Features

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in collaboration with Nghe An province held the opening ceremony of the Nghe Tinh Vi - Giam Folk Song Festival 2023, in Vinh City (Nghe An), on July 28.

Interesting documents about ancient French works in Hanoi are shared with readers through the book "French-Indochinese Architecture, Pearls of Hanoi" by author, researcher Tran Huu Phuc Tien, just published by Omega Plus Books.

The restoration and upgrade of Kien Trung Palace in the Hue Imperial Citadel (Dai Noi), which began in February 2019, is expected to be completed by the end of this year, according to the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre.

2022 was considered a quite successful year for the publishing industry as it still achieved many achievements despite the many difficulties, including increasing the number of publications per capita, the successful organisation of the National Book Award and the participation in major awards in culture and press. One of the biggest goals of the industry in the coming time is to further promote reading culture among the community.

Traditional music not only provides a source of material and inspiration for artists but it has become a way of making art. The concept of “new tradition” has been operated by producers, artists, and creators in their projects regarding cinema, music, and documentaries.

In recent years, press and media agencies across the country have promoted the dissemination of literary and artistic works in many forms, with in-depth cultural and artistic issues. However, besides the positive side, the press still has some limitations such as a lack of in-depth press publications propagandising literature and arts and due attention to the requirements of human construction and cultural development.

With a long history of culture and a rich system of tangible and intangible cultural heritages, including thousands of classified heritages, Vietnam is a country with abundant resources for the development of cultural tourism.

Tourism promotion through cinema is a story that has been frequently mentioned in recent years, with many potentials and opportunities. Despite plans, the cooperation between the tourism and cinema sectors has not brought about efficiency, causing the lack of imprints in promoting the image and culture of the nation.

A workshop to kick off a project on developing a sustainable value chain of products from lotus silk in Vietnam to support the flood storage strategy for the Mekong Delta region was held by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in An Giang province on May 26.

Since its released by Su That (Truth) National Political Publishing House in mid-April, the book ‘Nhung La Thu Thoi Chien Viet Nam’ (Letters during wartime) has received great attention from readers nationwide. The letters were collected and compiled by war veteran, poet, and journalist Dang Vuong Hung.

A Chung cake (square glutinous rice cake) and Giay cake (glutinous rice cake) making contest was launched at the Hung Kings Temple historical relic site in the northern province of Phu Tho on April 27, as part of the Hung Kings Temple Festival 2023.

The Bach Dang traditional festival 2023 kicked off at Tran Hung Dao Temple - Vua Ba shrine in Quang Yen town, Quang Ninh province, on April 25.

Photographer Nick Ut granted an interview to Thoi Nay (Present Day), a publication of Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper, during which he stressed that he wants to promote the beauty of Vietnam through photography.

A festival to honour and showcase Vietnam’s UNESCO-recognised intangible cultural heritages of humanity is underway in the northern province of Phu Tho from April 22 to 24, as part of the local 2023 Hung Kings Temple Festival and Culture and Tourism Week of Ancestral Land.

After 30 years since 1993, when the Complex of Hue Monuments, the first World Heritage Site of Vietnam, was recognised by UNESCO, Vietnam has had 32 honoured heritages, including two natural heritages, one mixed heritage and 29 cultural heritages. They are invaluable assets contributing to enriching the cultural heritage treasure of mankind.

Born in a mountainous district in Bac Kan province, Ha Le Diem's biggest dream at the age of 16, was to go out and see the world. “I don't want to be born and die in the same place,” she said. In 2023, she became the first Vietnamese female director to have a documentary film nominated for an Oscar.

Hanoi has set the target that by 2025, the cultural industry will contribute 5% of the city's GRDP. With the advantage of relics, heritage and craft villages, Hanoi will focus on exploiting heritage values to develop cultural industries.

The Tay Thien Festival 2023 officially opened with many unique cultural activities, at the Tay Thien Relic Site, Dai Dinh town, Tam Dao district, in Vinh Phuc province, on March 6 (the fifteenth day of the second lunar month).

In addition to the Kinh community, the south-central coastal region is home to other ethnic groups such as Cham, Raglai, and Cho Ro, who live together to form a multi-ethnic population structure, which is rich in cultural identity and traditional values. Their languages, writings, festivals, cultural institutions, and cultural and artistic performances have created the unique identity of the region.

‘Wild Medicinal Plants of Central Vietnam’ is probably the first book on Vietnamese medicinal plants to be published in English. The book is the outcome more than a year of discovery and research of Vietnamese medicinal plants by Henry Herbert, a 29-year-old man from the UK.

A ceremony was held at Ba Pagoda in An Hoa Village, Phuoc Quang Commune, Tuy Phuoc District in the south central province of Binh Dinh on February 19 to recognise the Ba Pagoda Festival – Nuoc Man Commercial Port as a national intangible cultural heritage.

Mo Muong is a heritage containing the values of many types of folklore including literature, performance, music, dance, theatre, rituals, and folk knowledge. In particular, the words of “Mo” (a type of folk rite practised at funerals or rituals) are literary works with a huge capacity, containing human, cultural and historical values as well as the outlook on life and cosmology of the Muong ethnic people. However, Mo Muong is facing many challenges in preservation and promotion of its values.

Young painter Nam Chi has introduced a collection of cat folk paintings to celebrate the New Year 2023 – the Year of the Cat. The collection has received much interest from youngsters and art enthusiasts.

The People's Committee of Kon Tum City (Kon Tum Province) organise a ceremony to open the second Brocade Colour Festival and launch Kon Jo Dri Community Tourism Village, on February 6.

Thai ethnic people in Than Uyen district, the northern province of Lai Chau, held their traditional new year festival of Lung Tung (Going to the field) on January 29, drawing crowds of local residents and visitors.

Thousands of people from across the country headed to Huong Pagoda Festival 2023, which officially opened in Hanoi’s My Duc District on January 27, the sixth day of the first lunar month.

Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan attended a ceremony to commemorate the 1983rd anniversary of the Trung Sisters' Uprising, at the Trung Sisters' Temple in Me Linh District, Hanoi, on January 27, the sixth day of the first lunar month.

Vietnamese people in the old days put up tall bamboo poles with red garment strips hanging from them during Tet, believing that poles prevented ghosts and monsters from entering the community during the holiday. The tradition of raising the Neu (or Tet) pole remains alive today in many villages and homes around the country.

No matter how far away Vietnamese expats have lived from the homeland, culture remains the root that ties them close to their motherland, helping to identify and affirm the values of national Vietnamese identity.

An art programme entitled “Xuan Truong Sa” (Spring in Truong Sa - Spratly Archipelago) was held in Hanoi on January 8 to honour Vietnamese naval officers and soldiers for their great contributions to protecting the country’s sovereignty over its seas and islands and continental shelf.