Theatre + Indiegogo: Giau Minh Truong + Ching Chong Chinaman

Northwest Side director's adaptation of a satirical play just might upend everything you think you know about life inside Asian-American households [...] Presented by the A-Squared Theatre Workshop, the script reading for "Ching Chong Chinaman" takes place 2 p.m. Saturday at the Chinese-American Museum of Chicago, 238 W. 23rd St. The satirical play, written by Lauren Yee, follows life inside a Chinese-American household, but the family is not what viewers might expect [...] "First off it's a comedy but I also like the idea that Lauren Yee had a very specific message that's open to interpretation. And the way I interpret the play is this idea that, as Asian-Americans, we're sort of outsiders among the Asian culture outside of the U.S. "And with second or third generations, you're sort of even more separated from that [world] culture, and so we start seeing it through the Western view," he said. Underneath all of the irreverent, hilarious misunderstandings — at one point the family hires a Chinese indentured servant — there's a strong message about cultural identity.

The show is scheduled for open on Sept. 27 @ the Raven Theater in Edgewater and they are currently going through an Indiegogo campaign to help in the production (20 days left).

Read more about the show and Truong.

Your Friday Straight Outta Vietnam Tôi đồng ý LGBT Because You Wanted It Pic

Stella Shine That: HẠNH SINO + Để Em Rời Xa

A Little Soul: JustaTee + Bâng Khuâng

Wednesday Night Uyên Linh

Need To See This: The Lost Fighters of Vietnam (Công Binh)

Synopsis:

Think of France during World War II, and one might recall images of Paris’ denizens, suffering under German occupation.

But even Vietnamese are unlikely to know of the 20,000 countrymen trafficked to France in 1939, to work under conditions of near slavery in the factories.

A documentary by director Lam Le, Cong Binh tells a forgotten history, of laborers recruited from then-French Indochina to man assembly lines for the French war effort. They were exploited by the government and capitalists both before and after France fell under Nazi Germany's control. When France was liberated by the Allies, these "worker soldiers" were returned in small batches from 1946-1952. Approximately 1,000 remained and settled in France.

The film follows two dozen of the surviving Cong Binh, the youngest of whom is eighty-five years old. Much credit is due to the director for having rediscovered these "worker soldiers," who had been leading difficult and forgotten lives in both France and Viet Nam. Sadder still are those who had barely been interviewed and recorded on film, whose stories Le had only begun to capture, before they slipped silently away forever.

Synopsis by: Mai Phi-Long

And Vietnam Possibly One Ups Almost All The States In The U.S.

How you may ask?

Like this.

...the Vietnamese government announced that it may change its position and recognize same-sex marriages as legal unions. On Sunday, more than a hundred activists biked through Vietnam's capital, trailing rainbow-colored streamers and shouting, "Equal rights for gays and lesbians," the Associated Press reported.

Agent Orange And The Vietnamese Who Suffer From It

I got sent this article in my way from the Chicago Tribune - part of a series - that talks about the effects that Agent Orange has had on Vietnamese who weren't even born at the time of its use.

In central Indiana, two sisters struggle through another day, afflicted by a painful condition in which their brains are wedged against their spinal cords. They are in their 30s, but their bodies are slowly shutting down. Thousands of miles away, amid the rice paddies of Vietnam, a father holds down his 19-year-old daughter as she writhes in pain from a seizure brought on by fluid in her skull, which has been drained four times in the past four years.

"The doctors said that they were sorry, but they could not cure her," the father says. "They told me I should take her home and that she would pass away very soon." These women come from different cultures, from nations separated by more than 8,300 miles. Their fathers fought on opposite sides of the Vietnam War, but they are linked by the stubborn legacy of Agent Orange and other defoliants sprayed by the U.S. military decades ago.

The fact that light's still being shed on a topic as important as this - it's needed. The story has to keep on being told, and while war is war - how can you not as a U.S. government who decries human rights violations - never stand up and take responsibility for the lives that have been torn apart because of a war that should never have been waged in the first place - along with the chemicals used to fight it?

N.Y. Philharmonic Goes To Vietnam

Just in case you were interested:

Representatives of the New York Philharmonic visited Hanoi on Thursday to prepare for the orchestra's Vietnam debut in October. The philharmonic will play two concerts in Hanoi as part of an Asian tour that will also include stops in Tokyo, Seoul and Singapore. It will be the orchestra's first international tour under the leadership of new musical director Alan Gilbert, who takes over from Lorin Maazel in September.

"To be able to play for a new music public and be able to capitalize on the warmth and friendship that is so clearly developing here between our two countries is really a marvelous thing," Gilbert said. He spoke to reporters shortly before touring Hanoi's historic opera house, where the philharmonic is scheduled to play on Oct. 16 and 17.

The philharmonic plans a live broadcast of the concerts.

That's all.

In Pictures: HCMC Rock Storm 2009

Some pics from the HCMC (aka Saigon) Rock Storm show that wrapped up last week down at the Military Zone 7 Stadium attracting about 25,000 people.









Check out more pics here.

The Economic Model As Said By You Le Vo Phuong Mai

I say if you got $300,000 for post-doctoral research and you can't find a job in Nam as a researcher - I think it's time to move on:

After earning her doctoral degree, Mai received a scholarship worth GBP200,000 or more than $300,000 for post-doctoral research on macro-economic models and monetary policies. This is a prestigious scholarship granted by the UK Ministry of Education to up to 15 candidates who research economic topics.

Mai used algorithms and data to analyse various macro economic models. She focused on developed European and American economies where the banking systems, monetary policies and financial experts have strong influences on the economy. Prof. Patrick Minford, who worked as an economic advisor to former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, helped the Vietnamese student a lot during her research.

In her work, Mai criticised some theoretical principles of European and American economic models. In her opinion, these economies could not develop fast because they used those models from World War II till 2004. She developed a new economic model for the world, based on the current New Keynesian Model and the old New Classical. Here research pointed out that the two models combined together would give better data [...]

She wants to return to live in Hanoi in the near future to contribute her knowledge to the country’s development. However, she is worried about being unemployed in Vietnam because it is difficult for a researcher like Mai to find a suitable job.

It is what it aint?

Pham, 14 Days, Victor Vu, And Untitled Love Story

Here's a good article down at Vietnam News that mentioned The Chanh Phuong Film Studio (who produced The Rebel) and Victor Vu's new film Untitled Love Story.

The Chanh Phuong Film Studio, which produced Vietnam’s well-known action thriller The Rebel in 2007, also has plans for a TV series, according to the studio’s manager, Jimmy Nghiem Pham, an overseas Vietnamese.

"We want to diversify our productions as the Vietnamese film industry is attractive to overseas film makers," Pham said. "Our TV series will be screened over HTV Channel 3 in co-operation with Tri Viet Media Company."

The Chanh Phuong Film Studio recently completed the film 14 Days which will be screened at cinemas around the country during this month’s Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays. The film is about 14 days an overseas Vietnamese spent when he returned to his native land for the first time.

Pham is one among several overseas Vietnamese filmmakers returning home to make films over the last few years. Their productions have won the hearts of audiences in Viet Nam and abroad with their innovative themes and content. Many young actors have been cast in the lead roles of recent TV series and their performances have won audience acclaim.

Tang Thanh Ha, who became famous in serials like Doc Tinh (Slope of Romance) and Huong Phu Sa (Scent of Alluvium), screened on HTV some years ago was invited to play the lead role in Suddenly Want To Cry directed by Vu Ngoc Dang.

"Seeing Ha perform so naturally in Scent of Alluvium, I decided to offer her the lead role in my new series, " Dang said. Young model Ngoc Diep’s charming performances in the series Hoa Da Quy (Wild Sunflowers) impressed viewers.

She was invited to act in the film Chuyen Tinh Xa Xu (Untitled Love Story) with young models Binh Minh and Huy Khanh. Untitled Love Story is produced by 33-year-old Victor Vu, a Vietnamese-American filmmaker in co-operation with Viet Nam’s InFocus Media.

The film, which is scheduled to be screened at cinemas this month, has scenes shot in both Viet Nam and the US.

Read it in full here.

That's A Really Cute Monkey

You might have thought that the title of this post had nothing to do with monkeys - just like a previous post had nothing to really do with the genetic misfit labradoodle, but really - that's a cute monkey.

Researchers have discovered a new population of one of the world's rarest monkeys in the forests of northern Vietnam, raising slender hopes for the species's survival.

The Tonkin snub nosed money dwindled to the brink of extinction due to habitat loss and hunting by humans - a trend exacerbated by the creature's relatively fearless and inquisitive nature. In the 1980s scientists believed it was extinct.

More recently only 200 were believed to remain and the latest discovery of a new colony of 20 monkeys, including young, offers a glimmer of hope for the species.

"All recent indications suggest that we have a fantastic opportunity to secure this population and significantly increase the chances of survival of this species," said Paul Insua-Cao of Fauna and Flora International, which made the discovery.

"Most significant is all the excitement this has generated locally and the support that is coming from the local Vietnamese government agencies and Caritas Switzerland . With almost half the world's primate species under threat from extinction, we must do everything we can," he added.

The biologists observed that the monkeys were more wary of people, issuing warning signs to each other, suggesting they may be the target of hunters. There is also logging in the area.

"When I saw the Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys ... I was overjoyed," said FFI's Quan Ba, who took the photograph of the creature staring at him.

Read more down at the Telegraph.

And yes - I too want to touch the monkey.

Leon Le: Returning Back to HCMC

Caught this article down at VietNamNet on actor Leon Le who's been in Broadway productions of Chicago and Beauty and the Beast and recently played in The Missing Women, and just thought it was interesting that he was going back to Saigon to work on his career - which in a way could tell you what's out there for Asian American stage actors and the different types of receptions they receive:

Many Viet kieu (overseas Vietnamese) artists seem to have little success abroad but they easily achieve fame when returning to their homeland. What about you?

I was trained to be a stage actor so I work on stage more than in motion pictures. It is true that there are not many opportunities for Asian artists in Western countries but I can say that I’ve been lucky in my career.

There are many overseas Vietnamese film makers who come back to shoot in Viet Nam. However, many of them have received negative feedback from critics as they are said to have missed the mark when it comes to in-depth issues of modern society. What do you think?

I have seen films such as Buffalo Boy and The Rebel by Viet kieu film makers, and I think that Viet Nam’s motion picture industry has been making progress. We cannot deny the contribution of overseas Vietnamese film makers in the whole process. A unilateral perception of Vietnamese modern society is inevitable as most overseas Vietnamese film makers were born or have lived abroad for most of their lives. We should support overseas film makers making films about Viet Nam and welcome their interest

Read the full interview here.

Tropic Thunder, More Southeast Asians With Guns, And At Least In The Movies The U.S. Can Win In Vietnam

Another band of brothers on their way to shoot some Southeast Asians!

I've heard about this before, but more about RDJ's white man as a black man character, and while I'd have to see the movie to actually know if they're really saying something about race in an intelligent manner - I do know that at least from an Asian/Asian American character POV from everything they've shown - it's just another group of good 'ol boys from the U.S. taking it to my savage people in Southeast Asia.

'Cause you know - my peeps just live in the jungle and run drugs and grow up with machine guns.

I mean how else do you explain the U.S. government getting their ass handed to them in Vietnam?

Oh - I'm sorry - should I not have said that? Open up some old wounds? Feel like I'm denigrating lost lives?

Welcome to the club.

But don't worry if your still bleeding, because your prescription is simply a bunch of good 'ol boys (sans any Asian American good 'ol boys of course) in movies where the U.S. is taking it to a bunch of guerrilla drug running Southeast Asians.

Because if it didn't happen in real-life, at least it can happen in the movies right? And that's at least some consolation.

Yeah - I just might have to skip this one.

Nha Trang, Miss Universe 2008, and I'm not sure it will help

Miss Vietnam 2008 Nguyen Thuy Trang

In a previous post Vietnam: Economy 1, pageant winners 0 I couldn't help but notice how Vietnam's beauty pageant winners haven't really won anything on the global stage - and you know you wanted to know about this - and even though this year's Miss Universe pageant is going to be held in Nha Trang on July 14th, I couldn't help but think that it's probably not going to help their cause for winning something major (because the talent contest is apparently a dead heat this year according to Las Vegas bookies) - but it's at least nice to get some more tourists into the country - and hey - whatever you think about beauty pageants - can't really help you there because while I don't really watch them - I don't really have any problem with them either.

And since - are you really going to deny a Vietnamese woman the chance at a Miss Universe crown after her country was Agent Oranged not even a blink of an eye ago?

Yeah - that's what I thought.

Vietnam, Past and Present

This sounds pretty cool. Check it out:

Six Vietnamese artists will leave Vietnam for Denmark on June 6 to participate in the "Vietnam, Past and Present" show in Copenhagen as part of Deputy PM Nguyen Sinh Hung’s official visit to Denmark from June 9-16.

"Vietnam, Past and Present" is an outdoor show that will be held from 3-7pm at the Nytorv Square in Copenhagen, organised by the Vietnam-Denmark Cultural Development and Exchange Foundation and the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry. The show was developed based on Vietnamese folk music like Cheo (traditional operetta), Xam (beggar’s songs), Quan ho (Love duet) and Cai luong (southern folk opera) and performed in World Music style.

Vietnamese folk music will be mixed with modern music to create a special kind of art.

"The show is a meeting between Vietnamese folk songs and modern western music, between traditional and electronic musical instruments to meet the strict requirements of European audiences. Through the show, European audiences will learn about a traditional, renovated and integrated Vietnam," said musician Quoc Trung, the show’s art director.

Read more down at VietNamNet.

What Do You Expect?

I was reading about the deportation of an American pro-democracy activist and all I could really think of was simply "What the hell did you expect was going to happen?".

Devastation in China and surrounding areas

This is bad - and things keep on getting worse. To everyone that has family out in the affected areas - I hope you got in contact with them and that everyone is safe:

A powerful earthquake toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants Monday in central China, killing more than 8,700 people and trapping untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel and earth in the country's worst quake in three decades.

The 7.9-magnitude quake devastated a region of small cities and towns set amid steep hills north of Sichuan's provincial capital of Chengdu. Striking in midafternoon, it emptied office buildings across the country in Beijing and could be felt as far away as Vietnam.

Snippets from state media and photos posted on the Internet underscored the immense scale of the devastation. In the town of Juyuan, south of the epicenter, a three-story high school collapsed, burying as many as 900 students and killing at least 50, the official Xinhua news agency said. Photos showed people using cranes, mechanical hoists and their hands to remove slabs of concrete and steel.

Read more coverage here.

Vietnam arrests six child smugglers

Before you get on the bandwagon about Vietnam and baby smuggling - be honest with yourself - it happens here too, it's just not front page news:

Deputy police chief in the border town of Mong Cai, Nguyen Thai Binh, told Associated Press Wednesday that two women were also among the six taken into police custody earlier this week.

The arrests were made on Monday after the smugglers were caught transporting two 10-day old boys for sale in China, Binh said.

Read more down at Tin Que Huong.