aged 5-14, will take place … [Read more...] about Record crowd expected to race in HCMC

Expats Blog ONE Championship pushes September fight card - minus MMA By Harry Hodge Friday,  Jun 14, 2019,16:05 (GMT+7) ONE Championship pushes September fight card - minus MMABy Harry Hodge ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong - PHOTO: COURTESY OF ONE CHAMPIONSHIP HCMC - Aficionados of martial arts in HCMC are certainly salivating about a major fight card coming to town in September. Mixed martial arts fans? Not so much. ONE Championship, the Singapore-based promotion squaring off global giants like the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), Bellator and a host of other competitors around the world, is looking to be the first to plant its flag in the unclaimed Vietnamese market for live events. The UFC is in the Vietnamese market but mainly promoting their gym business. A press conference at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza on Wednesday did more to say about what is not coming than what is confirmed as the company plans a … [Read more...] about ONE Championship pushes September fight card – minus MMA

Expats Blog Violinist Stephane Tran Ngoc to play again in Saigon By Bradley Winterton Wednesday,  Jun 26, 2019,13:10 (GMT+7) Violinist Stephane Tran Ngoc to play again in SaigonBy Bradley Winterton Violinist Stephane Tran Ngoc - PHOTO: COURTESY OF HBSO HCMC - On Saturday July 13 the acclaimed and hugely popular violinist Stephane Tran Ngoc will return to Saigon’s Opera House in a program of violin masterpieces. Stephane Tran Ngoc astonished his Saigon audience in July 2017 when he played as an encore a Paganini caprice, an enormously difficult piece written to display the violin’s technical possibilities. It took the breath away of many audience members. The violinist now lives in Europe, dividing his time between France and Denmark. Among his recordings are the six Ysaye sonatas, the Bach sonatas and partitas, and the world premiere of the Serge Nigg Violin and Piano Sonata (awarded a Grand Prix du Disque). … [Read more...] about Violinist Stephane Tran Ngoc to play again in Saigon

Expats Blog Autumn melodies 2019 – the program announced By Bradley Winterton Saturday,  Jul 6, 2019,11:29 (GMT+7) Autumn melodies 2019 – the program announcedBy Bradley Winterton Pianist Dang Thai Son - PHOTO: COURTESY OF HBSO HCMC - HBSO’s Autumn Melodies is an annual festival in which a series of concerts takes place on almost consecutive days. This year it runs from Saturday, August 17 to Sunday, August 25, with a total of eight concerts in all. The climax will be on August 25 when the international celebrity Dang Thai Son, a Vietnamese-Canadian, will play Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No:3. Dang Thai Son leapt to international fame when he won First Prize and Gold Medal in the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in October 1980, the first pianist of Asian origins ever to do so. He subsequently began performing at celebrity concerts all over the world. Recently it was announced … [Read more...] about Autumn melodies 2019 – the program announced

Expats Blog HBSO concert in collaboration with Agent Orange victims’ association By Bradley Winterton Monday,  Jul 29, 2019,11:11 (GMT+7) HBSO concert in collaboration with Agent Orange victims’ associationBy Bradley Winterton Violinist Nguyen Huu Nguyen – PHOTO: COURTESY OF HBSO HCMC – This Saturday, August 3, the HCMC Ballet, Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will present a concert at the Saigon Opera House in cooperation with the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA). August 10 is Agent Orange Day. Agent Orange was a defoliant used extensively by the U.S. during the American War (called ‘the Vietnam War’ outside Vietnam). Almost two million gallons of Agent Orange and associated chemicals were sprayed on Vietnam, plus parts of Laos and Cambodia, between 1962 and 1971 – an Olympic-sized swimming pool, for comparison, holds around 660,000 gallons of … [Read more...] about HBSO concert in collaboration with Agent Orange victims’ association