Hoang Su Phi terraced fields recognised as national heritage

The terraced fields in Hoang Su Phi district of the northern province of Ha Giang were officially recognised as a national heritage site by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) on November 1.

The terraces are evidence of centuries of wet rice cultivation by ethnic minorities in Hoang Su Phi, including the Nung, Dao and La Chi, and they have great cultural and historical value in addition to being aesthetically beautiful.

Chairman of the Hoang Su Phi district People's Committee, Hoang Hai Ly, said that the district aims to create projects to preserve the fields and promote their tourism potential.

The fields were among the sites recently recongnised by the MoCST as significant parts of the nation’s heritage, including three other landscapes: the Trang An caves in Ninh Binh province, the Pusamcap cave system in Lai Chau province, and the Chua Tien caves in Hoa Binh province.
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26 northern beauties Miss Ethnic Vietnam enter finale

Twenty-six young women from 14 cities and provinces in the northern region will compete in the final round of the second Miss Ethnic Vietnam 2011 pageant in Ho Chi Minh City from November 26 to December 11.

The beauties were selected from 51 contestants in the northern region semifinals held from November 1-4 in Hanoi.

The entrants competed in four categories including traditional costume, swimsuit and talent, as well as a question and answer round.

According to Doctor Doan Thi Kim Hong, head of the contest’s organising board, each contestant is a ‘Cultural Ambassador’ for her ethnic group and a ‘Tourism Ambassador’ promoting her home village and its products.

During the semifinals, the beauties also voted for Ha Long bay as one of the New Seven Natural Wonders of the World via the New Open World (NOW) website.

The semifinals for contestants from the South will take place from November 12 to 16 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Comic books on Hanoi’s youth to be published

A collection of comic books themed “Dragon’s Land” compiled by a group of Hanoi youths is about to be published in mid-November.  

Led by architect Dinh Viet Phuong, Dimensional Art group won Bui Xuan Phai prize for its special idea in 2010 when it renovated Hanoi’s old quarters and French architecture in Hanoi by using 3D technology.

Vietnam-Japan charity concert to raise funds for tsunami victims

A “Journey to Vietnam 3” charity concert on the theme of “Vietnam-Japan: dream and nostalgia” was held in Japan on November 6 to raise funds for Japanese victims of the recent tsunami and earthquakes.

At the opening ceremony, former Japanese ambassador to Vietnam Suzuki Katsuya thanked the Vietnamese people for their sympathy with Japanese friends and expressed his admiration for Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements in recent years.

First Secretary in charge of education of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, Do Van Trung praised the Vietnam Youth and Student Association (VYSA) in Japan for its practical activities which have left a deep impression on both Vietnamese and Japanese communities.

Documentary recalls Vietnam War

“From Hollywood to Hanoi”-a documentary recalling the Vietnam War several decades ago will be shown at the Goethe Institute in Hanoi at 6pm on November 5.

Directed by Tiana Thi Thanh Nga-a Vietnamese American director-the documentary was screened for the first time at the Telluride Film Festival in 1992. Since then, it has been displayed at many international film events.

The piece of work recorded Nga’s search for her past closely linked to the war. In her fatherland, she met relatives and people who survived the My Lai massacre in 1968.

The film included many interviews with Vietnamese leaders and many historical figures Nga has made during her visits to the fatherland for the past 20 years.

It will be shown in English with Vietnamese subtitles.

Festival to bring together local and international tea traders

Seven foreign delegations from the major importers of Vietnamese tea, including China, India, Russia, Japan, Sri Lanka, Laos and the Republic of Korea, have registered to join the first International Tea Festival Vietnam 2011, to be held from November 11-15 in Thai Nguyen city.

This was announced by the Thai Nguyen provincial authorities at a press conference on November 3.

The festival will also bring together domestic tea enterprises and producers from 34 provinces and 50 traditional tea trade villages.

The five-day festival will feature a celebration of tea culture and an international seminar on the ‘International Integration of Vietnamese Tea,’ as well as many other activities such as a carnival and floral street parade, a rural market selling local specialties and an arts performance entitled ‘Light, Fire and Water’.

It is also expected that several new national records will be set during the festival including the country’s biggest teapot, its most popular tea product, and the largest tea party, with over 1,200 participants, in August 20 Square, Thai Nguyen city, on November 14.

During the festival, travel agents will also offer visitors a variety of tours to explore Thai Nguyen province and seek out investment opportunities.

Two press centres with modern equipment and high-speed internet connections have been established to provide local and international reporters and press agencies with official information about the festival. The centres are located at the provincial Department of Information and Communications and in the Nui Coc Lake tourist site, where the festival’s opening and closing ceremonies will take place.

The festival, which is jointly organised by the Thai Nguyen provincial People’s Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, aims to introduce Vietnamese tea trademarks and products to domestic and international visitors. It also provides an opportunity for tea-related enterprises to exchange experiences and boost co-operation.

HCM City promotes Vietnam tourism in New York

The Saigontourist Travel Service has coordinated with Vietnam's Permanent Mission to the United Nations to organize a festival to advertise HCM City tourism in New York.

Chairman of the HCM City municipal People’s Committee, Le Hoang Quan and head of the Permanent Mission to the UN, Le Hoai Trung, attended the November 4 event along with more than 200 invited guests from

US travel agencies, overseas Vietnamese, and staff from Vietnamese representative offices in New York City attended the promotion.

Chairman Le Hoang Quan said HCM City considers promoting tourism as one of the major tasks to introduce Vietnam and its people, culture, and society to the world, as well as its historical sites, economic potential, and achievements to call for investment in its renewal process.

Every year, HCM City organizes promotional tourism events such as the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia tourism fair and an international tourism fair that attract nearly 140 domestic and foreign travel agencies.

The city received 2.9 million foreign visitors in October 2011 and it expects to welcome 3.4 million in 2012.

Visitors to the event had the opportunities to watch films introducing HCM City, its residents, tourist destinations and achievements and traditional Vietnamese food.

An Bang listed among world’s most beautiful beaches

An Bang Beach in Cam An ward, Hoi An City, has been listed among the world’s top 50 most beautiful beaches by CNNGo Asian tourism magazine.

To keep the beach clean and beautiful, hundreds of local people, youths and students volunteered to clear up and protect the environment surrounding the beach on November 4.

Dinh Dung, Vice Chairman of the Cam An Ward People’s Committee, said local people and authorities are very proud of their beach, which is on the list of the world’s 50 best beaches.

Local people are encouraged to protect the environment and keep the beach rubbish-free, beautiful and pristine to maintain its position on the list and attract more domestic and foreign visitors, he said.

Pham Phu Song Toan, Director of the an ecological community project (ECOCOM), said the quality of tourism services and environment surrounding An Bang beach will be improved if the public becomes involved in protecting it.

Ecocom has also placed 20 dustbins along An Bang beach to help keep it clean.

Rock storm to hit capital city

Visitors will be offered a variety of special performances of seven bands in Rock Storm music showon Nov. 12 at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi.

The rock bands comprise of Ngu Cung, Rosewood, Final Stage, Re-cycle, I-Teu, Quai Vat Ti Hon and Cuoc Song S.

The show then goes to Hai Phong (November 19), Hue (November 26), Da Nang (December 3), Dong Nai (December 10), Can Tho (December 17) and HCM City (December 24).

Tickets, priced at 20,000 VND, can be purchased online at www.rockstorm.vn and Mobifone's stores in Hanoi. All the proceeds will be sent to the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and Operation Smile Vietnam to provide free treatment to children and adults suffering from cleft lips and cleft palates.

The show, organised by mobile telecom services Mobiphone, aims to bring young people a chance to enjoy creativity and innovation in art.

Japanese film festival in Binh Thuan

This year’s Japanese film festival will kick off from Friday to Sunday in Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province with eight free movies focusing on love.

The event is held under the association of the Japanese Consulate General in HCMC, the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam and the Department of Culture, Information and Tourism of Binh Thuan Province.

All selected Japanese films have won numerous domestic and international awards and have been well received by critics. They are ‘Paradise Kiss’, ‘Sawako Decides’, ‘Mai Mai Miracle’, ‘Kamui’, ‘A Stranger of Mine’, ‘The Milkwoman’, ‘The Twilight Samurai’ and ‘Waterboys’.

The event aims to strengthen the friendship of the two nations and to introduce Japanese culture to Vietnamese people, including Phan Thiet City’s residents, through Japan’s movie industry.

“The festival will be officially opened at Cinema 19/4 on Friday night with the first film ‘Sawako Decides”, said Truong Minh Tung, director of Binh Thuan film distribution and presentation center. The remaining seven films are set to be screened on Saturday and Sunday at the same venue, Tung added.

Local audiences can enjoy all eight movies for free with English subtitles and Vietnamese voiceover at Cinema 19/4, 30 Nguyen Du Street, Lac Dao Ward, Phan Thiet.

The festival will also take place in Hanoi, Danang and HCMC later this year.
 
City to kick off tuning show

Pham Xuan Co., Ltd will kick off an exhibition of hot rod cars on December 3-4 at the Military Zone 7 Stadium in Tan Binh District following last year’s highly successful exhibition.

Tuning show 2011 will includes displays of about 200 converted automobiles and participation of 10,000 visitors.

Four contests will be held with the drift contest being the main feature bringing thrilling technique performances of professional car drivers.

The show is set to showcase sport cars and hot rods in a bid to help automobile firms promote their products to potential clients. The event aims to raise fund to help poor children in rural areas.
 
Dalat Flower Festival plans in place

The authority of Lam Dong Province has announced a detailed program on the Dalat Flower Festival 2012 which will take place from December 30 to January 3.

The event will feature numerous activities for participants, including the opening ceremony, a parade of flower vehicles on the street, laser light performance, food festival, wine night, flower market and craft villages’ exhibition. Some tour companies in HCMC like Saigontourist and Fiditour are offering four-day tours worth from VND3 million and above to Dalat on this special occasion.
 
6,800 nights at Saigon-Phu Quoc Resort & Spa

Phu Quoc Island, the peaceful tropical paradise in the warm turquoise waters of the Gulf of Thailand, is well known for its stunning beaches, untouched natural environment, splendid surroundings and fantastic scuba diving, snorkeling and beach massage services. For accommodation during the holidays in the island, the Saigon-Phu Quoc Resort and Spa is the place to book, especially at this time.

The resort has announced it will sell 6,800 nights on the cheap for online guests booking on the resort’s website. So from now to December 31, guests can book rooms from VND2.1 million per night, depending on time and room types. The price includes tax, buffet breakfast, pick-up service to and from the airport and another 25 attractive services.

Phu Quoc Island is the pearl of the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang and as such the Saigon-Phu Quoc Resort and Spa attracts a large volume of guests every year not only due to its high-end facilities but also its flexible policies and attractive services. The resort always upgrades its facility as much as it can, so from a resort with 35 rooms at three-star standard at first, it now boasts 100 rooms and villas at four-star standard.

The resort, an affiliate of Saigontourist Holding Company, also has conference centers, sport facilities and restaurants. It is a pioneer on the island offering attractive tourist products such as boat fishing, diving for corals and trekking in primeval forests.

The Saigon-Phu Quoc Resort & Spa is located at 1 Tran Hung Dao St., Duong Dong Town, Phu Quoc District, Kien Giang Province. Tel: 0773.846999, email: sgphuquocresort@hcm.vnn.vn, website: www.vietnamphuquoc.com.
 
Khe Ho recognised as national historical site

The starting point of the legendary Ho Chi Minh trail, Khe Ho, in Vinh Ha commune, Vinh Linh district, Quang Tri province, was recognised as a national historical site by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on November 1.

Based on historical evidence, Khe Ho was confirmed to be the initial point of Truong Son Strategic Supply Route by the Vietnam Institute of Military History.

On August 13, 1959, logistics Battalion 301 under the Special Military Operations Corps, the precursor to Army Corp 559, departed from Khe Ho to begin their first transportation of military equipment, food and ammunition to the Southern battlefield.

The recognition of Khe Ho as a national historical site honours and commemorates the nation’s glorious feats in the resistance war against the Americans.
 
Artists from different cultures exhibit contrasting works in HCMC  

An exhibition by two artists, Trhas Gutsche and Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, is being shown at HCMC’s Applied Arts Gallery until Nov 10. Themed “Rhythm and Contrast, the event features 42 works with different styles and different materials.

Ethiopian-born Gutsche says her "intention is to evoke the sense of diversity in a world full of contrasts. And it is conveyed in my art works in vivid color and rich flowing rhythm of its own.”

Kim Chi, meanwhile, says her  works, featuring a "behind the scenes character-puppet" lays out everything in a "constant rhythm.”

Applied Arts Gallery is located on 5 Phan Dang Luu St., Ward 3, Binh Thanh Dist. Tel: +84 22284 600

Hanoi artists to exhibit 'moment-captured' paintings 

A painting exhibition by the six graduated artists from University of Industrial Arts is on display at Hanoi’s Artlink Gallery from October 29 to November 29.  

Vu Viet Hung, Nguyen Ba Kien, Hoang Thi Bich Lien, Nguyen Chi Long, Nguyen Tran Minh and Ho Nam reunite with some friends from the university to present 38 artworks at the exhibition.  

The exhibition, titled “The Moment,” features various captures of the moment, different level of feelings and the ups and downs of life.

“While Vu Viet Hung’s lacquer paintings have traditional Asian style, in contrast, Nguyen Ba Kien’s painting has something simple in his choice of colour and drawing style,” the organizer said.  

“Whereas, Ho Nam focuses more on flowers, trees and everything nature has to offer, Nguyen Tran Minh tries to capture the best of the moment, Nguyen Chi Long’s paintings make people think about all the infinite, and Hoang Thi Bich Lien’s paintings have a gentle, too fragile and girly touch.”

Artlink Gallery is located on Floor 11, 3D Center Building, Duy Tan, Cau Giay Dist, Hanoi.

Vietnam to host first Asian Poetry Festival  

The first Asian Poetry Festival will be held in Hanoi and the northern province of Quang Ninh from February 3-6, commemorating the 10th Vietnam Poetry Day.

Poet Huu Thinh, president of the Vietnam Writers’ Association, said well-known poems from 60 Asian countries and territories as well as non-Asian areas where literature has a long, traditional history will be presented at the event.

Works on different themes will be discussed in a seminar themed “Poetry for a peaceful, friendly, developed Asia” held in Quang Ninh.

After the seminar, international poets will present their works and meet with Vietnamese peers at Hanoi's Temple of Literature on Feb 5.

The opening ceremony of Vietnam Poetry Day will take place in Hanoi the same day.

Vietnamese artist presents a journey through Europe  

Artist Nguyen Son is presenting his latest works in an exhibition called "Pause" that opened at the Himiko Café in Ho Chi Minh City on Nov 1,

The 10-day exhibition ending Nov 11 shows nine works done at the beginning of a project he has done since June called “Immigration”, which covers several European cities including Prague, Roma, Paris, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp.  

The nine artworks, including photos and paintings of equal sizes are different expression but connected like a diary that records Son’s journey.

A press release from the organizer says the "uniqueness of PAUSE is that the artist simultaneously shows two different spaces with equal size."  

The 45x70cm digital photos capture images of street artists and daily life in the manner of a report, and colors at certain parts have been deliberately changed from original photos.

“Next to the photos are paintings (which have the same size) that describe subtle spaces of the mind, with blur spots that stand out," it says.
 
Himiko Café is located on 324Bis, Dien Bien Phu Street, Ward 11, District 10.

Northern provinces set to highlight tourism potential  

A culture and tourism week themed “Crossing Viet Bac heritage regions” will be held in the northern province of Bac Kan from November 6-9.

The week long tourism program aims to promote the tourism potential of Bac Kan and its neighboring provinces such as Cao Bang, Lang Son, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang.

The event will include a series of cultural programs, sports and tourism activities in Bac Kan Town and Ba Be Lake tourist area.

The program is expected to help the northwestern provinces improve their tourist industry by exploiting natural sightseeing areas, traditional customs, cultural characteristics of ethnic groups and highlight historical destinations. The event also aims at attracting foreign and local visitors to the region.

In related news, Thai Nguyen has just opened 24 tea huuses on the occasion of the first International Tea Festival to be held from November 11-15.

Tea enterprises and importers from 10 countries such as China, India, Russia, Japan and the U.S will attend the event, together with 25 local companies and 50 traditional handicraft villages from 30 provinces and cities in the country.

The festival will also include various cultural activities consisting of seminars on tea, a beauty contest, tea cultural festival, street festival, Vietnam land and people exhibition, international trade and tourism expo, food fair, music and martial arts performances, boat race and a  human chess game.

The International Tea Festival in Thai Nguyen is an opportunity to   promote local tea brands in the international market, especially the Thai Nguyen tea brand.

Hanoi celebrates bicentennial of Austrian, Hungarian composer  

A piano concert and painting exhibition marked the 200th birth anniversary and 125th death anniversary of Austrian/Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt, at the Vietnam Cultural Center in Hanoi on November 4.  
           
Martijn van den Hoek, winner of the 1986 Franz Liszt Competition in Utrecht, Holland and the 1987 Netherlands Music Prize, will present compositions by Liszt such as Etudes Transcendentales, Sonata quasi Fantasia, Etudes from Paganini and Hungarian Rhapsody.

He will hold the first ever specialized Liszt master class for piano students of the Vietnam National Academy of Music.

Martyn van den Hoek began his music studies at the Rotterdam conservatory, completed them in Moscow, Budapest and New York and late settled in Austria. Since 1998, he has been teaching at the Vienna Civic Conservatory.

The event is being co-organized by the embassies of Hungary and Austria. Both the countries regard Liszt as a central figure of their cultural heritage. Liszt is still relevant to the two countries today, 200 years after he was born.
 
US Publishing House holds book exhibition in HCMC  

US based Sterling Publishing House is holding a book exhibition featuring 2,000 new titles at the Thu Bookstore on 391 Tran Hung Dao Street in District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City until November 10.  
 
The exhibition will feature books on contemporary subjects including handicrafts, arts, interior decoration, world cuisines, literature, science and technology and many reference books.
Books will be offered at a 10% discount during the exhibition.

The week-long foreign books exhibition is being organized by Fahasa Book Distribution Corporation and Sterling Publishing House.

Founded in 1949, Sterling is one of the world’s leading publishers and one of the top 25 publishing houses in the U.S. Sterling is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble Inc.