Bo kaap colourful houses street

A campaign seeking ideas for Hanoi's street decoration and lighting for this year has been launched by the municipal Department of Culture and Sports. Children and their parents play at Ly Thai To Square in Hoan Kiem Lake. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Hieu According to the organisers, the campaign aims to create a joyful and exciting atmosphere for citizens on national holidays and major anniversaries of the nation, in addition to aiding the political and decorative tasks of the city. It is also set to contribute to preserving and promoting the national cultural identity and typical values of Hanoi as a thousand-year-old capital, creative city and city for peace, as well as meet the increasing demands of cultural enjoyment of citizens. Themed 'Hanoi -- Creative City' and 'Hanoi Congratulates the Party and Celebrates a New Spring', designs must be of high aesthetic, suitable to surrounding landscape, lightning systems and architecture. They are also expected to contain … [Read more...] about Hanoi launches city decoration and lighting campaign

Entering the village at this time, through the gate of Ong Hao village, visitors can feel the bustling atmosphere with the sound of carving, drums and laughter. The vitality of the traditional craft village exists in each country lane. The places that can catch the sun, the large yard in front of the house, the wall or the road in the village are packed with logs for making drums or paper masks. On the porch, skilled artisans and craftsmen diligently carve and colour to perfect the final products. The toys for Mid-Autumn Festival in Ong Hao village are made from natural materials. Bamboo is used to make the star-shaped “ keo quan ” lanterns (a traditional hand-made lantern with vivid rotating paper-cut figures on the cover), while wood and buffalo skin are used to make drums. Meanwhile, scrap paperboard and paper are "enchanted" to become the paper masks. Even the glue used for paper backing is made from cassava starch, making it user-friendly. Besides the traditional masks, the … [Read more...] about Ong Hao village busy ahead of Mid-Autumn Festival

Real estate speculators have been exploiting urban expansion plans to push up prices beyond the real value, according to the Ministry of Construction (MOC). Reviewing the 2020 real estate market, MOC said the prices of separate houses and land continued the upward trend from 2019. However, the increases varied in different localities and areas in the same localities. The average price increase in provinces, cities and districts was just 3-5 percent. However, some market analysis units reported sharp price increases in some projects. In Hanoi, a series of projects in the last 10 years in the western part, including Ha Do Charm Villas (An Thuong, Hoai Duc), and An Lac Symphony (Van Canh, Hoai Duc), have resumed sales with prices 2-3 times higher than prices in previous sale campaigns and the secondary market. Market analysis firms report that land in Son Tay, Hoa Lac, Thach That and Hoai Duc is priced at VND25-30 million per square meter, up by 50 percent from 2019. … [Read more...] about Speculation pushes land prices up: Ministry of Construction

Visitors at the exhibition Nắm Cát Tha Hương (The White Sand in Exile) at Old Soul art centre at Lê Thanh Nghị Street in Đà Nẵng. Photo facebook Old Soul ĐÀ NẴNG — An art exhibition by Xuân Hạ depicts her life through personal experiences and external materials in her homeland in the central region. Nắm Cát Tha Hương (The White Sand in Exile) is her work exploring the issues of sand exploitation in her hometown in Thăng Bình District in the south-central province of Quảng Nam. She reflects the impact it has on the material and spiritual life of the local residents. Hạ uses glass bottles she has collected that had washed up on shore to create her work. "White sand spreads across the seaside communes. Houses are built on sand. Trees are planted on sand. The tourism industry is built on sand. People’s graveyards are built on sand," exhibition visitor Thảo Hương said. "I was born in the central region and sand is something that is very familiar in my life. … [Read more...] about White sand inspires artist to imagine and create