VN receives UNESCO certificate for Vi Dam folk singing

The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism in cooperation of the Nghe An Province People’s Committee will organize a ceremony to receive the UNESCO certificate recognizing Vi-Giam folk singing as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the province’s Ho Chi Minh Square on January 31, 2015.

Nghe Tinh’s Vi-Giam folk singing was officially recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity at the 9th session of its Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Paris on November 27.

Deputy Head of the Department of Cultural Heritage Nong Quoc Thanh said Vi-Giam folk singing has history of hundred years in Nghe Tinh Province. It is passed down through generations, reflecting the work and cultural lives of people in the provinces. It appears also popularly in mothers’ lullabies.

Vietnam Culture Year in Czech Republic announced

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Truong Manh Son on December 30 announced the logo for the Vietnam Cultural Year in the Czech Republic 2015 and activities to mark the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties to journalists and socialists in Prague.

As scheduled, the opening week will attract the participation of Vietnam’s Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and artists from the Vietnam Temporary Arts Theatre. The closing week will be organised in Prague and other cities in the presence of Vietnamese State leaders.

A wide range of cultural activities will be held in this occasion, including exhibitions on Vietnam’s land and people and a seminar on tourism cooperation between the two countries.

Ambassador Son revealed that the embassy will submit a proposal to relevant agencies in Vietnam asking them to present certificates of merit to Vietnamese organisations and individuals in the Czech Republic for their contributions to the Vietnam Culture Year and strengthening cooperation and friendship between the two countries in recent years.

Nguyen Anh 9 live show celebrates golden wedding

Toi dua em ve is a special music show designed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his marriage life with two nights of performance on January 10-11, 2015 in Hanoi, Thanh Nien reports.

The great love for his wife is a major source of inspiration for him to write many popular love songs such as Ai dua em ve, Buon oi chao mi, Khong and Co don.

In this event, audiences will meet the couple, learn about the anecdotes of romance between the musician and other famous singers, and witness the gold wedding celebration on stage.

Many of his immortal songs will be performed by young vocalists including Minh Chuyen, Hoai Nam and Le Tam. Especially, audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy unpublished songs about the woman of his life.

Top 100 hundred-year-old architectural works released

The Vietnam Records Organisation (Vietkings) has announced the top 100 well-known hundred-year-old architectural works in Vietnam.

The list aims to popularise the works’ beauty to both domestic and foreign tourists, thus providing them with a more thorough view of the country’s cultural and historical values and encouraging them to join conservation efforts.

Among them are a number of pagodas and temples which have belief and religious significance and are related to renowned Vietnameselegends, including Mot Cot (One-pillar) pagoda in Hanoi, Thien Mu in central Thua-Thien Hue province and Giac Lam in Ho Chi Minh City.

Hanoi Opera House and the municipal Theatre and Ben Thanh market in Ho Chi Minh City are also included.

Vietkings had conducted a tour of the country to look for the worthy works.

Vietnam Folklore Arts Association confers Folklore Artist on artisans

Nine artisans received the Folklore Artist title from the Vietnam Folklore Arts Association at the presentation in Hanoi on December 27.

The title marks outstanding contribution of artisans in preserving, teaching and promoting the values of folklore in various fields, including hat Dum (Dum singing), hat Then (Then singing),  dan Tinh (Tinh lute, one of Vietnam ethnic minorities' traditional musical instruments); traditional

ritual praying for harvest and national peace; manufacturing traditional musical instruments;  the ancient language of Thai ethnic minority and folk music singing; sewing and embroidery; casting agricultural tools and bronze drums.

More than 400 artisans nationwide have been conferred with the title "Folklore Artist".

Vietnam Folklore Arts Association awarded members’ folklore works in 2014. The A prize went to teacher Vo Truong Ky from Long An Province for his research on the don ca tai tu Nam Bo (Southern amateur folk music).

Two books recounting history of Vietnam’s military introduced

Two books, entitled ‘Lich Su Quan Su Viet Nam’ (History of Vietnam’s Military) and ‘Lich Su Tu Tuong Quan Su Viet Nam’ (History of Vietnam Military Ideologies), were made public on December 30 in Hanoi.

The former, ‘History of Vietnam’s Military’, has 14 volumes while the later includes five volumes.

True to their titles, the two books review the history of Vietnam’s military as well as the history of Vietnamese military thought from the early establishment of the country to national defence and construction.

The works give readers a comprehensive and indepth look into the country’s military activities. Events highlighted are presented with a full background, account and resulting lessons learned.

The two books were published thanks to joint contributions of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and Education, the Vietnam Institute of Military History under the Ministry of Defence, and the National Political Publishing House – Truth.

The books are valuable and trustworthy reference documents on the national history of revolutionary struggle under the clear-sighted leadership of the Vietnamese Communist Party as well as the Vietnamese people’s strength, from wartime to national construction and development.

The publications also contribute to educating Party members, officers and people from all walks of life, particularly younger generations, on the revolutionary tradition of the military.

Vietnam wins gold at Taiwan youth invention exhibition

Vietnam has bagged one gold and two silver medals at the 2014 International Youth Invention Exhibition held in Taiwan (China) from December 19-21.

According to information released by the National University of Vietnam, two out of three of Vietnam’s inventions also received special awards by the Korea University Invention Association and the Malaysian Invention & Design Society.

The exhibition attracted inventions by more than 1,000 students from 26 countries and territories throughout the world, with members of the jury from the World Invention Intellectual Property Associations (WIIPA).

Inventions to be awarded medals must be innovative, practical, commercially viable and environmentally friendly.

The event was jointly organised by the WIIPA, Kaohsiung authorities, the Taiwan Invention Products Promotion Association and invention associations from a number of countries.

This is the third time the International Youth Invention Exhibition has been held in Taiwan.