Giant whale skeleton preserved

A 10-tonne whale skeleton will be displayed for tourists at a private tourism site in the southern province of Bac Lieu.

According to Ngo Xuan Phan, chairman of Bao Hoan Car Joint Stock Company's executive board, the skeleton, which measures 33m long and 4m wide, was bought from a fisherman in Phu Quoc Island, southern province of Kien Giang.

It is said that the whale, weighing 100 tonnes, died some 60 years ago and was buried by local fishermen.

Because of its age, the buried skeleton was partly damaged. After being repaired, the skeleton will be displayed at Nha Mat Tourism Site.

Fund for young musicians started

Music researcher Tran Van Khe's son Tran Quang Hai announced the establishment of a fund in Khe's name to support and encourage young folk musicians throughout the country.

Khe, 94, who lost consciousness June 9 at a HCM City hospital, had earlier expressed his desire to turn his house on Huynh Dinh Hai Street, HCM City, into a museum to commemorate himself.

He also asked his family to conduct his funeral in a simple way and use his money for developing young folk musicians.

The musicians will be selected by members of the Tran Van Khe Fund.

Khe, who was born into a large family of musicians who played folk music in the southern province of Vinh Long. He is a Vietnamese musicologist, academic, writer, teacher and performer of traditional music.

He was director of research at The French National Centre for Scientific Research and professor at the Sorbonne. In 2008 he was named an Honorary Member of the International Music Council of UNESCO, where he is coordinator of the project "The Universe of Music, A History."

Kids' summer camp organised

A summer camp for bright disadvantaged pupils in the provinces of An Giang, Ben Tre, and Dong Thap and Can Tho City, and children of soldiers stationed on Truong Sa Islands and DK1 marine defense platform will be held in Da Lat from June 22-26.

More than 120 children attending the camp will, besides visiting tourist attractions, learn about the history, nature and people of the Central Highlands, read scientific books, tell stories about scientists, and learn how to fabricate simple machines, all meant to stimulate an interest in science.

"Summer Camp for Small Ambassadors of Vietnamese Goods", an annual camp, seeks to offer children in "special circumstances" and those striving to overcome difficulties in their lives a meaningful summer.

They will be joined by members of the Ambassadors Club for Vietnamese Goods, all of whom are famous actors, writers, poets, designers and other celebrities and promote consumption of domestically made products.

Music festival connects Vietnamese youth in Czech Republic

Vietnamese youth in the Czech Republic performed in the first music festival on June 14 in Prague; a chance for the second and third generations of the Vietnamese community in the country to meet and exchange.

The event, dubbed “Hoi Tre Lang Chuoi” (The Youth in Banana Village ), attracted nearly 500 individuals who feasted on diverse performances from hip-hop and ballet dancing to solo piano and monochord.

The festival was designed by Vietnamese parents in the Czech Republic to offer a chance for their children to get to know each other and enhance their connections through music.

According to Ha Minh Xuan, a member of the organising board, many talented Vietnamese adolescents have won contests and competitions in the Czech Republic and the world, but are not yet popular in the Vietnamese community. The event is an opportunity to help them contribute to community activities, he said.

Meanwhile, Tran Bach Huong, whose son performed hip-hop dance at the event, noted Vietnamese youth are separating from the Vietnamese community; many of them can hardly speak Vietnamese.

The festival was designed to engage the youth more closely with the Vietnamese community, she added.

A short film titled “Mat Goc” (forgetting origin) was screened at the opening of the event, reminding the young of their homeland and origins.

President Sang visits AP photo exhibition

On June 15, President Truong Tan Sang visited the AP Photo Exhibit “Vietnam-the Real War”displaying a collection of 50 of gripping AP images featuring the war in Vietnam.

They include Nick Ut’s famous picture “Napalm girl”, a horrific photograph of Monk Thich Quang Duc who voluntarily set ablaze during a protest against the South Vietnamese government and a photo of a tank entering the Independence Palace.

In his address, President Truong Tan Sang praised the organization of the event as part of activities marking the 20th anniversary of  normalized Vietnam-US relations.

He said bilateral ties between the two countries have grown steadily over recent years. Sang also hailed the AP for organizing this event and expressed his hope that the news gathering organization will contribute further to the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership.

Valuable relics discovered in Ninh Binh

Archeologists from the Viet Nam Institute of Archaeology have discovered numerous valuable relics in the Vu Lam royal step-over place, located within the Trang An scenic landscape complex.

The discovery includes clay for pottery, trees submerged in black mud, earth road and stones for road embankment or for building river wharfs.

In addition, the experts have also collected more than 5,000 broken pieces of surfaces and 940 pieces of various relics such as enamel pottery, crockery or rice that has turned into coal. They said the site might have been the place for making enamel pottery during the Tran Dynasty (1226-1400).

The finds in the Vu Lam royal step-over place, an important area with military vestiges that contain many undiscovered mysteries, will contribute to explaining why the Tran Dynasty was able to defeat large and powerful Nguyen Mong invaders thrice with limited military forces. It will also be an important foundation in researching, preserving and promoting the cultural and historical value of Trang An natural and cultural world heritage.

According to historical documents, the Vu Lam royal step-over place used to be the military base of the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) during the resistance wars against the Yuan-Mongolian invaders in the 13th century. It was also the place where King Tran Thai Tong (1218-1277) and King Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308) abdicated the throne to become Buddhist monks.