Watercolours reflect artists' passion

Forty-four watercolours by 22 painters from Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam are being displayed at a joint exhibition in Ha Noi.

The exhibition is an initiative of Malaysian painters who wish to promote the use of watercolour in Asia as a major painting material instead of using it mainly to make sketches.

Earlier, the artists had participated in excursions in Malaysia and Viet Nam to work outdoors. Included in the exhibition of works that depict the landscapes and local lives of people in places that the artists visited.

Art critic Phan Cam Thuong said the exhibition was "a great opportunity for the artists to learn about each other's painting styles, which are quite different."

Visitors can see the diversity of watercolours expressions as the exhibition carries abstract, realistic, hyper-realistic, impressionistic and even 3D paintings.

Famous Vietnamese artist Thanh Chuong was among exhibition's first visitors. He applauded the idea of the joint exhibition because "we need to develop further artistic exchanges with other countries in the region because swe share similar cultural features".

He said the exhibition reflected the life-tempo of each country.

He felt that artists from Malaysia and Thailand had "a neat painting style", while Vietnamese painters seem more "liberal and opened-minded", so works were more creative and modern."

Agreeing with Chuong, painter Tang Mun Kian of Malaysia said Vietnamese artists were very creative in using watercolours.

"They are very good in using a medium to express their ideas. You can see their 3D artworks or paintings with contemporary styles," Tang said.

Thai artist Direk Kingnok has had his work shown in Viet Nam several times already, but the joint exhibition was the first of its kind for him.

"This is not just a chance to show my paintings to local art lovers and to artists from Viet Nam and Malaysia, I also have the opportunity to create a network of artists who can exchange ideas and discuss anything related to art," he said.

The exhibition will be open until April 7 at the Viet Nam National Museum of Fine Arts, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street.

After Viet Nam, a similar exhibition showcasing other artworks by the same artists will be held in Malaysia in September.

Traditional tug of war honoured as national cultural heritage

The Binh Xuyen district of northern Vinh Phuc province was presented with a certificate recognising its tug of war festival in Huong Canh town as a national intangible cultural heritage on April 2.

The local tug of war, using a rattan rope, replicated the practices of naval forces led by national hero Ngo Quyen that helped Vietnam defeat invading troops from the Southern Han state of China on the Bach Dang River in 938.

It is traditionally organised at spring festivals by a number of villages in Binh Xuyen district such as Ngoai Trach, Quat Luu, Son Loi, and Thanh Lang.

Nowadays, the game is maintained only in Huong Canh town, especially in the Huong Canh, Ngoc Canh, and Tien Canh villages.

The tug of war festival in Huong Canh town, taking place on the third day of the first lunar month, was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014.

Authorities of Binh Xuyen district plan to organise workshops to further clarify the game’s cultural identities and work with professional agencies to create a database to preserve and popularise the tradition.

They will also include the game in local school curriculum to educate the youth about the traditional practice.-

Vietnamese photographer nets grand prize from Smithsonian contest

A photo of two women sewing a giant fishing net in central Vietnam has won the top prize at the world’s famous photo contest organized by US magazine Smithsonian.

The Smithsonian Photo Contest 2014 announced its winners March 31, and the grand prize of US$2,500 went to Pham Ty, a photographer from Ho Chi Minh City.

Ty took the picture in November 2013, capturing from above the scene of two women sewing a fishing net at a small village near Vinh Hy Bay in Ninh Thuan Province.

The contest received 26,500 entries from 93 different countries for six categories: natural world, travel, people, American experience, altered images and mobile.

Ty’s piece, which competed in the people category, was one of five Vietnamese pieces entering the list of 60 finalists.

The contest also announced cash prize of US$500 for winners in each category and the winner of the Readers’ Choice award, which is the top vote recipient among more than 10,000 votes received on the contest website.

It has started receiving entries for the next edition until the end of November.

The 13th edition will add another category, Sustainable Travel, through the support of United Eco-Skies, to recognize photographers who demonstrate commitment to travel for environmentally responsible purposes.

New albums mark Reunification Day

Fans have shown great interest in new albums featuring folk and revolutionary music celebrating the country's Reunification Day.

Featured albums include Nhung Buc Tranh Que Huong (Pictures of Viet Nam) and Que Nha (Homeland), both released this week by music studio Viet Tan of HCM City.

Nhung Buc Tranh Que Huong includes 15 contemporary folk songs with music by Quynh Hop and lyrics by famous poets like Nguyen Trong Luan and Quynh Le.

The CD highlights the voice of Bana singer Y Jang Tuyn, who began his career in 1993 and earned several top prizes at national singing contests.

In Nhung Buc Tranh Que Huong, he faced challenges by turning from rock to sing folk music to offer his fans something new.

The work Que Nha features revolutionary songs performed by young singers to praise soldiers who fought and died in Quang Ngai Province under the American war.

Today, the pop band Artista released Chao Sai Gon Ban Mai (Good Morning Sai Gon), a CD consisting of eight songs about the youth of HCM City.

Singer Trang Nhung and her younger colleagues, Tieu Chau Nhu Quynh and Duong Quoc Hung, will present their latest albums called Nghieng

Ve Phia Bien (Reaching to the Sea) and Di Ngang Qua Song (Walking on the Waves) next week. Both works includes songs in pop and dance on the life of navy soldiers.

HCM City fair offers clothes, crafts

Clothes, furniture, handicrafts, and other consumer items will be on sale at discounts of 30-70 per cent at a fair in HCM City's District 1 on April 4-5.

Shoppers need to buy coupons for shopping at "Coupon Fair".

Visitors can also meet and speak with artisans working in various art fields and enjoy live music and other performances. There will also be fun and games for children, a silent auction, and "exchange old things to new ones" activity for visitors.

Coupon Fair at 3A Ton Duc Thang Street will be organised by Unlimited Saigon Entertainment-UFO Team and supported by Unicorn Studio, which has organised successful events like Vietnam Creative Festival and Concrete Canvases: The Street Art of Saigon.

Hanoians avidly await cherry blossom festival

The 2015 Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival is set to take place at Hanoi’s Thang Long royal citadel on April 11-12, bringing fluffy pink scenery to the capital city dwellers.

The event will be organised by the Japan-Vietnam Cultural Association Foundation as part of activities to celebrate 42 years of the two countries’ diplomatic ties.

Visitors will be treated to Yosakoi traditional dance, cosplay and martial arts performances, and an introduction to special Japanese dishes.

Apart from the usual “Sakura” decoration, there will be interesting activities such as Sakura planting, exhibition, and an area introducing Sakura and photography.

The Cherry Blossom Festival was opened in Halong city of northern Quang Ninh province on April 2, themed “Peace-Prosperity-Cooperation and Development”.

The four-day festival was held by the municipal People’s Committee and the Japan Wanokai International Culture Association to strengthen the friendship and cooperation between the people of the two countries.

On the occasion, children in the northeast part of Japan – which bore the brunt of the tsunami and earthquake four years ago – presented cherry trees to children in Quang Ninh.

On the sidelines of the event were art and cultural exchanges; a trade fair showcasing tourism products, food and household utensils at 100 pavilions of the two countries; screening of Japanese cartoons; and business workshops on health, education, the environment and agriculture.

The Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival was first held in Hanoi in 2007, providing an outstanding cultural activity in Vietnam to introduce Japan’s cultural beauty to visitors.

The earliest cherry blossoms come into bloom in late January in southern Okinawa prefecture and reach northern Hokkaido prefecture in early May. The flowers drop off about a week after they appear.

Experts discuss tourism development, heritage preservation

Ideas and suggestions on balancing tourism development and heritage preservation were put forwards at a tourism conference on the sidelines of the Vietnam International Tourism Mart in Hanoi on April 3.

Duong Bich Hanh, representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Hanoi, introduced an overall picture of world heritages in Vietnam and highlighted challenges in preserving and promoting heritages’ values.

Kai Partale, an expert from the Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Programme (EU-ESRT) which hosted the conference, underlined the need to establish a close link between the preservation and promotion of heritage values and principles of responsible tourism.

Vietnam needed to integrate advice on responsible behaviours for tourists into prominent cultural events, he added.

Vietnam has 8 world cultural and natural heritage sites recognised by the UNESCO.

Participants emphasised that preservation should be given the top priority, noting that the main target of UNESCO recognition is to honour the heritage’s value and help with the preservation work.

In its tourism development strategy to 2020 with a vision to 2030, Vietnam attached great importance to sustainable tourism development in close association with preservation and promotion of national cultural values.

The tourism sector itself is making efforts to ensure the tourism growth and build resources for the preservation and environment protection by improving management capability or devising support policies.

Vinh Phuc: Tay Thien festival commences

Tay Thien festival, one of the major northern spiritual events, began on April 3, drawing a wave of people making pilgrimages to pray for a new year of good health, happiness, and prosperity.

The festival is taking place at Tay Thien Site, spanning over 100 hectares within Tam Dao national park, which is dotted with beautiful forests, streams, waterfalls, grottoes and dozens of religious buildings, in Tam Dao district, Vinh Phuc province.

It is held annually on the fifteenth day of the second lunar month to commemorate Mother Lang Thi Tieu, who made great contributions to national defence, peace and agricultural development during the era of Hung Kings.

She is worshipped in Tay Thien Monastery and at 71 other temples and pagodas in the local area.

According to Pham Quang Nguyen, Chairman of Tam Dao’s People’s Committee, ensuring security and protecting the environment are priorities of the organisers of this year’s festival.

Price overcharge and begging are banned, he said.

Vinh Phuc is home to several popular tourist destinations, including the Tay Thien Site, Tam Dao Resort, Tam Dao National Park and Dai Lai Lake. It also owns bountiful tangible and intangible cultural values through 1,000 relics.

Celebrities make a stand for rhinos with nail polishes

Vietnamese celebrities have put on nail polishes featuring rhinos and other images to support a campaign which raise awareness that rhino horn is made of the same substance as nails.

“Polish nails to save rhinos” is an online contest held by Wild Aid Vietnam, which works against wildlife trade, to send out the message that rhino horns are mostly made up of keratin like human nails and hair and have no medical magic.

The contest aims to stop the widespread belief fueling rhino poaching that the animal’s horn can cure serious diseases including cancer.

Rhino species are being pushed to extinction worldwide while the last Java rhino in Vietnam, one of the world’s main markets for rhino horns, died in 2010.

Vietnamese actors, singers and songwriters have supported the contest by posting photos of them wearing rhino and other polishes on Facebook.

Anyone across Vietnam can join the contest by polishing their nails or designing nail polishes and post the image on their Facebook page by April 20. Rhino-related designs are highly recommended.

The post has to be public, carrying one of the hashtags #cuutegiac (save rhinos), #wildaidvietnam, #nailart and tags Wild Aid Vietnam’s

Facebook page, which means the person needs to like the page first.

Three first-prize winners will receive a stuffed rhino, a Wild Aid Vietnam T-shirt and a nail kit.

There’re 30 encouragement prizes of a stuffed rhino each.

Co Tu ethnic people promote tourism

Villages of Co Tu ethnic minority people in Ta Bhing village, Nam Giang district, Quang Nam province, have become a popular tourist destination in recent years.

Traditional Guol houses, bamboo bridges, brocade weaving products and the Song Thanh Nature Reserves attract a lot of tourists.

With assistance from a community-based tourism development project funded by the Foundation for International Development Relief of Japan, Co Tu ethnic minority people in Bhing village have joined the tourism business.

30 Japanese tourists have arrived at Giang wharf and are being welcomed by 10 local tour guides, who are young Co Tu locals. Bhriu Thuong, the Chief Coordinator of the community-based tourism group, says the Ho Chi Minh trail will be the first stop of the tourists.

The Ho Chi Minh trail has been recreated with camps, clinics, liaison stations and stopovers for soldiers. Replicas of hammocks, tents, and A-shaped tunnels fascinate the Japanese tourists. Japanese painter Tasuma Kanna is sketching Vietnamese military trucks which are riddled

with bullet holes. Matsu Moto Gienme was among the Japanese supporters of the Vietnamese people’s struggle for national liberation.

Visiting a scene that recreates a forest devastated by Agent Orange, Matsu shared his impression: “It was an unjust war. I can feel the pain suffered by Vietnamese people. Visiting this place, I really admire the staunch spirit of the Vietnamese people. Seeing the vestiges left over from the war, I better understand them and their love of peace”.

After visiting the Ho Chi Minh trail, the tourists participate in a local Tung Tung Da Da dance, try on traditional Co Tu costumes and take photos with the locals. They also visit Grang waterfall, inspect local brocade weaving, and taste the local food specialties.

All of these activities take place in front of the Goul- the community house of the Co Tu. Ms Yasaka Otsuky is interested in grilling meat, brocade weaving and bead stringing. Wearing the festival dress of the Co Tu women, she is excited about thetung tung da da dance: “Food here comes from the forest like grilled wild boar meat and vegetables and fruits. The costumes of the Co Tu people are wonderful.

They are made of brocade and are unique. They are meticulously and beautifully decorated with small beads. Local dancing is charming showing the gracefulness of the local girls and bravery of the local boys.

The Co Tu community-based tourism project mobilizes the participation of local people in tourist activities. They are tour coordinators and service providers and are divided into dance, culinary, and weaving groups.

They participate in cleaning up the environment, ensuring the security and safety of visitors, drafting tourism regulations, and guiding tours. Each group has its own plan and is managed by the Coordination Committee.

Hanji Korean Art Exhibit opens in Hanoi

A Hanji Contemporary Korean Paper Art exhibition showcasing 15 artworks by Yang Sang Hoon has opened at the Korean Cultural Centre in Hanoi.

Hanji is strong and long-lasting traditional Korean paper, made from the inner bark of the dak (mulberry) tree, famous for its ability to resist fading, even after some 1,000 years.

The traditional paper is also used in handicrafts, such as hanji dresses or paper dolls. In the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), ordinary people used scraps of paper to make folk art.

In his works, Hoon manipulates the paper in unexpected ways to reflect the timelessness and power of this bark-made material.

The paper is reborn as flowers or birds by folding repeatedly.  He also twists and weaves long, narrow sheets of paper to create intricate geometric patterns.

The exhibition runs April 4-30.

Hai Au Aviation to launch new tourist flights

Many tourists visiting Ninh Binh province have limited time and are unable to visit all the places there are to see.

To meet the increased demand the Hai Au Aviation Joint Stock Company has revealed plans to launch a new aerial service to shuttle tourists throughout the province, allowing them to see more from the air.

At a recent meeting with leaders of Ninh Binh province, company officials said they are seeking an operating license to open new sightseeing tours to the Cuc Phuong National Park, Trang An scenic landscape complex, Ninh Binh City and Yen Thang Lake.

They will be using a Cessna Grand Caravan EX hovercraft with services to start as soon as the license is approved.

There was no public announcement on what the prices for the tours would be.

Hai Au Aviation boasts being the first to offer seaplane adventures in Vietnam and Indochina, and offers tourists the thrill of flying from low altitudes, showcasing the beauty of the region from a bird’s eye view.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/TN/Dantri/TT