Truong Sa and Hoang Sa images on show

The Ministry of Information and Communications and the government of Can Tho City have opened an exhibition of photos and documents proving Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

This is the 22th time the ministry has held such an exhibition since June 2013, said Doan Cong Huynh, head of the ministry’s information department.

This exhibition at Luu Huu Phuoc Park in Can Tho City displays the largest number of documents, maps and items which are strong historical evidence of Vietnam’s sovereignty over seas and islands in the East Sea, he said.

Covering an area of 500 square meters, the exhibition displays documents written in Han Nom (Chinese-transcribed Vietnamese), Vietnamese and French, and issued by Vietnam’s feudal dynasties and the French in Indochina from the 17th to 20th centuries, proving the process of discovering and protecting the two archipelagos.

Put on show are several photos about the period of developing and protecting Hoang Sa and Truong Sa from 1930 until the battle in 1974 when the Republic of Vietnam fought China that used force to occupy Hoang Sa.

Other items on show include a collection of 65 maps proving Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagos issued by Vietnam and Western countries since the 17th century, and four atlas and 30 maps issued by China over the years, which show Hoang Sa and Truong Sa belong to Vietnam.

Another highlight at the exhibition is the Atlas Universel, which was compiled by Belgian geographer Philippe Vandermaelen (1795-1869), founder of the Royal Belgian Geographical Society, and then published in Bruxelles, Belgium in 1827.

Visitors to the exhibition can also see a collection of items used in the battles of Vietnam’s naval forces to protect Hoang Sa and Truong Sa islands.

The exhibition lasts until Tuesday.

French firms to showcase wines in Vietnam

Fourteen companies will introduce their fine products at the 6th French wine tasting event at the Sofitel Metropole Legend in Hanoi on March 30 and at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza tomorrow.

The event, arranged by Business France Vietnam, will gather over 200 local wine experts to taste creations from some of the most popular wine making regions in France, including Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Cognac, Languedoc-Roussillon, and Rhône. The organizer also expects to enhance trade cooperation between the two countries.

The participating firms include Advini, D.A.D., Delice Wine, Distillerie Vinet- Delpech S.A.S., Domaines Paul Mas, and Louis Max.

According to statistics of the organizer, Vietnam is one of the most dynamic wine markets in Asia with average annual growth of 10% by 2016. France is still a leading exporter of wines to Vietnam.

For further information, contact Ms. Oanh at (08) 3520 6890, or via email thanhoanh.tonthien@businessfrance.fr or Ms. Mai at (04) 3944 5855, email: mai.nguyenthithanh@businessfrance.fr or visit the website www.ubifrance.com/vn.

Photography project promotes breastfeeding

The sacred feelings and sweet moments that mothers and babies share during breastfeeding are themes of ‘Pure and Sweet', a non-profit photography project on breastfeeding by Nguyen Bao Ngoc.

The photographs include those that show hungry babies waiting to be fed, a father's happiness while looking at his wife and newborn child, and a baby enjoying breastfeeding.

As the mother of a breast-fed baby, Ngoc understands the special emotions felt by all mothers when their babies are nursing. They are grateful to Mother Nature for favouring them with breast milk to feed their children. Breast milk provides newborns and toddlers not only nutrition, but also antibodies, and cannot be compared with any other source of food.

The fact is several women don't know about breastfeeding and many newborns are fed formula milk. Ngoc said she implemented the project with the aim of encouraging all mothers to breastfeed their children. She expects the project to help the public become more aware of the advantages of breastfeeding.

She intends to release a pictorial book, and organise a photo exhibition as part of the project.

Central coastal town readies for a summer tourism festival

Authorities in the central province of Nghe An have said the coastal town of Cua Lo will develop its own tourism trademark.

Chairman of the Cua Lo Town People's Committee, Doan Tien Dung, confirmed this when announcing a tourism festival would open in the town on April 30, the day that marks the 40th anniversary of the country's reunification (April 30, 1975). The festival will feature various activities including a dragon boat race on May 1.

Dung said the town has organised various tours including Cua Lo-Nam Dan (the motherland of former President Ho Chi Minh), Cua Lo-Lam River-Cui Temple and Cua Lo-Vinh City-Kim Lien Village-Pu Mat Primitive Forest tours, and a cruise to Lan Chau Island, Tortoise Cave and Fairy Island.

He said the town has added 500 more rooms to accommodate 19,000 guests per night. Its first four-star hotel, Muong Thanh, will open during the festival. The hotel has 249 sea-facing rooms, and is located 10km from the Vinh airport and 15km from the Vinh railway station.

Book festivals spotlighted nationwide

Books will be the centre of attention through the end of April as a string of events are set to celebrate the 2nd annual Vietnam Book Day (April 21).

Major activities will be concentrated between April 18 and 23.

A book street will run in Hanoi through April 17-21 and several workshops and talk shows are to be held, including events presenting national anniversary-themed books, such as the 40th Southern Liberation and National Reunification Day (April 30), 70 years of August Revolution (August 9) and National Day (September 2), among others.

Celebrations will take place in the Temple of Literature and libraries, schools, headquarters of state agencies and organisations across the nation.

April 21 was designated Vietnam Book Day by the Prime Minister.

Aimed to encourage reading in the community, the annual event looks to raise public awareness of books as not only a source of knowledge but also a way to develop one’s thinking and personality.

The event also presents a chance to appreciate the efforts of those involved in the development of books, such as collectors, writers, publishers and distributors.

The observance of the event will contribute to raising the responsibility of ministries, sectors and social organisations towards the promotion of reading in Vietnam.

Friendship, theme of Canon photo contest for kids

Some 500 children from six schools in HCM City took part in a photography contest called Photo Marathon Junior held last weekend as part of Canon's International Friendship Day.

Kids aged eight to 15 part took their best photos based on the theme of "friendship, the people you like, and your favorite job."

The event was aimed at encouraging children's love of photography and promoting cultural understanding between students in Viet Nam and other Asian countries.

The winner was Pham Nhat Nam, a ninth grader at Minh Duc Secondary School, whose photo shows children practising work as technicians at a mock facility.

He received a Canon camera, a photo printer, an English scholarship worth VND20 million sponsored by Apollo English Centre, a VIP pass to Vietopia, the mock facility where children can simulate many jobs and two round tickets to Bangkok worth VND15 million sponsored by Turkish Airlines. They were totally worth more than VND50 million.

The contest offered prizes worth a total of VND200 million.

An exhibition was held alongside, showcasing photos from the Canon Image Bridge programme in which students across Viet Nam were encouraged to shoot their own photos and exchange them with their counterparts in Japan and Malaysia.

It gave children a chance to try out their photography skills, nurture their love for the art and create a bridge to connect with children in other countries.

International Friendship Day is part of Canon's philosophy of "Kyosei," which means living and working for the common good.

Vietnam – RoK choir exchange programme held in Hanoi

A choir exchange programme named ‘Friends’ Harmony’ took place on March 29 at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, in Hanoi with the participation of two choirs from Vietnam and Republic of Korea (RoK).

Two youth choirs, Seongnam-Civic Children’s Choir (SCCC) from RoK and Sol Art Vietnam, performed the Vietnamese ethnic group's ‘Cong Khao song’, ‘Ga Gay Le Te’ and the Korean piece ‘Arirang’.

The performances will be conducted by Le Doai Huy, Hai Yen and Korean Kang Young-mo.

Established in 1997, the Seongnam Children's Choir has given approximately 500 performances in South Korea and abroad.

Members of the Young Vietnamese Choir are students of the VNAM's Musicology, Composition and Conducting Department. The choir aims to promote collaboration among Vietnamese and foreign choirs.

The SolArt Choir was set up in 2008. It has taken part in the international choir festival, Voice without Borders in the United States, and won golden and silver medals at festivals held in Germany and the RoK.

The programme was held to inaugurate the VNAM's Grand Music Hall. It was part of a series of activities held to promote co-operation and exchange between VNAM and other music conservatoires around the world.

VNA/VNS/VOV/ND