Thu May comes third at Miss Supranational 2011

Vietnam’s representative Daniela Nguyen Thu May has finished third at the Miss Supranational held in Plock (Poland) Friday.

Born to a Vietnamese father and a Czechoslovakian mother, the 22-year-old student, whose foreign name is Daniela Nguyen Nova from the Czech Republic is the first Vietnamese beauty to enter the top 5 of an international beauty pageant.

She was crowned Miss Vietnam in Europe 2010 before attending Miss Vietnam World held in Nha Trang the same year and won the prize for the most beautiful face.

Currently a student of international business at the Prague University of Economics, May said she would consider working in Vietnam and learn more about the country after graduation.

Before May, model Chung Thuc Quyen represented Vietnam at Miss Supranational 2009 which was also held in Poland and won Miss Internet and Best National Costume title.

The winner of the contest this year is Monika Lewczuk, a 23-year-old and 177-centimetre tall model from Poland who was the first runner-up of Miss Poland in 2009.

Getting a cash prize of US$ 25,000, Monika also ranks third in the Grand Slam ranking by beauty website Global Beauties after Miss World and Miss Universe upon receiving her title.

First held in Poland in 2009 by the World Beauty Association, Miss Supranational this year attracted 70 contestants from across the world.

Paris exhibition to mark Vietnam’s Independence Day

The Vietnam Cultural Center (Centre culturel du Vietnam en France) in Paris will host a photo exhibition to celebrate Vietnam’s 66th Independence Day which falls on September 2.

“The first independent days of Vietnam: 1945-1946” (Les premiers jours de l’Indépendance du Vietnam - 1945-1946) will showcase photographs taken by French historian Philippe Devillers who worked as an Indochina correspondent for the French Le Monde newspaper from 1945 to 1946.

The event will also feature a meeting session with historian and Congressman Duong Trung Quoc, and be opened by Duong Chi Dung, ambassador of Vietnam in France and Vietnam’s representative at the UN Duong Van Quang.

The exhibition starts at 19pm30 on September 3, 2011 at 19, Albert 75013, Paris.
 
Fields winner launches book project in Vietnam

Vietnamese mathematician and 2010 Fields Medal winner Professor Ngo Bao Chau launched a book project to publish a selection of world’s famous works in Vietnam Thursday in Ho Chi Minh.

“We are often limited by invisible boundaries; books help us to open the door to an outer and newer world,” explained Chau on his love for reading at the launch of “Open door”, whose books will be put out by the Youth Publisher, and co-edited by writer Phan Viet.

“Open door” will include both literary works and research books of different fields, from economics to natural sciences, Chau said.

Nearly 100 readers attending the event have signed up for the first 5 books to get out this November, which include “The Wonderful Adventures of Nils” by Selma Lagerlöf, “René Leys” by Victor Segalen, “Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?” by Michael J. Sandel, “Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories by Tobias Wolff”, and “The Mathematical Mechanic: Using Physical Reasoning to Solve Problems” by Mark Levi.

Ngo Bao Chau is a professor of mathematics at the University of Chicago (US), a post he took in September 2010 after receiving the prestigious Fields Medal for proving the Fundamental Lemma on August 19, 2010 in India.

Vietnam set for national photo museum

The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism and the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists are planning to open a national museum featuring the local photo industry in Hanoi.

Under the plan, the museum will display photos about the process of the industry establishment and development in Vietnam, as well as cameras from primitive to modern ones, especially the ones used during the wars against France and the US, according to Vu Quoc Khanh, chairman of the association.

It will also showcase some works of the world’s photo industry.

The association will invite experts from Belgium, the country which has 2 national photo museums, for technical support.

The museum is planned to be housed in the Storage and Exhibition Center of National Photographic at Cau Giay district’s new urban area.

Vietnam joins Super Yosakoi festival in Japan

The “Yosakoi - 1,000 years of Hanoi” team of Vietnam participated in the 2011Harajuku Omotesando Super Yosakoi Festival held in Tokyo on August 27-28.   

In the framework of the festival, the team performed on three major stages and took part in stress processions. Through jubilant dances, the Vietnamese young dancers won the hearts of hundreds of thousands in the country.

Le Hai Ly, the team’s leader, said that this is the third year the team has performed together with Japan’s Yosakoi teams.

Through the trip, the team would like to send their great sympathy to the Japanese people, who suffered the heavy consequences in the recent earthquake and tsunami.

Established in 2008, with 10 members and its initial name of the Hanoi Super Yosakoi, the “Yosakoi - 1,000 years of Hanoi”, the amateur dance team of Hanoi attracted a great number of fans.

Vietnamese pianist wins Lev Vlassenko prize

Luu Hong Quang has won the first prize at the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, with the Piano Concerto No.1 in B-flat minor, Op.23 composed by P. Tchaikovsky.

The 21-year-old pianist was also honoured for his best performances of pieces of Chopin and Liszt music and a classical sonata and for the best solo presentation in round two.

The August 14-27 competition was dedicated to the late leading Russian soloist, Lev Vlassenko, who also taught in many prestigious universities around the world.

Quang has earlier won various prizes at international contests in Japan, Italy, Australia and Vietnam.

Activities promote Vietnam-Japan cultural exchanges

Thirty-two students from 14 countries throughout the world, including Vietnam, participated in the English Summer Camp in the Japanese central prefecture of Shiga from August 21- 27.

Organised by the Kumon Education Institute since 2001, the annual event aims to help local primary pupils improve their English skills and understanding of world cultures, including Vietnamese culture.

The institute also hosted activities to help pupils improve their teamwork skills and awareness of global issues such as poverty and climate change.

On August 27, the Kanto Industrial Information Trade Union (KII) organized the second Japanese-speaking contest for Vietnamese trainees working in its member companies.

The first prize went to Nguyen Hoang Tiep from Sumitomo Jukikai Engineering company while the second prize belonged to Tran Van Dung from Fuji Densetsu Kogyo Company and the third prizes went to Tran Quyen Anh from Taenaka Kogyo company, Tang Van Hoi from Hara Kogyosho company and Tran Ngoc Quang from Danrei company.

Vietnamese Consul General in Japan, Nguyen Thanh Liem thanked KII and its member companies for offering an opportunity for Vietnamese vocational trainees to voice their opinions, sentiments and aspirations during exchanges.

Son La hosts tourism programme

A tourism programme opened in the northwestern province of Son La on August 27 to mark the August Revolution (August 19) and Vietnam’s National Day (September 2).

The programme included a wide range of activities, such as a festival, cultural camp, tourism and trade fair, conferences a film and documentary week, sports and traditional games competitions and a photography exhibition.

Cam Ngoc Minh, Chairman of the Son La provincial People’s Committee, said the province is focusing on promoting its tourism potential, aiming to cooperate with other provinces across the country and attract more investors to boost economic development in the northwestern region.

Japan-Danang Cultural festival 2011 held

More than 200 students studying the Japanese language attended the Japan-Danang Cultural Festival in Danang City on August 27.

The festival was organised by the Danang Foreign Languages University and the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association aiming to help Vietnamese students gain a better understanding of Japan’s people and culture.

This is the second such festival has been held in Danang. It featured a wide range of activities including art performances, a Japanese language speaking contest, a presentation on Furoshiki (the Japanese art of wrapping) and Japanese calligraphy.

Vietnam-China Youth Meeting held

A delegation of Vietnamese young people, led by Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee Phan Van Mai, on August 27 left for China to attend the Vietnam-China Youth Meeting.

The annual event is part of the cooperative framework between the Youth Unions in the two countries, aiming to strengthen education and training exchanges and affirm the role of the youth in preserving and developing the traditional friendship between the two peoples.

Activities are being held in Guangxi province and Beijing, China.   

Photo exhibition documents Vietnam’s integration process

Photographer Gian Thanh Son has introduced Vietnam’s integration process through an exhibition and the publication of the photobook “Integration Milestones” in Ho Chi Minh City.

His photos were taken during overseas trips accompanying former State President Nguyen Minh Triet’s visits from 2007-2010.

The exhibition leaves a deep impression about Vietnam’s integration process through the activities of former State President Nguyen Minh Triet and other Party and State leaders in the 2006-2011 period.

The 400-page publication is divided into three parts: integration, friendly neighours and Vietnam’s landmarks on international forums.

Journalist Gian Thanh Son has set two Vietnamese records in photography.

The exhibition closed on August 28.

Vietnamese stamp collection to be displayed in Hungary

The Hungary-Vietnam Friendship Association will exhibit a collection of 800 Vietnamese stamps in Budapest from September 2-7 to mark Vietnam’s National Day.

The stamp collection belongs to Hungary’s war veteran in Vietnam, Dr Deri Miklos who is also a member of the International Commission for Control and Supervision (ICCS). Mr Miklos witnessed the last American soldiers withdrawing from Vietnam on March 29, 1973.

He is the owner of a unique collection of Vietnamese stamps dating back to the 19th century. His stamp collection has been exhibited in Hungary for several times.

The 80-year old former army prosecutor and his wife have come back to Vietnam a few times to help strengthen the friendship between Hungary and Vietnam. Mr Miklos was recently presented with the Friendship Order for his remarkable contribution to Vietnam. He is now President of the Hungary-Vietnam Friendship Chapter in Vas, Hungary.

Vietnam nominates two more world heritages to Unesco

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has asked for the government’s approval to prepare the profiles for the Trang An tourist site in Ninh Binh Province and Cat Ba archipelago in Haiphong City to submit to Unesco to acknowledge them as world heritages.

Trang An is an area of ponds created by a system of limestone mountains, forests  and many historical relics of the ancient capital of Hoa Lu.

Cat Ba is an area of 367 islands, among them Cat Ba Island is the largest located to the South of Halong Bay off the costal city of Haiphong and Quang Ninh Province and is 30km away from downtown Haiphong.

Last week, the ministry worked with the National Cultural Heritage Committee, the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO and other scientists and representatives of the two locations to prepare the profiles.  

Vietnam has seven world cultural heritages acknowledged by Unesco - Hue Imperial Citadel, Hoi An Ancient Town, My So Sanctuary, Thang Long Royal Citadel, Ho Dynasty Citadel, Halong Bay and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park - and other intangible heritages.

Calligraphy features President Ton Duc Thang

A book of calligraphy entitled ‘Our Uncle Ton’ has recently been made public to celebrate President Ton Duc Thang’s 123rd birthday (1888-2011).

The 72-kilogram book, measuring 120 centimetres high and 90 centimetres wide, comprises calligraphy works by Nguyen Hieu Tin, a teacher at the Ton Duc Thang University in Ho Chi Minh City.

The book is arranged in two themes, featuring nearly 50 poems praising President Ton Duc Thang as well as compliments to the President from leaders at home and abroad.

North Central Photography Festival winner awarded

The photograph‘Bau Vat Truong Sa’ (Treasure of Truong Sa ) by Cao Van Tinh won the gold medal at the 18th North Central Photograhy Festival 2011, under the theme ‘The Land and People of North Central Vietnam today’.

Two silver medals, three bronze medals and five consolation prizes were also awarded.

According to the organising board, over 1,000 photos by 169 artists from six North Central provinces, including Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien-Hue, were entered in the competition.

Over 140 of the photos will be on display at an exhibition to be held in Quang Tri early in September.

PV