Saigon Vegan Festival & Joyful June Dinner

I had a nice evening last Saturday with lots of fun at the vegan pool party in Sun Rise city, enjoying the company of these kind and so friendly new friends. We did some yoga breathing, playing team games ('Plant' vs. 'Power') with some stretching, balance and quiz. Then we enjoyed delicious vegan food together over sunset. We then visited Janny's appartment and playing some strange cards and then the interesting Werewolf Game. Each of us took a role in an imaginary village, where some could become werewolves at nights...

Saigon Vegan Festival is a project by Tyra Nguyen, with monthly Vegan festival events in Ho Chi Minh city, where vegans can come to enjoy food, networking, getting to know each other and playing together. Sharing the dream of animal lovers, vegan practitioners, environmentalist and those who have a beating heart for this wonderful Earth and Life, Tyra initiated a website to promote this true way of living in harmony with ethics and nature. Her websites:

• https://www.facebook.com/saigonveganfestival
• http://saigonveganfestival.com/  

*****

Notes and photos by Tyra on Saigon Vegan Festival

- An exclusive venue with a stunning view and ambience!
- A great stretch with breathing exercise led by Tarun Tri!! (& an unforgettable arm + leg pull game too hehehehe)
- A super fun vegan quiz with a "terrible" vegan punishment!
- A great meal by chef Thanh Phuong with the Cha ca La Vong roll!
- A lovely weather with only a few drops and no rain!!!
- A great host team (Janny, Alexis, Huyen) running up and down, back and forth so we can have a smooth night!
- A strangely non-related party games (Against Humanity + Werewolves) HAHAHA

I've got to say this dinner is so far the most time and effort consuming for me as the organier. And the result turned out so good, with big help from Janny (the co-organizer and host), and Dylan (my source of encouragement and support). For sure, all friends who joined were there to chip in their smiles, cheer, hands, heads, feets... Thank you all from my heart!!!

We had fun, very light yet deep fun!

 

 

Storytelling Saigon #1

"As humans, we love stories. They have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and instilling moral values. Now is your chance to hear and see people’s personal tales in an on-stage format yet to be tried out in Vietnam. Narrated by a wide variety of people from different backgrounds, this should be a fascinating night and one certainly not to be missed. (Word Vietnam)

If you are interested in attending our FREE WORKSHOPS on storytelling/public speaking please join our growing Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/875908592519678/

For more information about storytelling as an artform please see below:

In the spirit of The Moth (https://themoth.org/) or RadioLab (http://www.radiolab.org/) or This American Life (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/), we want to introduce everyone to the intimate art of storytelling. :)

Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, sound and/or images, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and instilling moral values."

James Dilday

La Fenêtre Soleil, 4.6.2016

James and the audience

"The Torture of Gideon Mantell"  - a story by Patric M Davies
Patrick performs comedy for Stand-Up Saigon. He is originally from London but he says his heart will always stay in Saigon. It's amazing how he was telling and at the same time painting the illustrative pictures.

"My uncle's friend had that - He's dead now" - a story by Claire Robbin
Claire is a ghostwriter, and a singer-songwriter from London.

"Meeting a True Meditation Master" - a story by Trevor Weltman
Trevor is an American living in Saigon, where he works as a life coach and trainer. He is a daily practitioner and teacher of Heartfulness Meditation. You can read his writing at
http://MeditateActivateElevate.com/

"Up the Stairs, Looking Backwards" - a story by Tom Sanders

Tom Sanders is the co-founder of the Saigon-based Youth Culture Library. He has performed spoken word, poetry and short-fiction in London and in Vietnam (Saigon Ranger and La Fenetre Soleil).

"Just the Right Dose" - a story by Tom McNulty
Tom is a longtime performer of Stand-Up Comedy in Saigon.

"The Art of Doing Nothing" - an inspiring talk by Daniel Tran Anh Tuan
Coming back to Saigon last year from Singapore, Daniel has been a trainer of human potential to help others realize their paths in this world.

"The Importance of Collaboration within the Arts" - by Emily Navarra
An artistic director, choreographer and performer, Emily formed Standpoint Theories - Legends of Vietnam in 2013 a collaborative yearly project which retells six Vietnamese legends through dance, visual art and live music. In 2015, she founded the Movement Kitchen which aims to create a wider platform for local dance artists and encourage further understanding of the art of movement, mentally and physically.

"Experiences in a Hospital" - a story by Kieran Michaels
Kieran is a funny comedian from Sweden.

Burt Teplitzky and his funnt fantasy story about the parallel world,
where he exchanged his role with a beautiful lady...

Adam Palmeter and his childhood story.

The Canadian band after the show