Local artist wins international photo contest in Spain
Hoang Quoc Tuan won the first prize at the 11th international photographic contest entitled “A World for All: Overcoming Disabilities” held by the Spanish Organization for the Blind (ONCE).

Tuan’s work “Khat Vong” (Desire) outdid more than 1,400 entries of 459 amateur and professional photographers from 55 countries and territories around the world to top the list.

“Thay giao nguoi Cham” (Cham ethnic teacher), another work of Vietnamese artist Ngo Quang Phuc, got the third prize.

Vietnam had 13 entries selected for the final round with 59 others, including Spanish photographer Manuel Navarro Forcada’s special work on Vietnamese agent orange victims.

All 72 entries to the final round will be displayed at an exhibition in several cities in Spain.

The contest aims to gather support for people disabilities in one way or another.

Phu Tho prepares for Hung Kings’ Temple Festival

The northern midland province of Phu Tho is working with five other provinces and cities to prepare a range of activities to commemorate the death anniversary of the Hung Kings and celebrate the Hung Kings Temple Festival.

According to Ha Ke San, Vice Chairman of the Phu Tho provincial People’s Committee, the five-day festival, which starts from March 27 (the fifth day of the third lunar month), will be combined with tourism programmes promoting the homeland of the nation’s legendary founders – the Hung Kings, in Phu Tho.

Apart from traditional worshipping rituals dedicated to the nation’s legendary father and mother, Lac Long Quan and Au Co, as well as the Hung Kings, the festival will honour Xoan singing, the ceremonial singing originating in Phu Tho which has been recently recognised by the UNESCO as a world intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent protection.

There will also be a photo exhibition on places of worship dedicated to the Hung Kings and relics related to the Hung Kings period nationwide.

The festival aims to educate people about patriotism and continue completing the dossier on worship rituals dedicated to the Hung Kings to seek recognition as part of the World Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Photographic exhibition on Vietnam’s pink lotus in Hanoi

An exhibition themed “Vietnam’s 14th generation pink lotus” by photographer Tran Bich will take place at the Exhibition Centre, 93 Dinh Tien Hoang street, Hanoi from March 11-17.

On display will be 50 photos of pink lotus species, which has been selected by an overwhelming vote as Vietnam’s national flower.

Since his first exhibition in 2009, photographer Tran Bich has opened 13 similar exhibitions in many cities and provinces nationwide, raising nearly VND1.7 billion for orphans, children with disabilities and cancer, and lonely elders or for a study encouragement fund.

Photos at the upcoming exhibition will be auctioned to raise fund for poor people and orphans in Hanoi.

UNESCO week highlights culture’s role in development

The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in co-operation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, launched a ‘Culture and Development’ week from March 5-9 in the capital city of Hanoi.

This is the first time the event has been held in Vietnam to review UNESCO-funded projects on culture and development and set orientations to enhance culture’s role in sustainable development.

A wide range of activities will be held during the week, including policy dialogues and seminars on culture and tourism in relation with social development in Vietnam.

On the framework of the event, audiences in Hanoi will have chances to enjoy free film screenings, introducing documentaries made by young Vietnamese filmmakers. The documentaries, produced during training courses funded by UNESCO, examine different cultural aspects from a community perspective. They address various issues and challenges the Vietnamese society faces, including ethnic minorities’ integration in Hanoi, and the life of residents under Long Bien Bridge in Hanoi.