A game leader sings to entertain bai choi players in Thanh Thuy Chanh Village in the outskirts of Hue (Photo VNA) Thua Thien-Hue (VNS/VNA) - Thua Thien-Hue province is fostering the revival of regular bai choi performances in villages that were once familiar with the art form in an attempt to keep it alive. Half game half theatre performance, bai choi was recognised as a world cultural heritage item earlier this year by UNESCO and is a common legacy in the central provinces ranging from Quang Binh, Thua Thien-Hue to Khanh Hoa. According to local authorities, practice of the art form in this province is quite different from others, so conservation of Thua Thien-Hue’s bai choi is necessary to ensure the diversity of the art is not lost. Under a recent proposal made the provincial People’s Committee, authorities will give funds to revive bai choi clubs in villages where it used to be performed regularly during the holidays. The … [Read more...] about Thua Thien-Hue promotes revival of bai choi
Outskirts of hue
Social News 23/8
Contest to help raise public awareness of resilience Director of AFD Fabrice Richy speaks at the press conference (Source: sggp.org.vn) A contest for making infographic and video clips, and translating the “Resilience” term into Vietnamese was launched at a press conference held by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee and the French Development Agency (AFD) in Hanoi on August 22. As part of the activities to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam-France diplomatic ties, the competition aims to raise Vietnamese youths’ awareness of the impact of environmental and social changes in Vietnam, thus calling for the community’s joint effort in overcoming the environmental consequences and promoting sustainable development. The contest is available for individuals or teams with a maximum of five persons who have the Vietnamese nationality and are under 35 years old. Entries should be submitted to the organising board … [Read more...] about Social News 23/8
Huế girl offers inspiration to the disabled
Viet Nam News by Phước Bửu Born in the former imperial capital city of Huế, Lê Thị Thanh Nhàn did not want to learn the local paper flower craft. Huế is famous for the craft, especially in the Thanh Tiên paper flower making village on the city’s outskirts. The 25-year-old girl learned the technique on a YouTube channel and started making saffron crocuses about three years ago. At that time, she was a student at the Huế University of Foreign Languages and also worked part time at a restaurant run by her cousin in the city. Being a student, holding a part time job and making flowers, too, made Nhàn really busy. She explained that she made paper flowers as her hobby and the earnings from the part time job would help her future projects, so she was happy with all of her work. “I love flowers and I feel sad at the withering of flora. Thus I want beautiful flowers to last a long time and that drives me to make … [Read more...] about Huế girl offers inspiration to the disabled
Huế holds boat race to maintain tradition
Cheerful audience on a boat. — VNS Photo Hoàng HảiViet Nam News THỪA THIÊN-HUẾ — Huế held a boat race on Wednesday on Hương (Perfume) River as an annual tradition. But this year’s race was one day behind schedule due to the ongoing biennial Huế Festival. Nine boat teams from Huế and its outskirt districts, including Phong Điền, Quảng Điền and Phú Vang, competed on the 300m stretch of the river running through the city’s centre. There were two separate tournaments designated for male and female athletes. Each boat was manually sailed by 10 crew members and one skipper, all of whom were fishermen and farmers, and had to make two return laps by crossing the river and three along the river. A total of 200 athletes competed in the race. According to the organisers, the boat race is a post-harvest tradition. During the imperial rule of the Nguyễn Dynasty (1802-1945), … [Read more...] about Huế holds boat race to maintain tradition
To street vendors in Vietnam’s biggest cities, sidewalk is a lifeline
A new day starts at 2:30 a.m. for Hiep and her four housemates who rent a small apartment tucked away down a Saigon alley. They need to make tofu pudding in time for 6 a.m., when they loads pots full of the hot dessert onto their bicycles and off they go to the inner city to find customers. At the same time, around 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) north, Quyen loads duck embryos and chicken eggs onto the back of a motorbike and travels from the outskirts of Hanoi to the Old Quarter in the downtown district of Hoan Kiem. Everyday, tens of thousands of vendors leave their rented apartments in big cities for busy streets to pay off debts and keep their families in the countryside afloat. They are the faces behind telling statistics that have been troubling policymakers for years: migrants and unofficial workers. Official government data from 2015 showed that migrants aged between 15 and 59 made up 17.3 percent of the country’s population of 90 million. The majority of them work in the … [Read more...] about To street vendors in Vietnam’s biggest cities, sidewalk is a lifeline
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 29/3
Vietnamese firms urged to deeply explore Cuban market Vietnamese, French firms urged to foster partnerships Domestic pharmaceuticals stocks send good vibes to Abbott and Taisho Since the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2018, pharmaceutical stocks have been forecast to thrive as bustling activities such as state divestitures, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and notable investments from foreign healthcare firms are being announced left and right. Speaking about the investment and divestment activities between Vietnam-based pharmaceuticals and foreign investors, a representative of State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) disclosed that 34.71 per cent capital at Domesco Medical Import Export Joint Stock Corporation (HSX: DMC) is on its divestment agenda in April. US-based multinational healthcare firm Abbott has already expressed a wish to participate in the divestment. In late 2017, Latin American CFR International SpA, DMC’s former largest shareholder, transferred its … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 29/3
Over 100,000 people participate in 2018 Ao dai Festival
The impressive information was revealed at a sum-up ceremony and a gala party to close the festival held on March 26 by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism and the Vietnam Women’s Union of Ho Chi Minh City. A performance of Ao dai at the sum-up ceremony The organizer also informed that the month-long Festival entertained locals and tourists with a wide range of meaningful programs, partly honoring the beauty of Ao dai and raising the public’s knowledge of the traditional long dress of Vietnam. Highlights of the festival, organized on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City and at local schools, included an Ao dai performance in Nguyen Hue pedestrian street with the participation of 3,000 people, an art program entitled Ao dai-Applied fashion trend in 2018, a contest named Charming Ao dai, a forum on Beauty of Vietnamese Ao dai, a seminar looking insight the history of Ao dai of Vietnam and a ceremony to present Ao dai to over 6,000 female … [Read more...] about Over 100,000 people participate in 2018 Ao dai Festival
Should Vietnam abandon custom of burning paper offerings?
Every year, as the Lunar New Year nears, blossoming trees announce the arrival of spring in Vietnam. Across the country, family members reunite, exchange new year greetings, decorate their houses and pay gratitude to the gods and deceased relatives. Though Tet (Lunar New Year) is undeniably the most important festival in Vietnam, some of its traditions and customs have become burdensome, notably the practice of burning votive paper offerings. The practice is followed by the majority of Vietnamese people, where over 70 percent of the population are either atheists or follow folk religions, according to statistics provided by the U.N. in 2014. Vietnam’s folk religion bears many similarities to that in southern China, where followers worship the thần, or gods and spirits, who range from bygone national heroes and natural deities, to simply ancestors. The votive paper offerings, which are burnt throughout the year during special religious occasions, but mostly during … [Read more...] about Should Vietnam abandon custom of burning paper offerings?
Frost extends in northern region
Frost covers Mau Son mount of Lang Son province (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Many places in the north of Vietnam are covered in frost due to the longest lasting intense cold spell in two years, said the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting. Temperatures in northern mountainous provinces have dropped to 0 degree Celsius in Sa Pa of Lao Cai and minus 0.4 degree Celsius in Mau Son of Lang Son province. Visitors at the snow-covered O Quy Ho pass of Lao Cai province (Photo: VNA) Meanwhile, Hanoi on January 31 recorded a low temperature of 9.7 degrees Celsius and even lower in the city’s outskirts. Snowfall occurred not only on Fansipan mountain, Mau Son and Phia Oac but also on the O Quy Ho pass and Bat Xat district of Lao Cai province. On February 1, the temperature is estimated to be no higher than 16 degrees Celsius in daytime in northern localities and seven degrees in mountainous areas. People in Hanoi sit near the fire to keep warm (Photo: … [Read more...] about Frost extends in northern region
Behind enemy lines: Vietnam’s female spies who helped change the war
By day Nguyen Thi Hoa sold conical hats on the streets of Hue in southern Vietnam, at night she funneled secrets to North Vietnam army handlers who were poised to launch an audacious assault on the city that would reshape the Vietnam War. Hoa was part of the Perfume River squad, a top-secret female combat unit formed in 1967 and bound by the North Vietnam's propaganda slogan: "When the enemy comes to your home, even the women should fight". Deployed deep in enemy territory, the covert 11-strong unit played an instrumental role in the 1968 Tet Offensive despite most of them being in their teens. The offensive, whose 50th anniversary will be marked on January 31 with an official ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City, swung U.S. public opinion decisively away from the anti-communist fight, ultimately leading to the American pullout. Women were integral to the North's battle against American "foreign invaders", working mainly in non-combat roles for most of the war as spies and guides, … [Read more...] about Behind enemy lines: Vietnam’s female spies who helped change the war