Days of our lives cast

Record breaker: Artisan Nguyễn Bá Châu (left) and his son, Quý, are pictured with the bronze drum that broke the national record in April. Photo courtesy of Nguyễn Bá Châu Viet Nam News The traditional craft of bronze casting in Chè Đông Village, Thiệu Trung Commune in the central province of Thanh Hóa has been famous nationwide for sophisticated products that are highly valued in economy, history and culture. The craft has not only provided the locals with stable income but also great pride when, recently, it was recognised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.  Hoa Mai and Lương Hương report. Good news has recently reached the locals of Chè Đông Village in the central province of Thanh Hóa: their traditional craft – bronze casting – has been recognised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism … [Read more...] about Traditional bronze casting brings prosperity, pride

Viet Nam News That summer I visited Varanasi for the first time.   That city is considered a holy place because of its location on the sacred Ganges river. I had promised myself on this visit to that city I would visit the river.     I was not traveling for pleasure. I’d be working. As a postgraduate student researching Oriental culture, I had accepted an offer to do some translations for the Indian railway ministry. Before I went to India to study, I had worked as an interpreter for diplomatic delegations for several years, so that work wasn’t unfamiliar to me. The only unfamiliar thing was that it was my first time interpreting for the railway industry, which required me to know about locomotives and diesel engines. For example, until then I only knew “solution” meant a way of solving something. Only when I visited the petrochemical factory of the Varanasi railway company did I learn that it had another meaning: a homogeneous, molecular … [Read more...] about A scoop of holy water

Viet Nam News by Lê Hoài Nam To meet Diễm, his ex-wife, Đổng went to a refreshment stall on the side of a street. A few minutes later, she turned up in a black Camry. Getting out, at first glance she seemed greatly displeased with his casual clothes. “You’ve come by bus, haven’t you?” she asked him in a contemptuous voice. “Pawned your motorbike?” she went on. Blushing with shame he replied, “I needed the money to wire a building for lighting and high-tech gadgets. I’ll get it back soon.”   “Hmm, at the age of fifty, with a degree in electrical engineering, you should be ashamed of yourself for having pawned your terrible motorbike,” she mocked him. “It’s not a big deal, I’ll be sorted soon.” “Really? What did you want to see me for then? Not for money, eh?” “Certainly not! Have I ever borrowed anything from you?” … [Read more...] about One melody in memory of father

Viet Nam News By Phan Triều Hải Ever since her 32nd birthday last year, Vy had been afraid of gaining belly fat. So instead of eating cheese and drinking lots of beer before sleeping, the couple only drank two small glasses of beer at dinner. The weather in Sài Gòn encouraged beer consumption. Cao thought Sài Gòn was the best place to drink. This city had all sorts of problems: crowdedness, noise, heat, suffocation, traffic, lack of hygiene, pollution and beer was the solution that could dissolve all these issues in the fastest way. A gulp of beer enabled people to endure and relax, and made them irritable but energetic enough to do unexpected things. Beer lovers would never feel tired of Sài Gòn. Nor was there a better place for beer to show off its ability to excite, relieve stress, connect friends or accompany a solitary person. Nevertheless, Cao rarely went out to drink. He wasn’t social. Cao always wanted to be alone. His world … [Read more...] about Cold Beer

Viet Nam News by Mai Phương Do you know anyone who has never uttered a swear word? The answer is almost certainly no: swearing is almost as universal as speech itself. But many of us still believe that swearing is linked to bad behaviour, and that our own loved ones would never use such shameful language. Certainly, I believed that my own children had never so much as thought these words. Last week, I opened my computer to find that my 14 year-old daughter had left her Facebook messenger account open and active. I was shocked to find that her conversations with classmates were filled with an abundance of swear words. They covered all the bases as far as swear words go. There were those referring to sexual references, those that are profane or blasphemous, scatological or disgusting objects, animal names, ethnic/racial/gender slurs and ancestral allusions.  Summoning all of my courage to learn the truth about my beloved child, I read all the way to the end. I found … [Read more...] about What’s in a swear? Parents of teens debate