Documentary film on Vietnam’s longest river aired

A scene from the film.

A documentary film on Dong Nai River which is recognized as the longest river in Vietnam is being aired on HTV9 channel starting on September 23.

The TV series 120 episodes (10 minute each) will bring audiences to a trip exploring the beauty of the river, its environmental economic value, as well as reflecting the living of local people along river banks.

The film crew hopes the movie will raise the people’s awareness of environmental protection.

The Dong Nai River runs through provinces and cities, including Lam Dong ,Dak Nong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Ho Chi Minh City.

Water quality of Dong Nai River affects 20 million residents living in the southern region. The river water is facing serious pollution by huge volumes of untreated industrial and household wastewater flowing into it.

New archaeological discoveries presented in Hanoi

Archaeologists from all over Vietnam came together in a conference in Hanoi on September 25 to exchange their latest findings.

Researchers made an important new discovery of stone tools in An Khe town in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai , which are believed to date back to several hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology Bui Van Liem said archaeologists discovered four stone axe-making sites typical of the Palaeolithic Era (Old Stone Age), and two others from the late Neolithic Era (New Stone Age) in Gia Lai’s Kong Chro district.

Underwater archaeology, relatively new to Vietnam , drew a lot of attention from domestic and international archaeologists. A number of studies on marine cultural heritage have been launched in northern Quang Ninh province and central Ha Tinh province.

Studies on the Dong Son civilisation, an ancient culture that dates back 2,500 years ago, were also discussed.-

Da Nang hosts museum fund-raiser

Da Nang will host a cultural programme entitled Heading towards Hoang Sa and Truong Sa at the Trung Vuong Theatre tonight.

The 90-minute show, starting at 8pm, will have performances by top singers and dancers who try to raise donations from the public for the construction of the city's Hoang Sa Museum.

The event's organising committee said that the programme will also be organised in Khanh Hoa province's Nha Trang city next month.

The Hoang Sa museum will be built over an area of 685sq.m near the Hoang Sa Road in the Son Tra Peninsula later this year. The museum will display collections of artefacts and documents related to Viet Nam's sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands.

Photography show highlights nine relics

Nearly 100 photographs of nine special national relics in Hanoi are on display at an exhibition now open at the Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam's (The Temple of Literature) Centre of Culture and Science.

The exhibition is a part of celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the capital city's liberation, which falls on October 10. Organisers say the exhibition aims to help visitors understand more about Hanoi's culture, history, architecture and landscape.

Among the relics featured in the photos and maps at the exhibition are President Ho Chi Minh memorial site inside the Presidential Palace, the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, the Co Loa Citadel and The Temple of Literature.

The exhibition will remain open to the public until October 24.

Fourteen places recognised as national relic sites

Fourteen historical, architectural and scenic sites in Dong Nai, Bac Giang, Ha Nam, Ha Giang and Hanoi have been recognised as having national relic site status by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The list includes one historical site, 10 architectural sites and three scenic sites.

The historical site of Giong San massacre is located in Phu Dong commune, Nhon Trach district, Dong Nai province.

The 10 architectural sites comprise six in Hanoi, two in Ha Nam and two in Bac Giang.

The Hanoi's six sites are Huong Tao Temple in Ngoc Tao commune, Phuc Tho district; Dai Phung Temple in Dan Phuong commune, Dan Phuong district; Ngoc Tao Temple in Ngoc Tao commune, Phuc Tho district; Lac Temple in Dong Thai commune, Ba Vi district; Ngoc Than

Temple in Ngoc My commune, Quoc Oai district and Dai Lo Temple in Ninh So commune, Thuong Tin district.

The two architectural sites in Bac Giang are named Dong Truoc Communal Temple in Mai Dinh commune, Hiep Hoa district and Am Communal Temple in Xuan Huong commune, Lang Giang district.

The two architectural sites in Ha Nam are Tran Xa Communal Temple in Nguyen Ly commune, Ly Nhan district and Hoi Dong Communal Temple in Duc Ly commune, Ly Nhan district.

Meanwhile, the three scenic sites are situated in Ha Giang, with the Crinoidea fossil site in Lung Pu commune, Meo Vac district; Rong cave in Ta Lung and Pa Vi communes in Meo Vac district; and Na Luong cave in Mau Long commune in Yen Minh district and Sung Trai commune in Dong Van district.

Bac Giang Culture, Sports and Tourism festival to be held

The sixth Culture, Sport and Tourism festival of Bac Giang province 2014 is going to be held from October 3 to 5, according to an announcement from the provincial People's Committee.

The festival will take place at Bac Giang city with the participation of 10 districts and cities in the province.

A series of activities and art performances, showcasing traditional customs, food, costumes, folk games and sports, with the participation of 26 ethnic minority groups in the province, will be held during the festival.

An opening ceremony will be organised at 7.30pm on October 3 and a closing ceremony at 7.30pm on October 5. The ceremonies will be broadcast live on Bac Giang Television Channel.

The biennial event aims to honour local people’s values and cultural identities and provide an opportunity for the ethnic minority groups to strengthen their solidarity and exchange experiences in preserving and promoting their culture, sports and tourism potential.

Reprint of questionable quality gets Good Book Award

Concerns over copyright infringement and the lazy quality of a reprint of a 1996 book, which was given the Good Book Award 2014, have tarnished the image of both the publishing house and the prize.

In the memoirs of Professor Nguyen Tu Chi, eight of his students collected his research and put it together in a book called "Contribution to research on culture and peoples". The book was jointly published in 1996 by Vietnam Culture and Information Publishing House and Art and Culture Magazine.

On September 11, the Institute for Research on Educational Development held the Good Book Award Ceremony, and honoured the second edition of the same book, re-published by Thoi Dai Publishing House in 2013. A week later, a number of researchers complained that the second edition was sloppily reprinted and may even violate copyright rules. The second edition also appears to have typos and missing content.

Professor Bui Xuan Dinh, one of the eight students who worked on the original print, said the name of the book was also changed from "Contribution to research on culture and peoples" to "The culture of the Vietnamese people'. He said, "The first edition had two parts: the first contain Nguyen Tu Chi's works themselves and the second contains the opinions and thoughts of the students about their mentor. The new edition omitted the second part and the table of contents is missing. Moreover, Thoi Dai Publishing House didn't ask our opinions before reprinting the book," said Dinh.

The deputy director of Thoi Dai Publishing House said, "Because our partner said they already had the proper documents and authorisation, we just went to work on the project." Even though the publishing house has not admitted any wrongdoing, they withdrew the book from circulation while checking on copyrighted material.

Bui Van Nam Son, a board member of the Good Book Award Ceremony 2014, apologised to readers for awarding the prize to the wrong edition. "The board members had all read the first edition. This is the reason that, when our secretary named a work about the culture and peoples written by professor Nguyen Tu Chi, we agreed to award it immediately, without noticing the differences. We didn't know it had been reprinted with such poor quality." After the incident, they corrected the name of the book on their website portal.

Hard Rock Café HCMC gears up for global charity fund raising

Hard Rock Café HCMC has been active in the Pinktober, a fund raising campaign for breast cancer charities initiated by Hard Rock International with many activities in HCMC.

Starting in September and continuing throughout October, guests are invited to join the fight against breast cancer at Hard Rock Cafes, Hotels and Casinos worldwide. There are pink fashion shows, high-energy concerts, PINK menu offerings, and “PINK Sheets Rooms” and more. Proceeds from the campaign will support research and awareness-driving efforts for various breast cancer charities around the world.

In Vietnam, Hard Rock Café HCMC starts selling women’s Pinktober V-neck T-shirts in blue with a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon embellished with roses. Proceeds from the sale of Pinktober shirt benefits various breast cancer charities with 15% of the retail price going directly to the cause.

Also, Hard Rock’s Rihanna Artist Spotlight shirt, a limited edition merchandise designed by superstar Rihanna with her face and signature, is also available at Hard Rock Café HCMC.

Hard Rock International has a total of 190 venues in 58 countries, including 144 cafes, 21 hotels and 10 casinos. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world’s greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Opened in 2009, Hard Rock Cafe HCMC is located at 39 Le Duan Avenue in the Kumho Asiana Plaza and covers an area of 1,000 square meters of two bars, a live music area and a Rock Shop.

Uyen Huy reviews 50-year art career with ‘violin and sea’ expo

Artist Uyen Huy has put about 50 paintings in his tenth solo exhibition ‘Mot thoang vi cam, mot chut bien’ (A glimpse of violin, a little of the sea) at the HCMC Fine Arts Museum to mark his 50 years in art career and 40 years working as a fine art teacher.

Works on display were made of acrylic and mixed media during the past two years. Via two main images of the violin and the sea, the artist wants to show off his love and passion for life, for his old school, for the hometown and beloved ones around the country.

Huy gives profound adoration for violin, its melodies and related memories of his friends and his love stories. With this theme, Huy won the Esso Art Prize in 1973 with the work ‘Nhac chieu” (Afternoon Music). About the sea, Huy said: “Sea is the endless inspiration for not only the artists but also anyone who love to play with waves crashing on shore, listen to waves’ sounds and admire the beaches’ romantic scenes and splendid surroundings.” Huy is continuously making works with images of the sea, islands and marine soldiers to express his love for the country’s sovereignty.

On September 9, the artist also published a research book ‘The urban fine arts in Saigon-Gia Dinh from 1900 to 1975.’ The 700-page book depicts a panoramic view of the fine arts scene in Saigon with the combination of many cultures like Champa, Oc Eo, Khmer, and of Chinese people and French people. The book gives readers a view via specific events, artworks, characters and historical marks.

Artist Uyen Huy, whose real name is Huynh Van Muoi, has displayed his paintings around the country and in many countries such as Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, India, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.S. and Eastern Europe.

He is now chairman of the HCMC Association of Fine Arts. The exhibition will run until September 30 at the museum, 97 Pho Duc Chinh Street in HCMC’s District 1.

French community gears up for Balade en France 2014

The 5th edition of Balade en France which promises to be more attractive will take place on October 24-25 at the Hotel Equatorial in District 5, HCMC.

After four successful editions, around 1,800 people are expected to attend this two-night event. This year, visitors will have to buy a ticket for admission to the event where they can enjoy animations and games at their disposal. They can buy coupons worth VND20,000 each to taste food, beverages and desserts from popular restaurants and wine stores in HCMC.

Guests will have a chance to enjoy performances by French style artists based in Vietnam, and win many lucky draw prizes.

Balade en France 2014 is being organized by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam (CCIFV), Sopexa (the French agency for international marketing of food, wine and lifestyle) and the Hotel Equatorial with the support of the French Ministry of Agriculture and the French Consulate General in HCMC.

Tickets cost VND150,000 per adult for bookings from October 13 to 22 but VND300,000 on the day while children up to 14 years old will be charged VND120,000. For children under six, admission is free.

SGT/VOV/VNS/Dantri/SGGP