Hanoi set to host traditional festivities for ethnic groups

Several festivals held by various ethnic groups will be celebrated at the Culture Tourism Village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups in Ha Noi next month.

During the three-day (February 15-17) event the Sac Xuan Tren Moi Mien To Quoc (Spring in Every Region Nationwide) festival will stage the bumper crop-praying ceremony of the Lo Lo group in Ha Giang Province, the New Year horse racing of the Mong, and the traditional wrestling contest of the Kinh (ethnic majority).

In addition, the New Year Festival of the Dao from Bang Ca Village in Hoanh Bo District in Quang Ninh Province, the Han Cuong New Year celebration of the Thai group, and the gong festival of the Muong in Hoa Binh will also be presented.

The husband-catching festival of the Chu Ru in Lam Dong, the rice-planting festival of the B'rau in Kon Tum, the rain-praying ceremony of the Cor people in Quang Nam, and the traditional New Year Pang Kate Festival of the Cham in Binh Thuan will also be on display for visitors.

The organisers expect the February event will not only promote unique ethnic cultures, but also expose foreign tourists to Viet Nam's diverse cultures.

The Culture Tourism Village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups is located in Dong Mo, Son Tay Town, about 40km west of Ha Noi centre.

Concerts to be held in Hanoi

British musician David Christopher will perform at Hanoi Social Club on February 14.

The artist will present songs from his most recent album Apartment, which is the culmination of a solo career originating in Germany.

Listeners will have a chance to enjoy the acoustic confessionals of The Swell Season and Bruce Springsteen blended with James Blunt and Neil Finn in the upcoming event.

A concert featuring Mozart’s masterpieces by Japanese conductor Tetsuji Honna will take place at the French Cultural Center L’Escape in Hanoi on February 18-19. Nguyen Ly Huong will be performing a concerto solo.

The show is the fourth collaboration between The Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) and L’Espace.

Le Hong Loc Circus Troupe Performs in Ho Chi Minh City

The Le Hong Loc circus troupe performed at Gia Dinh Park in Ho Chi Minh City on February 9 attracting 11,000 audiences.

The troupe from Hanoi includes circus artists and more than 12 species of animals.

The circus artists presented audiences their proudest performances for the New Year, said Le Hong Loc, head of Le Hong Loc Circus group.

Audiences young and old enjoyed the performance.  It is the fifth time the troupe performed in the city for the New Year.

Starting February 10 the troupe will perform at districts across the city before returning to Hanoi on April 30.

Denmark Grants US$1.5 Million for Art Projects

Denmark will grant US$1.5 million for Vietnamese contemporary art projects.

The country has allocated US$3 million for Vietnamese cultural activities, said chairman of Cultural Development Exchange Fund (CDEF) John Nielsen. Grants for 2014-2016 will total to US$1.5 million for various art projects.

The new grants will focus on artists in the south.  Entries are accepted from now until March 15 via post.

Grants will be awarded to innovating art projects that highlight Vietnam’s traditional and cultural heritage values and modern life. The grant previously focused on artists in the north.

The fund has given grants to 60 art projects in the country since 2011 including online short film competition YxineFF and stage project of famous artist Phan Y Ly.

 Hue Hosts Ceremony for Peace

The Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) held a ceremony for peace at Huong Van Zen Monastery in Hue City on February 7.

Grand ceremony praying for a peaceful nation is held at Huong Van Zen monastery in Hue City

The event aims to promote multiple events such as Hue Festival 2014 on April 12-20 and the 11th United Nations Day of Vesak 2014 in Ninh Binh Province on May 7-11.

Huong Van Zen Monastery on Ngu Phong Mountain is a sacred place dedicated to the Tathagata Buddha and founder of Vietnamese Zen Buddhism Monk-King Tran Nhan Tong, said Most Venerable Thich Ke Chon, Vice Head of the Standing Committee of Thua Thien-Hue Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Boat.

A lantern festival celebrating Tet Nguyen Tieu, a traditional Chinese-Vietnamese community, will also be held at the monastery on the 15th day of the first lunar month (February 14).

Cherry Blossom Festival to open in Ha Long

The northern border province of Quang Ninh will host the annual Japanese cherry blossom festival to promote cultural exchange between Vietnamese and Japanese localities.

Quang Ninh People’s Committee Vice Chairman Dang Huy Hau says the cultural festival also aims to boost Japanese investments in the locality and across Vietnam.

The province organized first such event in April 2013. It has planted more than 100 cherry blossom trees in Ha Long City’s Bai Chay tourism site and Yen Tu in Uong Bi City.

This year’s festival is scheduled for mid-March in Ha Long City.

Hau says the scale of the event would be expanded to more than 120 cherry blossom tree plantings. It also encompasses 20-30 pavilions introducing and promoting local tourism, cuisine, souvenirs, bonsai, as well as Quang Ninh and Japanese regional specialties.

The festival’s opening ceremony will entertain local audiences and interested visitors with traditional cultural and art performances by artists from both nations.  

Calligraphy class nourishes traditional values

Every Saturday, a lot of young people gather at Nhan My pagoda in Hanoi’s Tu Liem district to attend a calligraphy class, where they learn not only the traditional way of handwriting but also to acquire moral values.

At 8 am, all learners are present at the class, which is like a small-scale society since it attracts people from all walks of life, from old to young and from rich to poor.

However, all of them share the same love for calligraphy and passion to comprehend profound thoughts through the art.

The class aims to maintain and uphold traditional values. When attending the class, both students and instructors can achieve self-improvement, said Le Trung Kien, calligraphy instructor.

Calligraphy teaches ways to behave in life as well as how to respect teachers and the elderly, Nguyen Tien Phong from Thuong Tin district said, adding that he has learnt calligraphy for five months, and really loves this art.

Calligraphy is an art of spirit which includes both external and internal beauty. Therefore, calligraphers must summon up their mind and soul to create lively handwriting which can stir an emotional response.

The calligraphy class at Nhan My pagoda is considered a place to nourish passion for time-tested values as the art gives out priceless lessons on history, traditions and morality.

Tran Temple Festival receives national heritage honour

The Tran Temple Festival in Tien Duc commune, Hung Ha district, the northern province of Thai Binh, has been recognised as a piece of national intangible cultural heritage.

Chairman of the Hung Ha People’s Committee Nguyen Hong Chuyen said that the accolade will create optimal conditions for the locality to better preserve and uphold values of the festival and heritage from the Tran dynasty (1225 – 1400), an age of affluence in Vietnam with significant triumphs against foreign invaders, outstanding socio-economic development and rich culture.

While the northern province of Nam Dinh was the first residence of the Tran founders, Hung Ha was the place where the dynasty was founded some 800 years ago.

The Tran Temple complex was also the last resting place of those founders and has been listed as a national historical and cultural site.

This year, the Tran Temple Festival is slated to last from February 12 – 17.

Vietnam wedding photo exhibition in Berlin

A photo exhibition showcasing 100 years of Vietnamese wedding opened in Berlin on February 8 to celebrate the Year of the Horse (2014).

The two-month event, hosted by Berlin’s Vietnamese women organisation VINAPHUNU, features more than 100 wedding photos ranging from those taken as early as 1919 to present day.

The photos, including those taken in former resistance war and occupied areas across the northern, central and southern regions, cover all social classes, from the aristocracy to soldiers, teachers, doctors, engineers, actors, workers, and students.

VINAPHUNU member Loos Nguyen Thi Hoai said the exhibition was prepared 2–3 years ago.

She said she hopes it offers visitors the chance to gain a better understanding of Vietnamese fashion, customs, and traditions throughout the 20th century.

VINAPHUNU recently organised gifts and raised funds for a Braille library project at Hanoi’s Nguyen Dinh Chieu School.

Founded in 1991, VINAPHUNU regularly hosts events and activities promoting Vietnam’s culture, land, and people in Germany. It has convened women’s rights seminars and organised a variety of artistic exhibitions and performances.

Museum popularises folk culture of ethnic groups

Visitors to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology on February 8-9 have a chance to discover the culture of the country’s ethnic groups through a series of art performances, folk games and traditional cuisine.

The museum’s director Vo Quang Trong said that the event aims to introduce the public to the rich folk culture as well as maintain and promote the cultural value of ethnic groups and regions across the country.

One of the highlights is the corner of central Ha Tinh province where visitors can listen to Vi-Dam folk singing and other folk songs of local ethnic groups, as well as try the central region’s specialties such as eel porridge.

The Muong ethnic culture museum in northern Hoa Binh province brought to the site Sac Bua singing, the game of Con throwing and unique dishes of the Muong.

Children can experience a variety of folk games of the ethnic minority groups such as Cong, Si La, Kho Mu, Ede, Bahnar and J’rai.

Yen Tu Buddhist spring festival begins

Thousands of domestic and foreign tourists and Buddhist dignitaries flocked to the Yen Tu Pagoda in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh to join the Spring Festival, which officially opened on February 9, the tenth day of the first lunar month.

A destination popular with Buddhist followers, the site expects to see about 3 million visitors, compared to the 2.1 million figure of the same period last year.

One of the highlights of this year’s festival is the inaugural of the statue of King Tran Nhan Tong, which was recognised as the largest monolithic bronze statue in Vietnam by the Vietnam Book of Records.

The King reigned over the country from 1279 to 1293 and then left the throne to devote his life to Buddhism. He founded the Truc Lam School of Zen and worked to unify different Vietnamese Buddhism sects into Vietnamese Zen Buddhism.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sanga Central Committee has long observed the day King Tran Nhan Tong attained Nirvana (the first day of the 11th lunar month) as the national anniversary of Vietnamese Buddhism.

During the festival, a series of traditional rites will be held to pray for peace, happiness and blessings for the country and people.

Yen Tu mountain is located about 50km from Ha Long City. The route of the pilgrimage, which winds from the foot of the mountain to its highest peak, is almost 30km. Dong Pagoda, which sits atop the mountain’s highest peak, is more than a kilometre above sea level.

The area has beautiful natural landscape and awe-inspiring scenery, along with surrounding ancient pagodas and hermitages.

Yen Tu was listed as a special national relic site on September 27, 2012 . It has also been selected as one of the 10 most attractive spiritual destinations in Vietnam by the Vietnam Records Organisation.

Prague exhibition celebrates Vietnamese folk art

An exhibition opened on February 7 in Prague to introduce traditional Vietnamese art to culture vultures in the Czech Republic.

The event was co-organised by the National Gallery in Prague, the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese Association in the country.

On display are a number of Buddha statues dating back to the 18thcentury, a collection of Dong Ho folk paintings and some ancient pottery.

Visitors can see an original version of a Dong Son kettledrum which was made around 1,000 years ago.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador Truong Manh Son highly valued the Czech National Gallery’s idea to hold the exhibition, which he described as a brilliant opportunity to bring Vietnamese culture closer to Czech friends.

Dr. Marketa Hanova, Director of the Oriental Art Collection at the National Gallery, highlighted some newly-restored items displayed for the first time.

A Vietnamese Day in the Czech Republic will also be held on April 26 as part of the exhibition due to run until May 11.

Wrestling bout lures Tet crowds

Drum beats announced the start of a traditional wrestling festival in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue's Sinh Village, where thousands of people gathered yesterday to watch the games.

The festival is held annually on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year to remind the nation's youth about the importance of training to remain fit. The games offer local residents a good dish of entertainment for the holiday, as well.

The excitement of the event lured many people to the square stage on a spacious land plot in the village, which is about 7km from the former royal city of Hue, for the early morning games.

Thirty amateur wrestlers competed at different games, with matches for teenagers and adults. While teenage players had to defeat one opponent to compete in the semi-final round, an adult wrestler had to defeat three others to reach the final match.

Following the traditional rules, a wrestler wins when he forces his opponent onto the sandy stage. However, he is not allowed to injure his opponent.

The matches are meant to teach the youth about fair play and respecting others, which is a tradition of the festival, an elder said.

Visitors buy good luck at Vieng market

People usually flock to a unique market in Nam Dinh province’s Vu Ban District at midnight on the 7th and 8th days of the first lunar month to wish for a prosperous and lucky new year.

According to popular belief, anything bought at the market will bring good luck to the customer for the whole year.

The once-a-year spring market displays handicrafts, antiques and modern reproductions, utensils, agricultural tools, and many varieties of ornamental plants.

The most popular thing to buy is the roasted veal. It is considered the essential gift from Vieng market, no matter how high the price.

The cheapest items at Vieng are the flowers and trees, which bring both the buyer and seller happiness and good luck.

From around 2am, deals are done in the light of candles or flash-lights. Deals are agreed quickly as people believe it keeps the luck.

Visitors can then go to local temples and pray for a happy new year.

Vieng market is also a place to relax and meet people. Perhaps lovers will find each other here and have an auspicious future.

Legend has it that Vieng market is linked to Nguyen Minh Khong, who introduced copper casting to the area, so people believe it is good luck to buy something made of copper at Vieng market on the day of the festival.

Vietnamese film enthralls Berlin audiences

The Vietnamese film Nuoc 2030 (Water 2030) officially opened the 64th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) on February 6.

According to festival organisers, the premiere of director Nguyen Vo Nghiem Minh’s film is the first Asian movie in seven years to open the Panorama selection.

Minh was greatly honoured by the prominence awarded to his film. He noted his work’s exploration of climate change, one of only two Panorama selection films touching upon the issue.

He said he hopes his film will provide audiences with a new perspective on the consequences of global climate change.

Nuoc 2030, based on Nguyen Ngoc Tu’s novella Nuoc Nhu Nuoc Mat (Water Looks Like Tears), was filmed in 2013 and completed in 2014.

The thriller is set in a 2030 where half of southern Vietnam lies underwater, flooded by risen oceans.  Those who refused to flee their homes harvest crops on floating farms.

The film’s heroine, Sao, is forced to investigate her husband’s suspicious sudden death, becomes entangled with a former lover, and discovers the dangers of genetic modification.

Organisers have commended the film on its sophisticated combination of science fiction, mystery, and romance.

Nuoc 2030 is the third Vietnamese movie selected for Panorama, joining 1995’s Giot Le Ha Long (The Tear Drop Pearl of Ha Long) and 2012’s Hotboy Noi Loan (Rebel Hot Boy).

The ten-day festival will screen around 400 films from all over the world.

Hue Buddhists hold annual ceremony

Thousands of people gathered yesterday at Huong Van Zen Monastery in central Thua Thien - Hue Province to pray to King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308) for peace and prosperity.

At the ceremony, attended by provincial leaders, Buddhist followers and residents of Thua Thien-Hue and neighbouring Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Quang Nam provinces, monks conducted rituals praying for favourable weather and bumper crops.

King Tran Nhan Tong became a Buddhist monk after quitting the throne and remained one for the rest of his life. His connection to this region came when he married his daughter, Princess Huyen Tran (1287-1340), to King Jaya Sinhavarman III of the Kingdom of Champa in 1306. As part of the dowry, the Champa king gave O and Ly provinces to King Tran Nhan Tong. The land is now part of Quang Tri Province, Thua Thien - Hue Province, Da Nang City and Quang Nam Province.

Local residents hold a ceremony marking the princess's death anniversary on the ninth day of every lunar year. In 2008, authorities built a complex of temples and a monastery on the province's holy mountain of Ngu Phong to worship the king and the princess.

Visitors flock to flower tours

Da Lat, known as the city of flowers, located in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong, has recently attracted visitors with farming tours of flower villages.

Participating in the tours, visitors are introduced to all stages of flower and vegetables cultivation, from preparing the land, growing seedlings, tending to plants and harvesting. Tourists can stay at farms during their visit.

After participating in the tours, many tourists, especially the younger ones, said they would visit again, according to local travel agencies.

Da Lat has several flower villages, including Thai Phien, Van Thanh and Ha Dong. The 50 year-old Thai Phien flower village in Ward 12 has 1,100 farm households with a total area of 436ha, including 78ha of flowers.

First lunar month big for festivals

The first lunar month has the largest number of festivals of all the calendar months, which means more visitors to the country.

The festivals include Huong Pagoda Festival in Ha Noi, Yen Tu Pagoda Festival in Quang Ninh Province, Lim Festival and Ba Chua Kho Festival in Bac Ninh Province, Tran Temple Festival in Nam Dinh Province and Chua Keo Pagoda Festival in Thai Binh Province.

Lim Festival will be held on February 12 in Tien Du District. The festival is famous for folk song performances called quan ho, which are a dialogue performance between male singers and female singers. Bamboo swinging, wrestling, human chess and weaving competitions are also on show.

The Tran Temple Festival will open on February 11 to commemorate the Kings of the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400).

The main ritual of the festival is the seal opening ceremony. 

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/SGGP