Always the busiest month of the year for the British Council in Vietnam, this year October culminates with the biggest music festival in Vietnam, the finale of the UK in my eyes competition, the biggest UK Education Fair and a film week to follow.
To launch a month of cultural and educational activities, Zara McFarlane and her band will play before thousands of festival-goers on 9 October in Hanoi at Monsoon Music Festival, the country’s biggest music festival. This will be followed by an additional performance, scheduled for 11 October in Ho Chi Minh City, where Zara will be joined by Thao Trang and Bich Ngoc, two stars of Vietnam Idol. Zara won the Best Jazz Act at MOBO (Music of Black Origin) 2014. Fellow winners in differing categories included Sam Smith, Jesse J and Beyonce.
Zara is uniquely engaging, combining the intricacies of jazz with a deep soulfulness, melding multiple influences from reggae to pop, folk and blues. ‘Until Tomorrow’, her 2011 debut album, received rave reviews and a MOBO award nomination. She was commended by the Daily Telegraph who called her: ‘The most interesting jazz singer to appear in years’ while the New York Times described her music as ‘serene, post-folk, post-soul and mystical’.
A strong British Council in Vietnam brand, the UK in my eyes competition for 2015 saw the British Council partner with VnExpress for the first time. VnExpress is the biggest online news site in Vietnam and has helped to bring the competition to even more fans of the UK.
Launched in September, the competition has received hundreds of entries from those who have studied in, or visited, the UK as well as those who have never been to Great Britain. Through their eyes, the UK is a truly a beautiful and vibrant country where the juxtaposition of old and new permeates every aspect of British life – a country that thrives on the exchange of goods, ideas and people.
The competition wraps up in early October with prizes to be given during the UK Education Fair 2015 which takes place from 24 to 27 October in three cities across Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Danang). The UK Education Fair 2015 will give prospective students the chance to meet with representatives from 70 UK institutions and learn about 80 scholarship opportunities. During the fair there will also be a brief session outlining 20 PhD scholarship opportunities to be given to Vietnamese scholars so they can pursue studies in the UK as part of the VIED-Newton Fund collaboration. The Newton Programme Vietnam is an integral component of the Newton Fund, which forms part of the UK’s official collaborative development programme. The Newton Fund will invest £75 million each year – having started in 2014 ¬– for five years to develop science and innovation partnerships, promoting the economic development and social welfare of developing countries.
Please visit our website if you would like to register for the fair.
These activities will lead up to the UK Film Week that opens in the first week of November. This year’s UK film week, which will hit CGV cinemas in Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City from 4 to 12 November, will celebrate the music of Great Britain. Award-winning films to be screened during the week include God Helps the Girl (2014), Nowhere Boy (2009), Pulp (2014), Northern Soul (2014), Good Vibrations (2013), Control (2007) and Bugsy Malone (1976). Tickets can be purchased now at www.ticketbox.vn. Further information is available on www.britishcouncil.vn.