Pieces of Culture No.2 - Didgeridoo (Australia) vs. Bamboo Flute (Vietnam)

Written by Do Thi Hong Dung
Co-writter: Fresh_air

Before P.O.C.2


Ending the POC No.1, we started out immediately with a new challenge Way back to traditional music: Vietnam vs Australia which is due within 3 weeks. No matter how hard it is all members of our project team engaged in POC2 together.


Fortunately, the event was timed to tie in with Australian culture promotion events held by Australia embassy in Vietnam so they, in reply to our effort, promised a great support for Hanoikids. Furthermore, from the generosity of friends, we contacted successfully with Mr. Le Thai Son who is not only an expert in traditional music instruments especially flute but also much enthusiastic in spreading out his passion to Vietnam students.


We planned 80 seats for POC2, and quickly the show was fully booked up for days.


1 day before event: Check, check, check


Content -> ok, clip -> ok, communication -> ok, game -> ok, Mc -> ok.


2 hours before event: Check, check, check


Venue -> ok, logistic -> ok, 2 guests -> ok.


POC2:


On Sunday April 18th 2010, PIECES OF CULTURE No.02 has taken place successfully in Vietnam – Soviet friendship culture center. This April, on a great occasion of an Australian gift to Hanoi – once in 1000 years, the program is a combination of the two countries’ cultural beauties on wind musical instruments: Vietnamese bamboo flute and Australian Didgeridoo. We started in an excited atmosphere and nice weather with approximately 100 participants.

The programs opened up impressively with a wonderful video clip showing the features of the two countries and their traditional wind instruments. While Australia appeared with magnificent sceneries and pictures of Aborigines, Vietnam brought a peaceful view of boundless fields, green rivers and elegant people.


The talk show flowed amazingly and vividly thanks to the performances of Mr. Le Thai Son, a Vietnamese bamboo flute teacher, performer and maker and Mr. Jeremy Donovan, a Didgeridoo artist from Australia. It was a good chance for not only Vietnamese but also foreign people to get more knowledge about these two instruments, including their stories, designs, features as well as their great impacts on the lives of Vietnamese and Australian people. Jeremy indeed gave such a special presentation on Didgeridoo and various sound effects coming from the nature. Mr. Le Thai Son had figured out the differences between Vietnamese and Chinese bamboo flute, about which many youngsters have just known for the first time and also generalized his speech by explaining the meaning of a Dong ho printing first.

In addition, the open talk was a great time for the audience to communicate with the artists. Despite time limit, Vietnamese youth and people interested in the topic really took chances to get to know more about the instruments as well as the reasons why they are so important to the artists’ lives. Jeremy shared that: although performing in public in many modern and developed countries brought him pleasure and happiness, Australian jungle was still his only home where he had grown up and felt belong to. Nothing can replace that simple natural home.

Next part named WATCH did a good job in attracting audiences by a dramatic short movie made by Hanoikids’ team clip and a joint performance between Mr. Jeremy Donovan, Mr. Le Thai Son, and his beloved student Trung. At the end of this section, there was a funny game that cheered up all participants.
Joint performance


After two interesting parts, the interaction between the audience and the artists continued with part three, EXPERIENCE. Mr. Le Thai Son enthusiastically taught some audiences how to play the flute. Also, to the audience, it was really a great honor to receive lovely flute presents from Mr. Son. The scene that Mr. Jeremy learned how to play Vietnamese bamboo flute ended POC2 excitingly.

PIECES OF CULTURE No.02 is a great opportunity for both Vietnamese and foreign people to find out more about the cultural beauties of Australia and Vietnam. It gives youngsters another chance to be more proud of our country; at the same time, it is a bridge connecting Vietnam and Australia at the aim of strengthening the friendship between the two countries.

We are very pleased to send our gratitude to the guests who, with their inspiring passion, helped us hold the show successfully. We also want to give many thanks to you, our beloved audiences, who have come along with us in POC events so far.


Co-organizers: Hanoikids & Australia Embassy


Sponsor: Nguyen Trai University