Agriculture and craft village festival opens in Quang Ngai

A festival featuring agriculture and craft villages in the central region opened in the central coastal province of Quang Ngai on July 6.

The event, co-organised by the Vietnam Farmers Association, the Vietnam Craft Villages Association and the provincial People’s Committee, saw the participation of around 400 businesses from the central and Central Highlands regions showcasing agricultural products, tools, equipment and techniques.

It also includes a seminar on micro-organic products, meetings with outstanding farmers and consultancy sessions on agriculture techniques.

The festival is a forum for organisations and individuals to share information, promote their products, transfer technology and strengthen trade promotion in the agricultural sector and craft villages.

It also aims to attract more investments to the central region in general and Quang Ngai province in particular.

The event will run until July 12.

Soulful tribute to veteran composers

Dozens of famous singers will take part tonight in a free music programme in memory of veteran composers Phan Huynh Dieu and Phan Nhan, who both passed away in HCM City late last month, at the HCM City Music Conservatory.

Opera singers Anh Bang and Anh Tuyet will perform Bong Cay Konia (Shadow of Konia Tree) and Cuoc Doi Van Dep Sao (What a Beautiful Life!), both composed by Dieu in 1971 based on poems written by Ngoc Anh and Duong Huong Ly.

Pop stars Bao Yen, Cam Van, Thanh Thuy and Khanh Linh will sing Nhan's popular songs such as Ha Noi- Niem Tin va Hy Vong (Ha Noi- Belief and Hope), Tinh Ca Dat Nuoc (Love Song for Country) and Cay Dan Guitar cua Victor Hara (Victor Hara's Guitar).

Revolutionary songs by both composers will also be featured by veteran singers Cao Minh, Dinh Van and Lan Ngoc.

"Through our performance, we want to highlight the life and work of Dieu and Nhan, who played a role in the country's music industry," said Meritorious Artist Thanh Thuy of the Military Zone 7 Art Troupe.

Born in 1924 in Da Nang, Dieu, who was known as the "golden bird of Vietnamese music", worked for 70 years as a composer. He created more than 100 songs, most of which have been set to music from popular poems.

In 2000, he was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize in Literature and Arts the highest prize of its kind in the country.

Nhan was born in 1930 in An Giang Province. He joined the army in the French resistance war.

He worked for leading art troupes during the war. After 1975, he worked at the Radio Voice of Viet Nam's branch office in HCM City till his retirement.

He was awarded the State's Prize for Literature and Arts in 2001.

Both Dieu and Nhan died in HCM City following a long illness.

The concert will take two nights at 8pm tonight and tomorrow at the conservatory in Nguyen Du Street, District 1. 

Country to remember great poet Nguyen Du’s birthday

The 250th birthday of Nguyen Du (1765 – 2015), a Vietnamese poet and World Cultural Celebrity, will be celebrated with a string of activities nationwide, announced the Ha Tinh provincial authorities on July 6.

An international symposium on the life and career of the poet will be held in Hanoi in early August under the chair of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.

Publications, documentaries, stage acts, musical works and art works focusing on the same topics will be released.

In addition, poem recitals of Truyen Kieu (Tale of Kieu), a literary masterpiece of Nguyen Du, as well as writing and eloquence competitions on his works will be staged.

Nguyen Du memorial site in Tien Dien commune, Nghi Xuan district, Ha Tinh province, which was recognised as a special national relic, will be upgraded and beautified on the occasion.

Celebrations will also take place in Hanoi and Bac Ninh province.

Nguyen Du, also known as To Nhu and Thanh Hien, was born in 1765 to a noble family in Thang Long (now Hanoi). Although the poet spent his life in Hanoi, his family roots stem from the central province of Ha Tinh. He was recognised by the World Peace Council as one of the world’s cultural celebrities in 1965.

His most prominent work is the ‘Tale of Kieu’, an epic written in Nom (old Vietnamese characters). With more than 3,200 verses written in “luc bat” (six-eight), a traditional Vietnamese verse form, ‘Tale of Kieu’ recounts the life of Thuy Kieu, a beautiful and talented young woman who had to sacrifice herself to save her family. The masterpiece has been translated into over 20 foreign languages so far.

Vietnam puppetry impresses Norwegian audiences

Vietnamese water puppetry found favour with Norwegian audiences while being featured at a traditional music festival in Forde city, 400 kilometres from the capital city of Oslo.

Vietnamese artists with their skilful hands and colourful puppets told stories of unique customs and hard-working farmers back home.

After each performance, they took time to share technical know-how of the puppetry with curious observers.

The Vietnamese troupe also brought folk songs and traditional musical instruments, such as the monochord and bamboo flute, to the stage.

The annual Forde festival is the biggest of its kind held in Norway. This year, it runs from July 1-5 with the attendance of 300 artists from 30 different countries including Vietnam, India, the Republic of Korea and Senegal.

Hanoi rebuilds ancient temple on Truc Bach lake

Work started on July 6 to rebuild Thuy Trung Tien temple on a small hill lock in the Truc Back lake, west of Hanoi, and build a stone bridge linking Thanh Nien road and the island.

The project is expected to cost 19 billion VND (905,000 USD) and was approved by the Ba Dinh District People’s Committee in 2011.

The temple, built in the Ly Dynasty (11th century) is among landscapes and historical sites in Hanoi.

David Joiner holds book chat at US Embassy

David Joiner, a four-time former resident of Hanoi whose recently published novel Lotusland, one of the only works by a US writer set in contemporary Vietnam, held a book chat on July 6 at the US Embassy in Hanoi.

David read an excerpt from Lotusland and talked about his start as a writer, his 21-year relationship with Vietnam, Vietnam’s influence on his writing, and answered questions from the audience.

The 400-page fiction novel is about the lives of two American friends in Vietnam who diverge sharply when one chooses the path of a writer and the other strikes it rich in real estate.

Their lives further conflict when they find themselves clashing over a Vietnamese woman they've come to love.

20 marvellous photo montages of Hanoi and Paris

Using techniques of superimposition and photo montage, German photographer Matthias Meyer has blurred the lines between authenticity and imitation in a unique exhibition you won’t want to miss.

By cleverly superimposing 20 images of Paris and Hanoi, the imaginative artist has created alternately quirky and poignant images bringing together various aspects of the two urban worlds.

The free exhibition, themed Disorientation – a Small Paris in Hanoi, will run July 22-26 at the Goethe Institute in Hanoi.

Matthias Meyer was born in Gottingen, Germany in 1969. He studied art at the Kunstakademie Dusseldorf with Gerhard Richter and was named ‘student of honour (Meisterschuler) in Richter’s last master class in 1994.

Meyer is currently residing in Hanoi and is teaching a course for photographers from all around the globe.

Ba Na Hills splendid with European festival

A European festival themed “The Colour of Summer” is taking place in Ba Na Hills tourist area in central Da Nang City.

During the event, there is a flower festival at Le Jardin d’Amour garden introducing giant flower decorations on bicycles and horse carriages and fresh flower collections.

Besides, a wine festival at the Debay Wine Cellar area is expected to attract thousands of visitors.

The highlight of the event, running to August 31, is a street music festival with the participation of French artists at Du Dôme square in the French Village.

Second Farmers Market held at Saigon Outcast

The second edition of the Farmers Market was co-held on July 5 at the Saigon Outcast in HCMC’s District 2 by La Holista, a health coaching and wellness company, CitiFarm, which is one of Vietnam’s pioneers in urban farming, and the Saigon Outcast.

The market featured nearly 50 stalls of local and foreign vendors selling organic products, homemade cakes, delicious dips, healthy snacks, detox packages, natural honey, water filters, and local food.

There were a wide range of high quality and hygienic products from farmers, ranchers, fishermen, food artisans, flower shops, homemade food stands, honey sellers, baked products shops, organic beer producers, makers of kombucha (fermented, lightly effervescent sweetened black or green tea drinks used as functional beverages), fresh juices experts, cheese lovers and organic coffee producers and other entities related to health and wellness.

The Saigon Outcast, an open art and entertainment space built from huge containers in District 2, is located at 188/1 Nguyen Van Huong Street, Thao Dien Ward, District 2.

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