Things to do in Vietnam this week

Vietnam – Korea Giant Lantern Festival
Following the huge success of previous festivals in many countries such as the UK, the USA, Korea, Japan and Taiwan with millions of visitors, the first giant lantern festival will be held in Vietnam. The event, sponsored by both Vietnam and South Korea, includes the display of 40 giant lanterns (each 10-30 meters tall) that depict popular animated characters as well as famous scenic spots in Vietnam and Korea.
Festival will end up on 22 Jan 2017 at LePARC shopping mall Gamuda City, Phap Van, Hoang Mai, Hanoi
 “The Prolonged Interventions” by Le Phi Long
This project features photographs and an installation by Le Phi Long, accompanied by a video documentary directed by Le Phi Long, commissioned and produced by Madeleine Cao – founder of the social enterprise OpenM Corp.
Le Phi Long is always attuned to representations and interventions of site. Initially trained in interior design, he states that site plays an important role in influencing the audience’s experience with a photograph or installation. These objects, in return, can provide keys to challenge conventional assumptions about the site, or unlock discourses and social issues pertinent to it. One such issue that concerns him is the impact of human waste on the land. Thus, his project at The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre (The Factory), The Prolonged Interventions, explores both Lê’s fascination with site and his preoccupation with the overwhelming presence of waste in both urban and rural environments. The photographic series Hidden Future is documentation of a site-specific project that Le produced as part of a larger environmental endeavor called ‘Clean Up the Beach’, organized by OpenM Corp. Situated on Ly Son Island, an increasingly popular travel destination in Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam, the production of these photographs was a collaborative effort between Le and 70 volunteers to collect garbage around the island, sort it according to size, shape, and colors, and stitch the pieces together with rope to create a ‘trash’ nets that wraps around To Vo Gate – Ly Son’s iconic limerock archway created by volcano lava and worn out by sea waves over millions of years. The camera angle, in some of the photographs, mimics snapshots taken by tourists standing underneath To Vo Gate. In Le’s imagery however, the brightly colored net that consumes this local icon disrupts the popular scenic location, bringing to light the usually hidden problem of how a natural landmark is being suffocated by the artificial garbage left behind by locals and tourists. In Hidden Future, Le juxtaposes the natural wonder of Ly Son with the waste of human life, posing the question of ecological repercussions of modern consumer attitudes.
The exhibition will end up on  22 Jan 2017 at The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre, 15 Nguyen U Di, Thao Dien, D.2, Ho Chi Minh City
Double Exposure Photo Exhibition “The Father’s Gift”
The photo exhibition Double Exposure “The father’s gift” will end up on 22 Jan at Luala Uomo, 61 Ly Thai To, Hanoi. 20 photographs tell 20 real stories about life memories between fathers and their children around us. The photographers have talked to the subjects, explored and captured their daily-life moments. 
The exhibition aims to evoke emotions in the audience about fatherhood to better understand and appreciate the sentiments that emerge from it. In addition, Tet holiday is an opportunity for every child to express his/her gratitude for their father.
Painting Exhibition “Year of the Rooster 2017” by Van Duong Thanh
Painter Van Duong Thanh opened the painting exhibition “Year of Rooster 2017” at her studio to bring art closer to the public. Here, audience can enjoy her finished paintings or works in progress, talk with the painter and make some paintings themselves. With 50 lacquer, oil, acrylic paintings sized 2.5 m, she elaborates on the architecture, the atmosphere and her impression of an ancient Thang Long then and a vibrant Hanoi today. Audience can easily recognize the architectural patterns from Tran Temple, But Thap pagoda, Hoa Ma Temple and Hang Trong paintings and Dong Ho paintings in her artworks.
The exhibition will end up on  25 Jan 2017 at Atelier White Lotus, C29, 210 Nghi Tam lane, Hanoi.
Exhibition “The Three-Cornered World”
“The Three-Cornered World”, a novella by influential Japanese writer Natsume Soseki, tells the story of an unnamed artist sojourning in a near-deserted hot-spring resort. Carrying nothing save for paper and paint, the artist seeks refuge in art and haiku amidst the remoteness of the mountainous region, driven away from the society of man by the turbulence of war (with the Russo-Japanese war raging on at the time the book was written, up to half a million Japanese were conscripted, many of them eventually perishing). Set at the turn of the 20th century and during the early years of a new epoch, the world of commotion Soseki hinted at carries eerie resemblance to that of ours today, considering events of the past 12 months. 2016 has been an extraordinary year, to say the least, marked, both on a global scale and closer to home, by the continuing rise of xenophobia, humanitarian crises, political conflicts, terrorist attacks, damaged natural habitats, and unprecedented global warming, amongst others.
With these thoughts in mind, for the annual year-end hanging, the organizer presents a selection of hopeful, contemplative artworks by Ha Manh Thang, Sandrine Llouquet, Christine Nguyen, Nguyen Huy An, Tran Van Thao. 
The exhibition will end up on  26 Jan 2017 at Galerie Quynh.