Lang Son Then festival gets underway

 

A national festival featuring Then singing and Tinh lute music got underway in the northern province of Lang Son on November 4. 

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the festival, themed ‘the origin of Then singing’, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Huynh Vinh Ai said that the festival, the fourth of its kind to be held in the country so far, is part of the ministry’s campaign to gain UNESCO recognition of the art as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. 

The festival aims to honour the culture of Then singing and Tinh lute music and promote the region’s cultural heritages, to boost economic development and improve the material and spiritual lives of local people, he said. 

It also offers Then singers and musicians from northern localities the chance to meet and learn from each other, he added. 

According to Deputy Director of the Lang Son provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Phuc Ha, this year’s festival will see nearly 800 artists from Lang Son and its neighbouring provinces taking part. 

Traditional Then singing is common to the Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic minority groups in northern Vietnam and is most popular in Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Tuyen Quang and Dien Bien provinces. It is a unique combination of music and song accompanied by the handmade Tinh guitar, which has only two strings.

Source: VNA

 

UNESCO ‘Memory of the World’ title for Buddhist Woodblocks

 

 

A grand ceremony will be held on October 7 to pray for national peace and prosperity, and to receive the UNESCO certificate declaring the ancient Buddhist Sutra Woodblocks at the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in Bac Giang Province as ‘Memory of the World’.

The event aims to honor the collection of valuable woodblocks of an ancient oriental cultural and traditional heritage. 

The ancient woodblocks were made in the early 14th century by monks at the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in the northern province of Bac Giang.

The blocks tell a history of woodblock carvings in Vietnam; the development and ideology of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism-founded by King Tran Nhan Tong in the 11th century; science and technology; literature and the arts; and the philosophy, sociology and linguistics of earlier civilizations.

On the occasion, a historical site relating to the Yen The up-rising (1883-1913) will be recognized as a special national relic.

Source: VietNamNet/SGGP

 

Vietnam’s image promoted in Cuba

 The Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba in conjunction with the Asia House Museum held a ceremony on September 5 to introduce a publication of the Vietnam News Agency – the Vietnam Pictorial.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Vu Chi Cong underscored the socio-political significance of the issuance Spanish version of the Vietnam Pictorial in Cuba , which is expected to help people in Cuba and other America Latin countries have more understanding of foreign policies of the Vietnamese Party and Government. 
The publication, which will be release every two months, will feature the tradition and custom of Vietnamese ethnic groups, as well as the process of socio-economic development of Vietnam, Cong said. 

Prensa Latina News Agency Vice President Felix Albisu stressed that the Vietnam Pictorial will help strengthen the traditional relationships and solidarity between the two nations. 

The event was followed by an exhibition entitled “ Vietnam- the Country and the People”. 

Source: Vietnamtourism News

 

Hoang Su Phi terraced fields recognised as national heritage

 

According to Ha Giang provincial People’s Committee, the province will organize a ceremony on September 16th 2012 to receive the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on recognizing Hoang Su Phi terraced fields as national heritage.
The ceremony will be broadcast live of VTV channel of the Vietnam Television. An exhibition on economic and cultural products in the district will be held on this occasion.
The event aims to preserve the fields and promote their tourism potential.
Hoang Su Phi terraced field is situated on six communes and established hundreds of year ago by labour force of the community and people of La Chi, Dao and Nung ethnic minority groups.
The fields were among the sites recently recongnised by the MoCST as significant parts of the nation’s heritage, including three other landscapes: the Trang An caves in Ninh Binh province, the Pusamcap cave system in Lai Chau province, and the Chua Tien caves in Hoa Binh province./.
 
Source: CPV
 

TITLE “100 SUSTAINABLE VIETNAMESE BRANDS” FOR VIETNAMTOURISM-HANOI

On Sunday 12th August, 2012 a ceremony to honor the enterprises which receive the title “100 SUSTAINABLE VIETNAMESE BRANDS 2012” is organized at Hanoi Opera House. Mr. Luu Nhan Vinh – the General Director of Vietnamtourism-Hanoi JSC, attends the ceremony to receive the cup of “100 SUSTAINABLE VIETNAMESE BRANDS” on behalf of the company. This program is implemented in the cooperation between Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Association (VUSTA) with related departments. This is the award to encourage Vietnamese enterprises to apply achievements of technology and science in production and honor those which make great effort in building sustainably developing brands. In order to receive this honorable title, the enterprises must meet many criteria such as being the brand whose 5-10 year development, earning high revenue, having large market, being aware of by the public, being awarded such titles: Vietnamese brands, Vietnamese quality, Vietnamese Star, Vietnamese high-quality product; being excellent brand, applying international standardized science and technology to improve local economy…..With over 50 year development, always being one of the leading tour operators in Vietnam, Vietnamtourism-Hanoi which keeps attempting to serve clients and contribute to national economy and brand is worthy of this honorable award.