“Tiger is Coming” band Leenalchi will join more than 100 performers in Haebangchon this weekend as 10 venues in the area open for a cultural festival. Showcase music festival Block Party will return for a second year Saturday and Sunday with more stages and a wider variety of performances. Music will still be at the heart of the event, with alternative pop band Leenalchi being joined Saturday by the hard rock sounds of Galaxy Express and Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, as well as Ja

The shining city of Sydney may get all the attention, but look further along the New South Wales coastline and there is a whole world of seafood, nature and stunning scenery to become immersed in. And you don’t get much more immersed than literally up to your waist in the Hawkesbury estuary, where we were learning how to shell oysters, with bream circling around us waiting to snaffle up any leftovers. Sydney Oyster Farm Tours shows guests how the region’s rock oysters are reared, as

With restaurants in practically every city district, it’s fair to say that Vietnamese food has a firm foothold in South Korea. But while the restaurants are many, the options are not, with most serving the same dozen dishes, half of them pho. So when faced with the abundant options here, it’s hard to know where to start.An invitation from Paradise Vietnam and its Viet Deli group of restaurants gave The Korea Herald a chance to taste what Vietnam had to offer, revealing a world of fre

The Camarata Chamber Singers won the “Best of the Best” Presidential Award at the 23rd National Choral Competition in Daejeon.The multicultural choir was among 40 that entered Saturday’s national choral competition, the only amateur competition recognized with a presidential award. Sixteen choirs made it to the final, where they each sang twice, with at least one Korean song. The Chamber Singers sang “Nyon Nyon” by Jake Runestad, and Aeo-rang, based on a North Korea

HALONG BAY, Vietnam -- It’s an iconic Southeast Asian destination. With thousands of limestone islands jutting spectacularly from the sea, the scenery unfolds here like a fantastical Chinese painting. It’s no wonder it has been listed as a World Heritage Site.There are hotels in the area, but the only option if you want to see Halong Bay and do it justice is by boat.While day tours are popular, overnight cruises are a growing option, offering more time to relax and enjoy the scenery.

The big Korean holidays are notorious for daughters-in-law. While their husbands enjoy the luxury of being banished from the kitchen, some women spend several solid days cooking and washing dishes before going back to work. Others married to less traditional families have an easier time. For women from overseas, the language and cultural barriers are another potential issue. “It really depends on the family, if you are lucky, you get a better Chuseok,” said Katherine Corteza, who has spent 12 ye

The back of the door in Sungkyunkwan University professor Navrati Saxena’s office is covered in photographs. The pictures are of current and former students, who come from across Asia and sometimes farther afield to study with her, but to Saxena it is something of a family tree.While some now work in industry, others have set up their own labs, and now have their own students.“I always say my Ph.D. students are like my children, and then their students are like my grandchildren, so we are academ

Jeju Island has received more than 500 applications for refugee status from people fleeing the war in Yemen this year, most of them coming in April and May via the island’s visa exemption system. But the government’s welcome has been mixed.Faced with the sudden influx, the government has expedited permission for them to work. But at the same time, it has ended the visa-free access Yemeni nationals used to reach Jeju, making future applications more difficult.And official sources have provided al

If timing is all important in stage drama, there will be no margin for error in the Gwangju Performance Project’s next production.Twelve groups will storm through as many plays in two hours as they compete to win Pen in Ten.“We have a great variety of plays this time,” said Kelly Kim, one of the organizers of the competition. “There are comedies, dramas, even a musical. We hope to make our audience laugh, then cry, then sing.”But the GPP did not want to give more away, saying surprises were part

It’s 20 minutes into the class and children’s illustrator Korky Paul is waving his shin in the air. He pulls back a trouser leg to reveal a shock of yellow and red as he exhorts his elementary school audience to come up with drawing ideas.The class is one of a series of workshops last week at Dulwich College Seoul. School visits are something he tries to fit in twice a month over most of the academic year.“You just see what the kids enjoy doing, what they enjoy reading, and what makes them laugh