Collection of ancient coins discovered in Bac Kan

Local people and workers accidentally discovered a jar containing ancient coins at Nam Cat Reservoir construction site in the northern Bac Kan Province.

On receiving the news, researchers from the provincial museum investigated the area and collected 14kg of coins, which are estimated to have been buried at the end of the 18th century.

The coins are from Viet Nam, China and Japan.

Scientists said the discovery proved the existence of well-developed trade relations between the locality and other regions in the second half of the 18th century.

HCM City hosts first int'l frisbee tournament

More than 240 frisbee players from across Asia Pacific, Europe and North America took part in HCM City's first frisbee tournament last weekend, held at RMIT Vietnam's Saigon South campus.

The Mulatto team from the Philippines won the championship and US$3,000 (VND63 million).

The tournament aimed to improve frisbee skills and inter-cultural understanding among players.

Painting exhibition delves into modern lifestyles

A painting named “Relax” in the Mannequin’s Life painting collection by Nguyen Khac Chinh.

A painting exhibition that deals with modern lifestyles is opened on June 30 at the HCMC Fine Arts Museum.

“Mannequin’s Life” solo exhibition by Hanoi-based painter Nguyen Khac Chinh features 23 paintings which have been created since 2011.

This is the second time Chinh’s paintings are put on display after the first show at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi last year.

As described by the Vietnamese cultural information website hanoigrapevine.com, although the series “Mannequin’s Life” consists of several different topics, there is a consistent hidden underlying idea behind each painting – the state of being lonely in modern life.

Figures of girls in traditional outfits and with monotonic actions lure viewers into mysterious ancient spaces, but here and there signals of a modern life can still be found as the reminders of reality such as an Apple iPhone, a laptop, and a glass of wine.

Chinh uses oil paint with hot and deep colors and smooth surfaces, together with some reasonable decorative details to create those paintings, to bring people back to themselves and urge people to look into things deliberately and slowly and not to be distracted so that they will have peace in mind and do not live as mannequins.

Artist Nguyen Khac Chinh was born in 1984 in Hanoi and graduated from Vietnam University of Fine Arts in 2006.

The exhibition runs until July 9 at the HCMC Fine Arts Museum, 97A Pho Duc Chinh Street, District 1.

HCM City has eight more relics

HCMC authorities have recognized eight more cultural and architectural buildings as relics, taking the number of relic buildings in the city to 100.

The eight new relics are Marie Curie High School in District 1, Pasteur Institute in District 3, Hong Bang Secondary School, Le Hong Phong High School, Tam Son Temple in District 5, Quan The Am Pagoda in Phu Nhuan District, Giac Hai Pagoda in District 6, and Hung Kings’ temple in Saigon Zoological and Botanical Gardens in District 1.

The city authorities ban new constructions at those relics. Individuals and organizations that need to use space inside those buildings are required to seek permission from the city.