Free Hoi An guidebook app launched for tourists

A free app known as Hoi An Local Guidebook has been launched for tourists visiting the ancient city.

The app, developed by Le Quoc Tien, 24, is available on Google Play.

Tien said the bilingual application will be useful for tourists in Hoi An, and it's free to download.

He said tourists can explore tourism sites, food, maps, folk performances and their way around the city.

Last month, the city also launched a tourism promotion between May and August.

The UNESCO-recognised world heritage welcomed 1.7 million foreign tourists last year.

Paintings on old newspapers on display in Hanoi

An exhibition featuring 44 paintings created by pastel on old newspapers is opened today at Hang Da Gallery in Hanoi, the Vietnam News Agency reports.

The 44 artworks belong to nine artists from Gallery 39 in Hanoi and five painters from Haiphong City. Pastel and old print newspapers are popular materials for creating paintings in the 1960s and 1970s.

Lasting until June 15 the show has nothing to do with the past but tells stories about modern age through the use of old materials, said the organizer.

Hang Da Gallery is located at 1, Hang Da Street, Hoan Kiem District.

Museum of Fine Arts opens new exhibition area

The HCMC Museum of Fine Arts has opened a new exhibition area featuring 397 ancient and contemporary artworks.

The museum’s new exhibition area is a three-storey building with Indochinese architecture at 54 Nguyen Thai Binh Street, District 1.

The artworks on display come with different categories, including southern ceramics, ancient sculptures, religious statues, bronze artifacts, and Buddha statues of Khmer people in the south.

Visitors can learn about the spirit and cultural life of people in the past, and gain an insight into Cham, Oc Eo and Khmer cultures.

VN launches contest for ASEAN ethnic groups

A photo, reportage and documentary on ethnic groups in the ASEAN Community contest is been held in Viet Nam by the Ministry of Information and Communications.

The contest has been launched in Ha Noi, aiming at promoting solidarity, co-operation and development among member nations as they strive to build a strong ASEAN Community.

"The contest will be a good chance to review outstanding achievements and reflect on unsolved situations in culture, economic, social and religious issues," said Nguyen Truong Son, director of the Centre for Press and International Co-operation and head of the contest's organising board.

Contributions by individuals and organisations to strengthen mutual understanding among the ASEAN member countries will be a main theme at the contest.

This is the third time Viet Nam has organised the contest. The first one, in 2010, focused on the theme Countries and People in the ASEAN Community, and the second in 2013 was on Environmental Protection and Climate Change.

VN wood engraving expo opens in Tokyo

An exhibition entitled Vietnamese Wood-Engraving Art from Tradition to Modern has just opened in Tokyo.

The exhibition showcases 200 wood block prints from the northern province of Bac Ninh, Hang Trong folk paintings from Ha Noi and works by contemporary artists.

The exhibition will help Japanese people to understand the traditional art form of Viet Nam, thus strengthening the friendship and boosting cultural exchanges and co-operation between the two nations.

Bonsai festival delights tree lovers

The fifth Asia-Pacific Bonsai Festival kicked off yesterday at Rin Rin Park, a Japanese cultural site, in HCM City featuring 500 bonsai from 17 countries and territories.

The four-day festival includes ancient, classical and contemporary styles, bonsai with flowers and fruits, among others.

Besides bonsai, the festival also includes Penjing and Suiseki (miniature scenes made of carved stone and wood), bonsai demonstrations, ornamental creature auctions and music performances.

Local and international artisans will also perform bonsai-making techniques and engage with bonsai experts from around the world.

The biennial festival is held rotationally among the Asia-Pacific Bonsai Friendship Federation's eight members — Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, Chinese Taiwan, Viet Nam, Singapore, and the Philippines — to promote and popularise the bonsai art in the region.

This year's festival, the first and biggest international bonsai festival in Viet Nam, attracted artisans from France, India, Italy, the US and the Czech Republic.

The park is located in Xuan Thoi Dong Commune in Hoc Mon Mon District.

Association outlines plan to develop music scene

Hundreds of veteran and young composers, performers and critics took part in the HCM City Music Association's Congress for the 2015-2020 term, held at the city's Conservatory of Music.

At the event, the association released a plan to develop the city's music scene by 2020. It includes more investment in compositions, particularly songs for children and teenagers. The aim is to enhance the young generation's music sensibilities.

The association will also organise more field trips to encourage young artists to create new works, and call for support from city authorities, television and radio stations and art troupes to introduce these works.

Ha Noi students win Alexandre Yersin awards

The Viet Nam - France Friendship Association coordinated with the Le Liseron Organisation to present the Young Award-Alexandre Yersin competition's awards.

The first prize was awarded to Nguyen Thi Thao, a student from the department of external economics of Foreign Trade University, while the fourth prize went to Nguyen Thanh An, also from Foreign Trade University.

Speaking on behalf of the awardees, Thao said she was honoured to participate in the competition and thanked Le Liseron Organisation for creating opportunities for Vietnamese students of the French language to demonstrate their understanding of France, its culture and people.

Young Award-Alexandre Yersin is an annual award given to Vietnamese students of the French language who are under the age of 23. The contestants have to write short stories in French on their chosen topics.

The competition was first organised in 2013 by Le Liseron Organisation to celebrate 40 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and France. It aims to attract the participation of Vietnamese youth who are keen on literature, and to enhance the understanding of Vietnamese youth about French people and culture.

The board of organisers selected the four best stories this year for the awards. The second and third prizes will be given to two students from southern Viet Nam.

Le Liseron is a French charity organisation established in 1999 by French people who have deep affection for Vietnamese culture and people. It has implemented several programmes and projects to support poor and disadvantaged people in Viet Nam.