2014 VESAK listed as one of 10 nominations for World Buddhist records

The Vietnam Record Organization (VietKings) announced a list of 10 nominations for the first World Buddhist records in Ho Chi Minh City on April 23.

The 2014 United Nations Day of Vesak, which was held in Vietnam, ranked 6th on the list.

Other nominations include Nalanda University in India, the world’s first university to teach Buddhism, the Kuthodaw Pagoda marble-stelae recension of the Pali Buddhist canon in Myanmar, and the world’s biggest collection of Buddhist texts carved on wooden blocks, symbols of teachings in Haein-sa Pagoda in the Republic of Korea.

On May 10, VietKings will send the files of nominations to the Guinness Book of World Records and will officially grant certificates of recognition to them at the 2016 VESAK Festival.

Martial art Vovinam to be featured in Hollywood film

Vietnamese martial art Vovinam will be featured in an action film to be shot by this year-end under the cooperation of a Cambodian royal official and a Hollywood film director and actor.

The film was initiated by H.E. Oknha Rat Sokhorn, who is skillful at the Vietnamese martial art, and Hollywood film director Ace Cruz.

The film “Fight for Life” tells the story of a Cambodian boy who rises to fame thanks to the Vovinam ring.

His mother gets raped by an illegal Thai logger when she is 17 years old and gives birth to him.

His father is later killed by other loggers and his mother has to prostitute herself to raise him.

The little boy earns his living by snatching on the street and he comes to a milestone when he steals the camera of an American tourist who later helps him by sending him to learn Vovinam with a Cambodian businessman.

After making progress in Vovinam, the Cambodian boy is sent to another master to be trained in more techniques and achieve success in the freestyle ring in Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, and the U.S.

Famous American actor Michael Madsen and former world heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield will join the casting of the flick to be shot in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and the US.

The expense of the film is estimated at US$2-10 million.

H.E. Oknha Rat Sokhorn, a high-ranking royal official in Cambodia, and Hollywood film director Ace Cruz met for the first time during Vovinam fights at the 27th SEA Games in Myanmar in 2013.

Then Cruz attended the tournament to support his nephew in the high jump competition and H.E. Oknha Rat Sokhorn instructed Cambodian fighters in Vovinam matches.

H.E. Oknha Rat Sokhorn is skillful at Vovinam techniques and the vice chairman of the World Vovinam Federation.

Cham people in Ninh Thuan celebrate Rija festival

The Cham people in central Ninh Thuan province, on April 23, began the traditional Rijia festival which is held annually on the occasion of their traditional New Year to pray for favourable weather conditions and bumper crops.

On the occasion, Rija Nagar which is considered the most important rituals of the Rija festival will be performed by the Cham community in each village on the fifth and sixth days.

Worship offerings include chickens (on the fifth day) and goats (on the sixth day), along with other local specialities such as rice, bananas, coconuts, popcorn, alcohol, eggs and candles.

When the beat of the drum is heard and the clarinet sounds, a shaman (the previous person in the village) will perform the ceremony, which includes folk dances and singing, to express the villagers’ aspirations for a peaceful year and healthy crops.

In addition to Rija Nagar, other rituals are celebrated according to each family and a wide variety of cultural and sporting activities are held throughout the festival.

The festival significantly contributes to promoting the solidarity among villages of the Cham community in the province.

This year, the Rija festival takes place on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of National Reunification Day (April 30) so it is expected to attract scores of domestic and foreign visitors.

Rituals held to commemorate Lac Long Quan, Au Co

Rituals were held in northern Phu Tho province on April 24 (the sixth day of the third lunar month) to commemorate the death anniversary of the nation’s Great Father Lac Long Quan and pay incense tribute to Great Mother Au Co.

At the Temple of Lac Long Quan , provincial leaders burned incense and offered flowers and offerings as an expression of gratitude to the person believed to be the Great Father of the Vietnamese nation.

They prayed, on the behalf of the whole nation, for peace and prosperity for the homeland and promised to together work hard to develop the country and protect it for the next generations.

On the same day, the officials also paid homage to Great Mother Au Co at her Temple , which, together with the Lac Long Quan temple, are located in the relic site of Hung Kings Temple .

Vietnamese legend has it that Lac Long Quan, son of Kinh Duong Vuong, married Au Co, a daughter of King De Lai. Au Co gave birth to a sack containing 100 eggs from which 100 children were born.

The couple then decided to separate in order to populate the land and propagate the race, so half the children followed their mother to the highlands and the remaining went with their father to the sea.

The first child went with mother Au Co to Phong Chau, now Phu Tho province. He then became King Hung and founded the first nation in the history of Vietnam , called Van Lang.

Ruling the country over 18 generations, the Hung Kings taught the people how to grow wet rice. They chose Nghia Linh Mountain , the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for lush crops.

To honour the great contributions of the Hung Kings, a complex of temples dedicated to them was built on Nghia Linh Mountain , and the tenth day of the third lunar month serves as the national commemorative anniversary.

The worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings are closely related to the ancestral worshipping tradition of most Vietnamese families which forms an important part of people's spiritual lives. It was recognised as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.

Fifteen outstanding architecture solutions to go on show

Fifteen outstanding architectural solutions by firms in the country will go on display at an exhibition called Seu Do (red-headed crane) at 5:30 p.m. on Friday at the Gem Center in HCMC’s District 1.

The show will feature 12 architecture companies from Hanoi and HCMC – A21Studio, Adrei Studio, AD+ Studio, Atelier Tho A, HAS, Landmak Architecture, MM++ Architects, MD Studio, Studio Cong, Tropical Space, V-Architecture, and Voides.

Those companies will introduce their 15 architecture solutions in the forms of miniature models.

Visitors can view a contemporary thatched house by MM++ Architects, a modern DNH03 house in Chu Lai by HAS, a cocoon-shape house by Landmak, a “Long house” by MD Studio, a home-inside-home concept of Studio Cong and a house shaped like a termite nest by Tropical Space, among others.

The show is called Seu Do since this precious bird is symbolic of luck, hard work and devotion. The organizer, Mao Trung Co., Ltd, is joining hands with leading brands in the construction material sector to host the event to mark the company’s 20th anniversary and to inspire people in the construction, architecture and interior design professions.

Visitors can also admire works by popular architecture photographers, including Hiroyuki Oki, Nam Bui, Le Hoang, Le Anh Duc and Tran Quang.

The event will be opened for public viewing from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from April 25-27 at the Gem Center, 8 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, District 1, HCMC.

Ben Tre restores ancient architectural heritage

Renovation of two old architectural buildings in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, which began in August 2013, was completed on April 24.

A total investment exceeding 25.6 billion VND (1.2 million USD) was used to restore an over 100-year-old house, Huynh Phu, and a stone tomb area located in Thanh Phu district.

The ancient house, covering 520 square metres, has long preserved a wide range of wood carving creations dating back to the Nguyen dynasty (1802 - 1945 ), which have remained nearly intact.

The tomb area, recognised as a national architectural heritage in 2011, contains unique stone sculptures.

Both structures are the last surviving remnants of their kind in the province, which boasts a number of cultural and historic vestiges.

Thanh Hoa: ancient trees receive national heritage status

Over-600-year-old diospyros persimmon trees in the central province of Thanh Hoa have been recognised as the national heritage tree.

The Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment (VACNE) and the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism held a ceremony to receive the certification at the Ho Dynasty Citadel, Vinh Hoc district on April 24.

Grown in the Xuan Giai village, Vinh Tien commune, Vinh Loc district, an ancient village which has a close connection to the formation and ending of the Ho Dynasty and the Ho Dynasty Citadel, the over-20-metre trees were also served as shelters for the country’s soldiers during the resistance wars.

The heritage recognition will aid the conservation of the trees and promote the province’s cultural heritage value, particularly the UNESCO recognised World Cultural Heritage Site of Ho Dynasty Citadel.

The province recently opened an additional display house of the Ho Dynasty Citedal in Vinh Loc district to introduce the beauty of eight world heritages in Vietnam together with 12 heritage sites in the world to public and international friends.

The event offered a chance to promote the unique values of the Ho Dynasty Citadel, while intensifying linkages and tourism development between the local site and other world heritage sites in Vietnam.

Festival marks national heroines

The 1,975th anniversary of an uprising against Han led by China invaders national heroines Hai Ba Trung, also known as the Trung sisters, was marked at the Hat Mon festival in Hanoi.

The festival, which took place at the Hat Mon Temple in Hat Mon commune, Phuc Tho suburban district, also remembered the 1,972nd anniversary of their death.

Local residents previously presented offerings to the national heroines on April 22 and 23.

In 40 AD, the Trung sisters staged an uprising in Me Linh, now an district to the north of Hanoi. After repelling invaders, Trung Trac became King.

Three years later, the Han army returned and defeated the Trung sisters and their army. The sisters killed themselves by jumping into the Hat river at Hat Mon.

Festival bangs loud gong sound in Lam Dong

The value of gong culture, a distinctive feature of the Central Highlands and a piece of world intangible cultural heritage, is vividly cherished through a festival kicked off in the regional province of Lam Dong on April 24.

The festival brought together more than 500 gong artisans from ethnic minority groups across the province in performances that enhanced solidarity and especially celebrated the 40 th anniversary of Da Lat-Lam Dong Liberation as well as Southern Liberation and National Unification.

In her opening remark, Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Thi Nguyen highlighted that the event is part of tireless efforts the community has made to preserve and develop the space of Gong culture.

On this occasion, 24 patriarchs and artisans were granted with cultural gong artisan title.

The festival is scheduled to embrace a wide range of activities such as folk games and gong culture competition.

The Central Highlands region, which comprises the five provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum, is home to stunning mythical landscapes and a significant population of diverse ethnic minorities and cultures.

Especially, the space of gong culture was recognised by UNESCO on November 25, 2005 as an oral-transmitted masterpiece and intangible cultural heritage of the humanity .

It is believed that behind every gong hides a god or goddess who is all the more powerful when the gong is older. Every family possesses at least one gong, which indicates the family’s wealth, authority and prestige and also ensures its protection.

Bahnar epics become national heritage

Epics passed down many generations of the Bahnar ethnic minority community in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai were awarded a certificate recognising them part of the national intangible heritage on April 24.

The Bahnar epics are legends about the tribe’s heroes and great events, which are long enough to sing and tell through several nights.

Currently, there are more than 20 storytellers who know by heart 70 Bahnar epic poems across the province. Some of the epics have been recorded and published.

The recognition will help promote those charming stories and facilitate relevant activities of research, collection and preservation.

The Central Highlands region, which comprises the five provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum, is home to stunning mythical landscapes and a significant population of diverse ethnic minorities and cultures.

Book shines light on ancient Pho Hien’s values

A once-thriving Pho Hien (Hien street) in Red River Delta Hung Yen province is documented in a book released on April 24.

The 800-page book, Pho Hien, was compiled a 20-strong-member team led by Dr Nguyen Khac Hao, Vice Secretary of the Hung Yen Party’s Committee, and Dr Nguyen Dinh Nha, former Director of the Publishing Department.

It illuminates differences between Pho Hien and other same-time cities as well as wide-ranging impacts on the ancient street’s growth.

The work explores deeply the birth of the street and its trading activities during its heyday and low-point time.

Tangible and intangible cultural values, especially architectural features, held by the trading port, together with restoration and preservation work, also form crucial parts of the book.

The book is expected to be a valuable reference for restoration and promotion of the cultural and historical value of the street, making it a tourist draw for Hung Yen province.

Pho Hien relic complex lies in Dang Chau village (Lam Son district) and Ne Chau village (Hong Chau district) in Hien street.

The site was a bustling commercial port on the Red River with its heyday recorded in the 17 th -18 th century.

Pho Hien was second to the Imperial capital city of Thang Long as a trading point. It was well-known among foreign traders, especially those from China, Japan and the Netherlands.

The area is home to more than 100 cultural and historical relics, including Hien Pagoda, Mau (Goddess) Temple, May (Cloud) Temple and Chuong Pagoda. Eighteen of them have received national recognition.

The annual Pho Hien Cultural Festival is to open in all Pho Hien relic sites on April 26, featuring traditional rituals, games, art performance, bringing alive the history, spirituality and culture of the street.

The complex will receive a Certificate of Special National Relic Site the same day.

Exhibition highlighting Vietnam’s national reunification opens

The Vietnam National Museum of History officially opened an exhibition displaying photos, documents and objects highlighting instances of international support for Vietnam during its revolutionary wars from 1954-1975 on April 24.

Typical objects displayed at the event were selected from 700 exhibits collected by the Museum.

The submachine gun of former Cuban President Fidel Castro is among the exhibition’s highlights, presented to Vietnam ’s southern liberation force during his visit to Vietnam in 1973.

Other key features are three sculptures by Vietnamese-French artist Le Ba Dang made from B52 aircraft shells in 1973.

A 485-page book with thousands of signatures from people in 80 villages and towns in Varna province, Bulgaria in support of Vietnam ’s national liberation resistance wars is also being showcased.

With nearly 150 exhibits, the event features movements launched around the world to back Vietnam and contribute to its political, diplomatic and defence successes towards victory on April 30, 1975 which reunified the country.

It also aims to reflect the assistance received from international organisations, conferences and courts of justice in the period.

On the occasion, posters issued by the former Soviet Union , Cuba , Sweden , Finland , Hungary , Italy and Germany supporting Vietnam in the country’s struggle for national reunification before 1975 are also on display.

As part of activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of southern liberation and national reunification (April 30), the event will last until late August.

Writing contest revives spring 1975’s victory

The Vietnam News Agency, in collaboration with the Vietnam Veterans’ Association, organised an award ceremony for the “Spring 1975 – Echoing Song of Victory” writing contest, held in Hanoi on April 24.

Speaking at the event, Le Hong Anh, Politburo member and standing member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, said the Spring 1975 triumph led to the complete liberation of the south of Vietnam and put an end to the American war, reunifying the nation.

He said he was moved by all the contest entries from veterans who sent over 1,600 essays from across the nation.

Each work is a beautiful image and deep memory of the harsh battles the writers were directly involved in, he noted. Anh highlighted that the contest praises revolutionary heroism; the national tradition of bravery, resilience and creation; and the determination to liberate and reunite the country.

It also aims to encourage trust from Vietnamese people in current national construction and defence efforts, he added.

Launched in June last year, the contest received submissions of memories of “historical witnesses” who fought during the General Offensive and Uprising in the spring of 1975. Each work is a vivid and comprehensive reflection of the days spent struggling in battlefields during the historical spring.

As many as 62 pieces of writing were honoured, with the top prize coming to “Co May Bridge –Past and Present” by Colonel Nguyen Van Hong, former Deputy Head of Regiment 2, Division 3, Military Zone 5, who fought on Co May bridge and in the Vung Tau battlefields during the final Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975.

The work relives the fierce nature of the war and the heroic sacrifice of liberation soldiers in the gateway to Sai Gon before the city’s liberation.

In his speech at the ceremony, Anh also expressed his hope that the Vietnam Veterans’ Association would continue calling for stronger engagement of its members in the current national cause of defending the Party, State, socialism and people while promoting mutual support in economic development and poverty reduction.

Looking forward, the association should work closely with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to increase educating younger generations on historical traditions.

He said he hopes the nation will continue studying and following the late President Ho Chi Minh’s moral example, contributing to speeding up national renovation and economic development towards a industrialised and modern country with prosperous people, equality and civilisation.

Vietnamese literature introduced to French community

A workshop on “Vietnamese Novels in Globalisation” was convened at the French Cultural Centre –L’Espace in Hanoi on April 23.

France has translated the greatest number of Vietnamese literature works, surpassing the US, Russia and Germany. From 1980-2009, about 130 Vietnamese literature pieces were translated into French, 82 were translated into English, 42 into Russian and 27 into German, according to UNESCO statistics.

However in recent times the Vietnamese literature has been introduced in France in a systematic way, said Doan Cam Thi, lecturer at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO) in Paris.

In France, three pushing houses have a space featuring the Vietnamese literature, such as the Riveneuve publishing house with 11 Vietnamese novel titles printed, she added.

According to Doan, much of the new generation of Vietnamese novelists were born after the war and have both vitality and a strong commitment to innovation. Through translation works, original Vietnamese literatures become more popular abroad, she stated.

At the event, participants discussed the role of translation in promoting literature to the world, particularly the translations of Vietnamese works into the French.

French is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world, it’s used in over 57 countries nationwide.

Vietnam Golden Brand Food announced

Nearly 100 products from 76 Vietnamese food businesses received the golden brand title at a ceremony held in Hanoi on April 23.

This is the first national award dedicated to the food sector, jointly organised by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Industry and Trade and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

On this occasion, 24 entrepreneurs were also awarded with the title “For the Quality of Life”.

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed that the award aims to make businesses and entrepreneurs fully conscious of their responsibility for the country’s socio-economic development during the international integration process, and encourage them to upgrade their technology and improve production management to make higher quality products.

It also reflected the country’s determination to prevent counterfeit goods and trade fraud to protect public health, he said.

The Deputy PM also affirmed the Government’s willingness to create favourable conditions for enterprises to grow strongly and sustainably.

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said that the award is in response to the Party Central Committee Secretariat’s decree on intensifying Party leadership over food safety.

The ministry also considers it a move to help the sector develop stably and earn consumer confidence in food quality and safety, she added.

Cuisine festival launched in Ba Ria-Vung Tau

The 2015 Coastal City Cuisine Festival was launched in Vung Tau City, southern Ba Ria – Vung Tau province on April 23 to promote the coastal city’s people and landscape to both domestic and international visitors.

This year’s festival features 76 booths run by 39 businesses in the hospitality industry, displaying not only signature foods from regions across Vietnam but also a number of special dishes from Europe and Asia, each of which reflects the allure of cultural cuisine from different parts of the country and the world.

The event also offers a platform for professional chefs to show off their skills and creativity and share their experience in culinary arts.

Visitors have been recommended to local hotels and restaurants with excellent service ratings.

Held at Trung Trac – Trung Nhi Park, the 2015 Coastal City Cuisine Festival will run until April 26.-