Features

The Tran Thuong Temple food-distribution festival took place in the northern province of Ha Nam on February 23 (the 14th day of the first lunar month).

People from across the country are flocking to spring festivals at locations such as the Voi Phuc Temple in Hanoi, the historical relic of the Cho Don Safety Zone (ATK Cho Don) in Bac Kan, and Tran Nhat Duat Temple in Thanh Hoa.

The Huong Pagoda Festival, the longest of its kind in Vietnam, began in Huong Son commune in Hanoi’s outlying district of My Duc on February 15 (the 6th day of the first lunar month), welcoming 30,000 visitors.

In recent years, zodiacs have provided inspiration for artists to create new artworks to welcome the Lunar New Year. As 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, many dragon-themed artworks have been introduced to the public, with the most prominent among them being the collections of 1,000 items by artisan Nguyen Tan Phat and 100 ceramic sculptures by Hai Phong-based artist Pham Van Tuyen.

Founded in 2019 and officially put into operation in 2020 by "amateurs", Great VietNam has been focusing on researching and restoring Vietnamese costumes from hundreds of years ago.

The Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, with its unique traditions and customs, is an important part that reflects the diversity of Vietnamese culture, according to British researcher of Vietnamese politics and history Kyril Whittaker.

A dragon is described visually with physical characteristics taken from nine different animals: the horns of a stag, the head of a camel, the eyes of a demon, the neck of a snake, the belly of a clam, the scales of a carp, the claws of an eagle, the soles of a tiger, and the ears of a cow. Although it is a mythical creature, dragons have been symbols in the life and culture of Asian people since ancient times.

The cultural revitalisation that has been fiercely promoted by the Party and State has achieved positive results, helping to change society's perception of culture’s fundamental role in development. However, real life poses many urgent issues that need to be adjusted to wards creating a positive movement for culture.

Currently, many cultural values of the Muong ethnic group and “Hoa Binh Culture” have been seriously eroded. Faced with the above situation, Hoa Binh Province has drastically implemented several measures to effectively preserve and promote cultural values.

Ho Chi Minh City issued a Decision approving the Project on cultural industry development in the city by 2030.

A special exhibition called “Dong Son Echoes from the Past” opened at the Vietnam National Museum of History, on November 22, as part of activities to mark Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day (November 23) and the 100th anniversary of the discovery and research of Dong Son culture.

The Ban Gioc Waterfall Tourism Festival 2023 kicked off in the northern province of Cao Bang on October 6 evening, attracting thousands of domestic and foreign tourists.

Sixty-nine years has gone since the capital city of Hanoi was liberated from the French colonial rule on October 10, 1954. Memories of this important day are being enlivened at an exhibition held at the Hoa Lo Prison relic site.

People’s Artist director Dang Nhat Minh won the Grand Prize at the annual Bui Xuan Phai Awards ceremony held in Hanoi on October 5.

The awards ceremony for the 2023 Golden Kite Awards has just taken place in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province, gathering nearly 1,000 filmmakers, experts, and artists. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam Cinema Association, which aims to honour outstanding authors, artists, and cinematographic works. The highlight of this year's Golden Kite Awards was that the results exceeded expectations as they did not follow the crowds but were convincing.

Many collectors in Vietnam have established private museums showcasing their own priceless treasures of artworks, antiquities, and documents. These private museums have contributed to the research and preservation of national heritage while popularising the arts to the public.

Taking place in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from July 15 to October 29, Vietnam Dance Week 2023 is expected to become an attractive venue for both domestic and international dance artists.

More than 80 paintings on the Vietnamese landscape are being introduced to the public at an exhibition entitled ‘My Motherland’ at the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum, on the occasion of the 78th anniversary of National Day (September 2, 1945 - 2023).

The first-ever cultural festival of ethnic minorities with a population of fewer than 10,000 people, themed "Preserving and promoting the cultural identities of small ethnic groups," will take place in Lai Chau province, from October 6 to 8.

2023 marks the 100th birth anniversary of composer Do Xuan Oanh (1923-2023) and the 78th anniversary of his most famous song ‘Muoi Chin Thang Tam’ (August 19), which praises the heroic spirit of the historic General Uprising in 1945.

The conservation and embellishment of the values of Dong Van Karst Plateau Global Geopark is a key content discussed at the conference to review the construction and development of the Dong Van Karst Plateau Global Geopark (period 2018-2022) held on August 16.

With the aspiration to attract more and more visitors, especially young people, several museums and relic sites have made efforts to promote creativity to create products that help improve the experience of tourists. This is not only a direction to spread and promote the value of museums, relic sites and preserved artefacts, but also an effective way to generate revenue, to sustainably serve the conservation and maintenance activities of museums and relic sites.

After his book ‘Hanoi promenade’ won the Bui Xuan Phai Award: For the love of Hanoi in 2014, Uruguayan author and World Bank economist Martín Rama has recently released his second book inspired from the capital of Vietnam, which he praises as his forever muse.

Taking place monthly, a unique art fair in Quang An Ward (Hanoi) is not only a destination for visual art enthusiasts but also serves as a bridge connecting artists and artworks with the public.

The People's Committee of Hong Ngu District, Dong Thap Province, held a ceremony on August 2 to receive the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on recognising the traditional scarf weaving of Long Khanh A Commune as part of the nation’s intangible cultural heritage.

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.