Fashion show themed East Sea sovereignty in France, Belgium

A special collection "Desire for Peace" by designer Thuan Viet will be introduced in France and Belgium to celebrate Vietnam Days from June 23 to July 1.

The collection includes 12 designs of Vietnamese women's traditional dress (Ao Dai) depicting images of sea waves and ancient maps demonstrating Vietnam's sovereignty over the Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagoes.

The maps will also appear on conical hats and paper fans, displayed alongside the Ao Dai, worn by six famous Vietnamese models - Bac Linh, Ninh Hoang Ngan, Thuy Linh, Le Thu An, Khanh Phuong, and Ngoc Diem.

Apart from the collection "Desire for Peace", designer Thuan Viet will also introduce his two Ao Dai collections named "Lyon roses" in France and "Graceful Vietnam" decorated with traditional seasonal symbols: apricot (spring), orchid (summer), daisy (autumn) and bamboo (winter).

Ao Dai designs of Thuan Viet are well-known for their high-quality silk and hand-made embroidery techniques.

Da Nang's Dragon Bridge wins int’l awards

The unique lighting design of Rong (Dragon) Bridge in Danang City has been honored at the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD)’s 2014 International Lighting Design Award.

The lighting design of Dragon Bridge over Danang City’s iconic Han River, has received “Special Citation” from the US-based organization.

According to the award organizer, the design, by local architect Tran Van Thanh and ASA Lighting Design Studios in Ho Chi Minh City, is awarded for a whimsical, well-crafted multimedia experience which communicates the national and religious identity.    

This is the first time a Vietnamese design has earned such recognition of the IALD, considered the Academy Awards in the lighting designing sector.

More than 200 designs from around the world, mostly from the US and Europe, took part in this year’s competition. Asia had only entries from Vietnam, Japan, and China.

Thanh added that his Dragon Bridge’s lighting design is highly regarded also for its immense significance and contribution to promoting the images of Danang City and Vietnam in general.

Thanh’s design is also the country’s first illumination project to make it to the final round of the UK’s major FX Design Awards in 2013 and Lighting Design Awards in 2014.

The bridge, which is made of sculpted steel and measures 666m long and 6m wide, is lit with over 2,500 LED lights every night, which automatically change color for different events and festivals.

Apart from being lit up with sparkling lights, water and fire are emitted from the dragon’s mouth every weekend night.

The bridge, which cost over VND1,700 billion (US$81.7 million), won the diamond prize at the ACEC New York for its innovation and beauty.

“Dumb luck” translator to meet Hanoi students

Students in Hanoi will have the opportunity to meet with Professor Peter Zinoman who translated the “Dumb Luck” novel by Vu Trong Phung at an exchange meeting next week.

He will talk about research on Vietnam’s history in the US at the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities on June 24.

Zinoman is a history professor at the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies of the California University. He is also founder and former editor-in-chief of the Journal of Vietnamese Studies and a writer of the Colonial Bastille: A History of Imprisonment in Vietnam, 1862-1940.

He studies Vietnam’s contemporary history, culture, society and politics, as well as history of Vietnamese literature in the 20th century.

He said not many of Vu Trong Phung’s works have been translated into English and this is disadvantageous to the Vietnamese writer and literature in general.

Indian dancers to enthrall Hanoi audiences

India's famous dance group - Bollywood Dance Era - will stage a musical drama of an Indian wedding at Hanoi's Au Co Arts Performing Centre on June 26.

The performance will give Hanoi audiences a better understanding of about Indian culture through the setting of a traditional colourful wedding.

Indian weddings are celebrated like a festival, including various religious rituals in praise of the happily married couple.

During the 45-minute drama, Indian artists will portray the lively atmosphere of an Indian wedding, combined with beautiful music and dancing.

Free tickets are available at the Indian Embassy in Hanoi at No.58-60 Tran Hung Dao Street on June 24 from 10:00 to 17:00.

Similar performances will take place in Phu Tho and Yen Bai provinces on June 27 and 28, respectively.

Vietnamese cuisine shines in London

Vietnamese specialties were introduced to foreign friends during the annual “Taste of London” festival that took place at Regent’s Park in London from June 18-22.

“House of Ho” restaurant – run by chef Bobby Chinn – brought to the event typical dishes of the three regions of Vietnam, such as “Bun bo Nam Bo” (Southern beef noodle) and “Nem cuon” (Spring roll), attracting many visitors.

Meanwhile, “Thuy’s Viet Kitchen” booth owned by My Hanh introduced her self-made sauces with special Vietnamese flavours.

Visitors to the event also had a chance to try famous foods and drinks of various countries including the UK, Italy, France, China, Thailand and Mexico, while directly watching chefs performing their work.

After 10 events, the “Taste of London” festival has become an much-awaited occasion every summer in London, creating an opportunity for countries to popularise their culture and tourism.-

115 best entries honoured with National Press Awards 2013

Vietnam's revolutionary press should continue to promote their fine traditions, serving as an effective weapon of the Party, State and people on the cultural and ideological fronts.

Politburo member Dinh The Huynh, also Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) and head of the CPVCC Commission for Communication and Education made this statement on June 21 during a ceremony in Hanoi to mark the 89th anniversary of Vietnam’s Revolutionary Press Day and present the prizes for the 2013 National Press Awards.

In his speech, while highlighting the history and achievements of the national press, Politburo member Huynh urged the press to promote their fine traditions, continually study to improve their capacity and ideology and overcome any shortcomings, and fulfil their key taks in encouraging the public and the business community to overcome current obstacles in order to realise socio-economic tasks and ensure national security, defence and international integration.

Information on the mass media should stem from sound revolutionary journalism ethics, and promote national interests, the public’s legitimate rights, social consensus and national unity, the Politburo member noted.

He also praised this year's press award entries and congratulated the winners on their awards.

Speaking at the event, Party Central Committee member, Nhan Dan (People) Editor-in-Chief Thuan Huu, also Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists' Association. said the National Press Awards 2013 attracted 1,665 entries by contestants from 58 journalists' associations across the country, the largest number so far.

Chairman Thuan Huu emphasised that the winning works were outstanding pieces of journalism that discovered new matters, had a profound influence on society and covered the topics of sea and island sovereignty, politics and the economy, promoted good deeds and role models in the community, encouraged the implementation of Party guidelines and State law and policy, criticising negative phenomena and contributing to the fight against corruption and false allegations of hostile forces.

At the presentation ceremony, Politburo member Dinh The Huynh and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc presented eight 'A' prizes to winners. Twenty seven 'B', 41 'C' and 39 consolation prizes were also awarded to outstanding works among the 115 entries in the contest’s final round.

Two works by Nhan Dan newspaper won 'A' prize awards, one got a 'B' prize and two achieved consolation prizes.

Hoang Sa, Truong Sa - inseparable parts of Vietnam

The ‘Hoang Sa, Truong Sa – inseparable parts of Vietnam’ exhibition is being held in central Da Nang city.

A number of maps, pictures, and documents in Han (classical Chinese used in Vietnam), Nom (Vietnamese ideographic script), Vietnamese and French languages issued by Vietnamese feudal states from the 17th to 19th centuries are now on display.

The exhibition is a part of international conference themed ‘Hoang Sa – Truong Sa: Historical Truth’.

Professor Carlyle A. Thayer from the Australian Academy of Defence, an expert on Vietnam and Southeast Asia, said the exhibition has given an objective view on the indisputable fact that Hoang Sa and Truong Sa have long belonged to Vietnam.

Evidence on show has helped debunk the distorting history as well as the ambiguous and illegal territorial claims of China over the two archipelagos and other parts of Vietnamese waters in the East Sea.

All exhibits declare that Vietnamese States have long established and exercised their sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos without interruption.

Ancient maps of Vietnam, China and other western countries dated to the 16th to 18th century highlighting parts of these groups of islands, along with four atlases published in the UK, Germany, Australia, Canada, the US and Hong Kong (China) during the 1626-1980 period, all demonstrate Hoang Sa and Truong Sa are within Vietnam’s territorial waters.

A world atlas drawn by Belgian geographer Phillippe Vandermaelen and published in 1827 described Hoang Sa archipelago as belonging to the former Empire of An Nam, now Vietnam.

During the period of French colonisation of Vietnam (from the late 19th century to the first half of the 20th century), France, in the name of Vietnam, continued to exercise management of the two archipelagoes of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. From the 1930s, France integrated the two archipelagoes into Vietnam’s mainland provinces and stationed troops there. Later, under the Geneva Accords of 1954, France handed them over to the Saigon administration – the government of the Republic of Vietnam.

Since 1975 when the south of Vietnam was completely liberated, the two archipelagoes have been put under the management of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.