Monk proposed for UNESCO honour

The Quang Ninh provincial authorities have said they will submit a profile of King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308) to UNESCO for recognition as a Great Man of Culture.

Documents on Tran dynasty (1225-1400) relics in Dong Trieu District and the tourist site Yen Tu Mountain in Uong Bi District will also be sent to the UNE cultural agency to be considered for world cultural heritage status.

Experts have also called for seeking world intangible cultural heritage status for the Truc Lam (Bamboo Forest) Zen Monastery.

Tran Nhan Tong, the third Tran king, ascended to the throne at just 21 and achieved fame for defeating Yuan-Mongol invaders twice during his 14-year reign.

He abdicated at the age of 35 and spent the rest of his life on Yen Tu Mountain practising and teaching Buddhism, and founding the Truc Lam Zen Monastery.

Vietnam’s image promoted in Cuba

The Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba in conjunction with the Asia House Museum held a ceremony on September 5 to introduce a publication of the Vietnam News Agency – the Vietnam Pictorial.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Vu Chi Cong underscored the socio-political significance of the issuance Spanish version of the Vietnam Pictorial in Cuba, which is expected to help people in Cuba and other America Latin countries have more understanding of foreign policies of the Vietnamese Party and Government.

The publication, which will be release every two months, will feature the tradition and custom of Vietnamese ethnic groups, as well as the process of socio-economic development of Vietnam, Vietnamese Ambassador Vu Chi Cong said.

Prensa Latina News Agency Vice President Felix Albisu stressed that the Vietnam Pictorial will help strengthen the traditional relationships and solidarity between the two nations.

The event was followed by an exhibition entitled “Vietnam- the Country and the People”.

Art performance highlights sea and islands

An art exchange entitled ‘Towards the Country’s Sea and Islands’ was held at the Hanoi Opera House on September 5.

The event featured songs and dances praising the country’s sea and islands, which are steadfastly supported by the army and for which the Vietnamese people have always held deep sentiments. The music and dances were performed by artists from the Vietnam National Academy of Music and the Military Zone II Art Troupe.

The programme also included exchanges with delegations that had visited the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago and representatives from the Vietnamese Naval and Border Guard High Commands.

The event, held jointly by the Culture and Arts Department under the Party Central Committee Commission for Communication and Education, the Department of Performing Arts under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Vietnam Economic News under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, aimed to boost national solidarity and determination to defend the country’s sovereignty.

New history museum to be built

The Viet Nam National Museum of History is to be brought bang up to date after plans were confirmed to build a new, purpose-built home for the institution.

Work kicks off in November for the 10ha complex in Tay Ho Urban Area, Tu Liem District of Ha Noi, which will be used for storing, exhibiting, restoring and meetings, as well as hosting outdoor activities.

Construction is expected to be finished by May 2016.

Artist works with bamboo paper

Pioneering painter Phan Hai Bang has literally given the art world some stick with his latest showcase, which features pictures made on truc chi (bamboo paper).

Bang has invented the new truc chi material, enabling him to create paintings and artworks which display stunning sunk carving patterns when lit.

He has also experimented with etchings, lithographs and graphic printing for the exhibition at XQ Hand-embroidery Company, with impressive results.

To make truc chi, Bang soaks bamboo sticks before boiling them in lime water and pulverising them into paper pulp. He then forms the paper sheets, the most important process in achieving the hidden patterns.

The exhibition runs until the end of this month at 258 Mai Anh Dao Street, Da Lat City.

German conductor wields baton at Opera House

A Western classical music concert by the HCM City Ballet and Symphony Orchestra with guest pianist Hinrich Alpers will take place under the baton of Christian Schumann this Sunday at the HCM City Opera House.

Schumann is a young, upcoming musical star in Germany. He has already worked with many famous orchestras like Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Filharmonia Kodzka Artura Rubinsteina and the Ha Noi Philharmonic Orchestra, not to mention the Ensemble Resonanz and the Austrian Ensemble for contemporary music (OENM).

He is returning to Viet Nam for the third time to work with HBSO in HCM City.

Hinrich Alpers, another young German musician, attended the Hanover Conservatory and studied later at the Juilliard School in New York.

Tickets for the concert, which will begin at eight PM, can be obtained at the HCM City Opera House, 7 Lam Son Plaza, District 1.

VNN/VNA/VNS/ND