Spring Festival to open in Hanoi

A Spring Festival will be held at Quan Ngua Stadium in the capital city from January 21-26, according to the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The event is part of cultural activities to celebrate the 84th anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and welcome in the Lunar New Year of the Horse.

In addition, a series of art performances will be held on New Year’s Eve at many places including King Ly Thai To statue, Hanoi Opera House, Lenin Park and Ngoc Son temple.

On the following days, from February 2-5, there will be a wide range of martial and sport performances taking place at 29 districts and communes across the city.

Denmark funds Vietnam’s art projects

Denmark has announced a US$1.5 million aid package for Vietnam’s contemporary art projects over 2014-2016.

Danish Ambassador John Nielsen, who is also chairman of the Cultural Development Exchange Fund (CDEF), said total budget for this cultural support programme is US$3 million and half of the amount has been disbursed since 2011.

Now CDEF is awaiting Vietnamese registrations for innovation art projects in different genres that highlight Vietnam’s traditional and cultural heritage values and reflect the modern life.

The Fund hopes to receive registrations from artists in the south instead of those in the north as in the first phase.

The jury will include renowned artists, journalists, and representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Danish Centre for Culture and Development.

Vietnam’s folk paintings on show

A Vietnamese folk painting seminar was held in Hanoi on January 13 in an effort to preserve this special genre of art.

The event, co-organised by the French Academy of the Far East (EFEO) and the French Development Agency, drew the participation of notable scholars including Association of Vietnamese Historians President Phan Huy Le, EFEO Representative in Vietnam Olivier Tessier, and EFEO Ho Chi Minh City Representative Pascal Bourdeaux.

Participants discussed the origins of folk painting, preserving written material, and ways of promoting Vietnamese folk culture.

They highlighted the Hanoi craft villages and streets renowned for the sophistication of their folk painting and their colour plate printing (Dong Ho) and brush painting (Hang Trong) techniques.

The seminar also encompasses a folk painting exhibition introducing works collected by French authors Maurice Durand and Henri Oger.

The exhibition will run until February 28.

Promoting ethnic minority culture

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) will continue speeding up projects on preserving and developing the ethnic minority culture in 2014.

MoCST Deputy Minister Huynh Vinh Ai said the ministry plans to build a set of cultural development indicators for ethnic minority groups by 2020, take an inventory of ethnic minority cultural heritage, support cultural development of at least 16 ethnic minority groups and repair 300 relics.

It will strive to develop a healthy cultural environment, comprehensively upgrade grassroots-level culture and sports institutions, and raise the ‘Cultural Family’ rate to 87% and the ‘Cultural Village’ rate to 68%.

Most ethnic minority groups have devised plans to preserve and develop their culture till 2020 and have already set up a steering committee to oversee it.

Ethnic minority festivals have been organised in line with the Party’s guidelines and State laws. People are fully aware of their cultural identities, and are actively getting involved in creating new cultural values and preserving others

In 2013, the ministry successfully organised Vietnam Ethnic Minority Cultural Day on April 19 and implemented three projects on preserving villages, hamlets and communes of ethnic minority groups.

It also built entertainment sites for children in remote, mountainous and island areas in Lai Chau, Dak Nong, Lao Cai, Quang Nam and Dien Bien.

Japan helps with Thang Long Citadel preservation

The Nara National Research Institute for Japanese Cultural Properties is researching and developing preservation technology tailored to the priceless wooden relics within Hanoi’s Thang Long Imperial Citadel.

The institute plans cooperation with fellow research agencies, including Kyoto University, to create the necessary timber preservation chemicals suitable in Vietnam’s hot and humid climate.

Institute experts will investigate the current state of the citadel’s relics, comparing the artifacts with  wooden items sourced from other sites. They will also survey the warehousing and storage practices of Vietnamese museums.

The Nara Institute will establish a research station in Vietnam Forestry University to study old trees and timber and assess effectiveness of trial preservatives.

Excavated in 2002, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long contains various precious wooden relics spanning pillar systems, boats, and lacquer adornment. Many have suffered damage as a consequence of inappropriate preservation techniques.

Local cuisine promotion has a long Hue to go: city residents

Hue is best known for elegant royal cuisine. But there is far more to the former imperial city's food culture than what was served to the Nguyen dynasty in the 1800s.

Food plays a key role in Hue life. The first skill that a girl learns from her mother is cooking, which allows recipes to be preserved for generations.

One distinctive quality of ­Hue food is the harmonisation of yin and yang in each dish. For example, molluscs are always cooked with chilli, pepper, lemongrass and grapefruit leaves, "hot" spices that balance the "cool" features of molluscs.

Various snack-like items, such as banh beo, banh nam, banh loc, banh canh and che, are a major part of the cuisine. You can find these items at Hue restaurants in Ha Noi and HCM City. Bun bo Hue, a local breakfast dish, is also popular around the country.

Recently, Viet Nam's record book listed several Hue dishes on its list of the country's best foods: bun bo (beef noodles), com hen (rice with mussels), banh beo (rice cake with grilled shrimp), banh bot loc (dumplings with shrimp), banh khoai (fried rice crepes), ruoc (shrimp paste), me xung (sesame candy), che hat sen (sweet lotus seed pudding), mam tom (pickled shrimp) and thanh tra (a grapefruit variety that was served to the king).

However, Hue residents paid little attention to the recognition, objecting that the value of Hue cuisine was greater than what the book listed. Che hat sen, for instance, is not considered the most outstanding among the various kinds of che that Hue people cook. Many blamed local authorities for failing to promote authentic food to the list makers.

Introducing the cuisine to tourists is also a problem. The city does not have many sit-down restaurants selling quality Hue food. Some dishes are best prepared by food vendors, but foreigners do not always trust these vendors when it comes to hygiene.

Binh Duong to host final round of cooking contest

Fifteen outstanding teams of chefs will head to Binh Duong Province's Minh Sang Plaza to compete in the final round of the Chiec thia vang (Golden Spoon) contest tomorrow.

Contestants will create a set menu with a starter, two main courses and a dessert using ingredients given to them.

The winner will have an opportunity to win VND1 billion (US$47,370) in cash and a trophy as well as become the face for a series of activities to promote the country's culinary tourism along with the Ly's Horeca brand of the porcelain maker Minh Long.

Chosen from a total of 140 teams of chefs working in restaurants around Viet Nam, the finalists with three members each are from Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Da Nang, Phu Yen, Kon Tum, Dong Nai, Vung Tau, HCM City, Can Tho, Dong Thap, and Kien Giang.

The competition, the first of its kind the country, aims to honour professional chefs who have conducted research about nutrition and introduced Vietnamese specialties and healthy dishes to tourists, said Ly Huy Sang, deputy general director of Minh Long I Company.

It is jointly organised by the HCM City Tourism Association, the Business Studies and Assistance Centre and Binh Duong-based Minh Long I Company.

Photography book on Vietnam’s Hoang Sa and Truong Sa launched

The new photography book “Hoang Sa, Truong Sa - Aspiration for Peace” by Bui Tat Tuom and Vu Ba Hoa has just been published.

With over 500 photos selected from diverse sources at home and abroad, the book has shown evidences of Vietnam’s sovereignty over Spratly and Paracel (Hoang Sa and Truong Sa) archipelagoes.

Majority of these pictures are press photos and have great value in terms of history and arts.

The photo book has been arranged in a photo reportage manner. It has been divided into four chapters introducing Vietnam ’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa- Truong Sa; Hoang Sa- Vietnamese ancestors’ homes – Generation Hand Down; Truong Sa- Now and Then; Vietnam- Aspiration for Peace.

Earlier, the Vietnam Education Publishing House introduced to the public books entitled “The evidence of Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes” by Nguyen Nha, and “Hoang Sa-Truong Sa in the arms of the Fatherland” by Hong Chau and Minh Tan.

Exhibition documents life of patriot emperor Ham Nghi

Around 60 photos and documents surrounding the life of emperor Ham Nghi (1871-1944) went on display in Thua Thien – Hue province on January 14.

The exhibition has been co-organised by the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre and cultural and historical researcher Nguyen Dac Xuan to mark the 70th anniversary of the death of the patriotic Nguyen Dynasty emperor.

The exhibits date from August 1884 when the emperor, whose real name was Nguyen Phuc Ung Lich, came to the throne, to July 1885 when he called upon intellectuals and people to join the Can Vuong (Support the King) movement against the French colonists and for national independence.

The three-year movement failed, with emperor Ham Nghi exiled to Algeria. He died there in 1944 and his body was interred in France.

Works on display at the exhibition also include copies of two paintings entitled ‘Decline of the Day’ and ‘Picture of Countryside’, which he produced during his exile.

Deputy PM requests provision of optimal environment for cultural creation

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has asked for additional platforms for cultural creation and timely rewards to people who create national cultural values.

The Government leader made the request at a videoconference connecting Hanoi, Da Nang city and Ho Chi Minh City today to discuss the implementation of tasks assigned to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for the year 2014.

In his speech, Deputy PM Dam praised the outstanding results achieved by the culture, sports and tourism sector in 2013, emphasising its important role in promoting the nation’s traditional values and contributing to building an advanced culture imbued with national identity.

He asked for closer co-ordination among relevant ministries and agencies in managing culture, sports and tourism activities, adding that the sector needs to continue its combat against certain things contrary to Vietnam’s traditional customs, while stimulating the development of cultural activities to celebrate specific features of Vietnamese culture.

He urged the sector to step up inspection in culture, sports and tourism activities, while stressing the need to discuss appropriate policies for people working in the field of art creation.

The sector has set out its targets for 2014, which include thoroughly grasping and strictly enforcing the revised Constitution, strengthening inspection in sensitive cultural areas and giving appropriate penalties in cases of repeat violators, and consulting the Party and Government to make policy planning for the development of its activities.