Mountain region festival links ethnic groups

Thua Thien Hue Province begins its three-day culture, tourism and sports festival for ethnic minorities tomorrow, May 15.

The biennial festival is aimed at strengthening solidarity between the Ta Oi, Pa Co and Ko Tu ethnic groups.

Thua Thien Hue Province begins its three-day culture, tourism and sports festival for ethnic minorities tomorrow.—Illustrative image/ Photo dantri

Held in the mountainous A Luoi District, the festival is expected to attract about 700 people, including from the Nam Dong District, and other mountain communes. They will compete in sport, cooking and music and also hold exhibitions.

Le Thuy Chi, of the province's Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports, said the festival was always a great spectacle, an opportunity for tourists.

Visitors could find homestays in the area and take part in tours with ethnic group guides, visiting sites in the district, forests and waterfalls.

President Ho translation republished

The famous Prison Diary written by late President Ho Chi Minh during the early 1940s was recently republished in Spanish by the Coleccion Sur de Ediones Union publishing house in Cuba.

The work was translated into Spanish by Cuba's well-known late poet Felix Pita Rodriguez and made its debut in the country in 1960. It helped give Cuban readers an insight into President Ho Chi Minh's personality and Vietnamese culture.

Speaking at a ceremony to introduce the book held by the Cuban Book Institute last Saturday, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Vu Chi Cong expressed his thanks to the institute for its introduction of this special work in the context that Viet Nam is celebrating the President's 123rd birthday anniversary, which falls on May 19.

He affirmed that the work acts as a cultural bridge and helps consolidate the two countries' traditional friendship.

The work is a collection of more than 100 poems written in Chinese characters during 12 months between 1942 and 1943 when Ho Chi Minh was imprisoned in China's Guangxi Province.

Over the past 50 years, the work has been translated into many foreign languages and become the inspiration for both domestic and international artists.

HCM City hosts Thailand paintings show

The Thai Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, Panpimon Suwannapongse, will exhibit 21 of her lacquer paintings at the HCM City Museum of Fine Arts from June 8-16.

The “Golden Season” exhibition will also include 15 lacquer paintings by Vietnamese artist Hua Thanh Binh.

This is the second time Suwannapongse has hosted an exhibition of her work in Vietnam, after displaying her paintings in Hanoi in 2007.

In April 2013, her lacquer paintings were also shown at Gallery 333 in Thailand.

Da Nang student wins letter contest

Dao Thuy Thuy Duong won first prize in the annual letter writing competition organised by Viet Nam's Universal Postal Union (UPU).

Duong was the third student from Tay Son Junior High School in the central city of Da Nang to win the contest, which asked students to "write a letter explaining why water is a precious resource".

She wrote her letter from the perspective of Thuy Tinh (Water Genie), a character in a popular Vietnamese tale. In the letter, the genie discusses the important role water plays in daily life with Son Tinh (Mountain Genie), a rival character in the legend.

The winning letter was translated into French and sent to the UPU in Switzerland to compete at the international level.

The 42nd domestic competition took place from October to March and drew more than 1,200,000 entries.

Harvard workshop examines Lord Nguyen’s life

Harvard University’s Asia Centre held a workshop on Vietnam’s Nguyen Dynasty themed “Nguyen Vietnam 1558-1885, Domestic Issues” on May 11-12.

The event attracted 20 scholars from the US, France, Britain, Australia and Vietnam, including renowned Vietnam studies scholars Alexander Woodside, Liam C Kelley, John Whitmore, Michele Thompson, Phillippe Papin, and Andrew Hardy.

Professor Van Phu Quang from Yale University and Professor Ho Tai Hue Tam from Harvard University also attended the event.

Delegates examined Lord Nguyen’s role in Vietnam’s development, the relationship between the Nguyen Dynasty and countries in the region, land issues and the value of documentary heritage of the Nguyen Dynasty.

All the presentations will be edited and published into scientific reports of Harvard University’s Asia Centre.

This was Harvard University’s first workshop on Vietnam’s last imperial dynasty.

Joint art exhibition held in Korean city

An art exhibition featuring contemporary work by Vietnamese and South Korean artists is on a display at the Han Hyang-lim Ceramic Museum in Paju City, about 70km north of Seoul.

Presenting an artistic meeting of Vietnamese and Korean contemporary art, the exhibition features five Vietnamese and two South Korean artists.

The unique styles of Luong Xuan Doan, Le Van Thin, Doan Hong, Nguyen Van Cuong, Nguyen The Duy, Oh Kyung-hwan and Huh Dal-jae are highlighted in the museum's simple and natural space, according to the museum's representative at the opening ceremony last Saturday.

"The event is the first fine arts meeting of Viet Nam and South Korea held in the city, and it is expected to promote diversified culture and art co-operation between the two countries," said the city mayor Lee In-jae.

"It is also a good chance for the city's residents to enjoy contemporary Vietnamese artworks."

The exhibition is a significant cultural event in the context of the successful Friendship Year 2012 celebrations and the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, said Vietnamese ambassador to South Korea Tran Trong Toan.

The exhibition will run until May 26. All the Vietnamese artworks will be presented to the Asian Culture Centre in the central city of Gwangju, which is currently being built.

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