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The third Ho Chi Minh City outdoor sculpture exhibition opened on January 5 at Van Thanh Tourist Area in Binh Thanh District.
The exhibition features 64 works by 50 artists nationwide, half of whom are young ones, including Chi (Point) by Nguyen Tan Cuong, Tai tao (renewable) by Tran Tuan Nghia, and Noi toi (My grandfather) by Nguyen Van Chuoc.
According to the exhibit organizer, the city’s Association of Fine Arts, the exhibition will run until February 5, after which the best sculptural works will be featured at Nguyen Hue flower street during Tet holiday.
The exhibition also includes a display book of Ho Chi Minh City Sculpture, from 1975 to 2010. The book highlights the history of the art and outstanding works created during the period, and is translated in English and Vietnamese.
The 300-page book is co-invested and published by five artists, Uyen Huy, Bui Hai Son, Nguyen Xuan Tien, Nguyen Hoai Huyen Vu and Hoang Tan.
At the press conference, sculptor Bui Hai Son, head of the city’s sculpture department under the association of Fine Arts, raised questions whether after the exhibition, such works will be appreciated and purchased by local visitors or sent back to the artists' homes or to the warehouse, like previous events.
“We have no idea about these works’ future after the exhibition, said Son, member of the organizing board, worrying about the future of the city’s sculpture."
The press conference spontaneously turned into a discussion of how to promote and develop the art in the city.
This year’s event, which is held every five years, features various subjects, including urban living space, weather changes and environment. However, the works’ quality has regressed, compared to the show in 2007.
According to the organizer, senior artists are no longer interested in the exhibition, whereas, the younger ones don’t have enough material to “invest” in their works, which could possibly explain the degradation.
Most importantly, according to artist Uyen Huy, head of the association, because there’s no support and sponsor for the city’s sculptors, the artists are too tired of spending their own money to create artworks, carrying them to the exhibition and collecting them back.
Uyen Huy, who was quoted by Tuoi Tre newspaper at the conference, stressed on the importance of the local government’s support in promoting the art.
Tet celebrations at Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
For the first time, visitors to the museum will have the opportunity to explore traditional rituals of people in Phu Tho area via activities such as singing xoan, catching eels in a jar and dropping chop sticks into a bottle while walking on stilts.
The program also includes 16 exotic games of ethnic minority groups such as H’Mong, Ede, Thai, Dao and Nung.
Meanwhile, children will have a chance of learning more about the 12 animal signs in astrology, and draw on Bat Trang ceramics.
Traditional Vietnamese cuisine is another highlight. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn how to make delicacies of different regions in Vietnam.
Costumes of ethnic minority groups like H’Mong, Dao, Thai and Phu La will also be made available for visitors to don for some photo ops.
The cost of admission is VND25,000 per adult, VND3,000 per child and VND5,000 per student.
The timeless charm of Hue Citadel
Recognized as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO, the former Hue Imperial Citadel built by the Nguyen Dynasty from 1805 to 1945 is one of the must-see destinations for those who take a trip through the World Heritage sites on the country’s central coast.
The citadel compound is located on the north bank of the Huong (perfume) River, comprising three rings of ramparts: Hue Capital Citadel, Royal Citadel and Forbidden Citadel. The original look of the outer ring has over the past 200 years remained intact with nearly 140 small and large constructions. Upon reaching further into the second ring is the Royal Citadel whose brick walls were four meters high and one meter thick. There is a trench system circling the citadel.
The citadel consists of more than 100 fascinating architectural works, with the most striking being the Noon Gate and the Thai Hoa Palace.
Inside the Imperial Citadel complex and behind the Throne Palace, the Forbidden Citadel was for the Emperor and his family. The whole site consists of about 50 architectural constructions of different sizes and 7 gates.
The Hue relics preservation center will offer free admission to several places of interest in the Hue Imperial Citadel for local and foreign tourists from January 23-25 (or the first to third of the first lunar month). Current tickets for the royal citadel tour cost VND30,000-35,000 for each local visitor and VND55,000 for each foreigner, while the price of the ticket to An Dinh Palace is VND10,000.
Admission to most famous destinations in the complex such as An Dinh Palace, Emperor Khai Dinh’s Tomb, and Emperor Minh Mang’s Tomb will be free as well.
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