Newspaper celebrates 30th anniversary

The popular Vietnamese-language daily specialising in culture and sport fields yesterday celebrated its 30th anniversary at a function in Ha Noi.

The winning caricature by artist DAD on the Euro Cup 2012

in a competition organised by the The Thao&Van Hoa daily.

Run by the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), The Thao & Van Hoa (Sports & Culture) was born as a 16-page publication covering World Cup Espana in 1982.

The daily has added a weekly publication on Fridays and a frequently updated website which has been running since June 2008.
The newspaper also produces three programmes on the VNA's television channel VNews – Hanh Tinh The Thao (Sport Planet), Van Hoa Toan Canh (Cultural Panorama) and a talk show, Culture Radar.

At yesterday's ceremony, the newspaper received a first class Labour Order award from the Government.

Addressing the ceremony, VNA general director Nguyen Duc Loi praised the daily as "one of the first newspaper specialising in sports and culture in the 1980s, when knowledge of the field was limited among readers".

The newspaper also organises annual events like Cong Hien (Devotion) Awards for music workers, Press Cartoon Awards and Bui Xuan Phai Prizes for Ha Noi Lovers, for dedicated individuals and collectives making great contributions to Ha Noi.

At the same event, the newspaper presented awards to winners of two contests it organised: one on caricatures from Euro Cup 2012 and the other on written impressions of the newspaper.

Artist Do Anh Dung (pen name DAD) won first prize in the caricature contest with his impression of Spanish football team manager Del Bosque.

Painter Le Anh Phong (pen name LAP) took second prize and Tran Minh Dung (NHOP) came third.

There were 150 entries from professional and amateur painters nationwide.

In the writing contest, hundreds of entries were received and 32 made the final cut. However, judges were unable to separate the top entries and thus awarded top prizes to Vi Thuy Linh, Le Sa Long and Le Chi Dung.

Each contestant wrote on readers' impressions of the daily and recalled reactions to early publications.

The same situation occurred with the runners-up where six people received prizes. Ten encouragement awards were also made.

Statue dedicated to famed French physician on Nha Trang Beach

A bust of French-Swiss doctor Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943) has just been unveiled. The bust is placed in south of Tran Phu Bridge on Nha Trang Beach.

The blue granite bust was based on a design by artists Xuan Tien and Ngo Liem from HCM City's Fine Arts Association. It is 4m tall including a pedestal of 0.6m.

Yersin worked in French Indochina as a physician in 1890 before travelling widely in the region. He spent much of his time in Viet Nam, particularly coastal city of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province.

In 1934 he was named honorary director of the Nha Trang Pasteur Institute and a member of its Board of Administration. He died at his home in Nha Trang in 1943.

After 1975, streets named in his honour kept their designation, and his tomb in Suoi Dau, Nha Trang was graced by a shrine where rites are still performed in his memory. Yersin's house in Nha Trang is now the Yersin Museum, and the epitaph on his tombstone describes him as a "Benefactor and humanist, venerated by the Vietnamese people."

HCM City circus group to perform in northern region

The HCM City circus group will perform in the country's northern provinces from next Friday to September 2.

They will perform in Bac Ninh, Ha Nam,Thai Nguyen, and Hai Phong provinces before going to Ha Noi next Thursday.

During the tour, they will perform well-known acts that have won prestigious prizes in international circus festivals. Moreover, northern provinces' audiences will be treated to skilled prestidigitation acts being performed for the first time during a circus show in Viet Nam.

 Famed French physician's statue erected in Nha Trang

A bust of French-Swiss doctor Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943) has just been unveiled in south of Tran Phu Bridge on Nha Trang Beach.

The blue granite bust was based on a design by artists Xuan Tien and Ngo Liem from HCM City's Fine Arts Association. It is 4m tall including a pedestal of 0.6m.

Yersin worked in Indochina as a physician in 1890 before travelling widely in the region. He spent much of his time in Vietnam, particularly the coastal city of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa province.

In 1934, he was named honorary director of the Nha Trang Pasteur Institute and a member of its Board of Administration. He died at his home in Nha Trang in 1943.

After 1975, streets named in his honour kept their designation, and his tomb in Suoi Dau, Nha Trang was graced by a shrine where rites are still performed in his memory.

Yersin's house in Nha Trang is now the Yersin Museum, and the epitaph on his tombstone describes him as a "Benefactor and humanist, venerated by the Vietnamese people.

Japanese martial arts performed in Hanoi

A performance of Aikido was held in Hanoi from August 18-21 by the Japanese Embassy in co-ordination with the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Aikido Yukishudokan and Aikido Hanoi Clubs.     

150 martial artists from 18 Aikido clubs over the country joined the event in the Cau Giay sports hall to mark the 39th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties.

Entering Vietnam 50 years ago, Aikido has become popular in Hanoi, HCM City and many other localities.

There are 12 Aikido Clubs in the capital city with a total membership of nearly 3,000.

 Co Tu ethnic architecture in spotlight

An international seminar on preserving the traditional architecture of the Co Tu ethnic group took place in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on August 20.

The event drew the participation of both domestic and international scientists and managers in related fields.

Participants heard research reports on the Co Tu’s culture and local architecture, as well as proposals on how to develop ecological tourism in Co Tu areas.

They shared experience in restoring the Guol House (Communal House) which is central to the social and cultural life and is the symbol of wealth and power for the Co Tu.

The restoration must ensure that the house’s traditional characteristics are preserved while meeting conditions to serve tourism, the experts said.

The Co Tu belong to the Mon Khmer language ethnic group. They live mostly in the central provinces of Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Nam.

Like most ethnic groups inhabiting the Truong Son mountain range, the Co Tu mainly live on agriculture.

In Thua Thien-Hue, they gather in Nam Dong mountainous district and A Luoi district.

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