Following the chaos that occurred outside the My Dinh Stadium the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) might switch to selling tickets online if Vietnam enter the semi-finals. Despite the cold and rainy weather on Sunday, fans queue up patiently outside the stadium. Some had even arrived the day before. A barrier was installed by security officials two hours before the counters opened at 8 a.m. But the barrier collapsed as thousands of people jostled and shoved. Luckily there were no injuries. This woman waited in the line since 7 p.m. the day before. She scaled the fence but couldn’t get down because there was no space left on the ground to put her feet. A person could buy up to four tickets. After one hour, all 9,000 tickets were sold out. The VFF said 1,000 organizations and associations had demanded some 60,000 tickets while the stadium’s capacity is only 40,000. The tickets are priced at VND150,000, 200,000, 300,000, 400,000 ($6.46, 8.62, 13, 17). The match is … [Read more...] about AFF Cup: This is what anticipation looks like in football-crazy Vietnam
Seeking paint that looks like wood stained
Vietnam destinations among Asia’s hidden gems that make the US look like a dump
Asia is a huge and mysterious part of the world which has so many incredible places that it would take us years to visit and properly feel them. Phong Nha-Ke Bang. Photo: Thetravel.com Phong Nha-Ke Bang, Con Dao islands and Hue in Vietnam have been ranked 18th, 12th and eighth among the 20 hidden gems of Asia will surely inspire wanderlust and make you want to get back to this wonderful place again and again, according to a list released by The Travel, a website on vacation destination. “Vietnam has plenty of outstanding beaches, tasty street snacks and hidden gems that are yet to be discovered by the traveling enthusiasts. Central Vietnam is especially interesting because it serves home to the cities of Hoi an and Hue and to a number of natural wonders one of which is Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park,” The Travel wrote. The Travel advises travelers that by visiting this UNESCO World Heritage Site you can see the world’s largest cave complexes which were only … [Read more...] about Vietnam destinations among Asia’s hidden gems that make the US look like a dump
Vietnam F1 race looks likely, says Ecclestone
A Formula One race in Vietnam could be on the calendar by 2020, according to the sport’s former commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone. “I think you’re going to get a race in Vietnam,” the 87-year-old told reporters invited to his private offices in central London to talk about various issues ahead of the new season starting next month. The billionaire Briton, who was moved aside into an undefined ‘emeritus’ role in January last year after U.S.-based Liberty Media took over, said a street race in Hanoi looked likely. Ecclestone, who remains employed by Formula One on a multi-million pound salary, said the Vietnamese government was willing to pay a significant amount to promote the South-East Asian country by hosting a grand prix. “They haven’t made a contract yet as far as I know. But if they have, it’s at least two years away isn’t it?” he said. The Malaysian Grand Prix dropped off the calendar after last year’s … [Read more...] about Vietnam F1 race looks likely, says Ecclestone
Vietnam Formula 1 race looks likely, says Ecclestone
A Formula One race in Vietnam could be on the calendar by 2020, according to the sport's former commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone. "I think you’re going to get a race in Vietnam," the 87-year-old told reporters invited to his private offices in central London to talk about various issues ahead of the new season starting next month. The billionaire Briton, who was moved aside into an undefined 'emeritus' role in January last year after U.S.-based Liberty Media took over, said a street race in Hanoi looked likely. Ecclestone, who remains employed by Formula One on a multi-million pound salary, said the Vietnamese government was willing to pay a significant amount to promote the Southeast Asian country by hosting a grand prix. "They haven’t made a contract yet as far as I know. But if they have, it’s at least two years away isn’t it?," he said. The Malaysian Grand Prix dropped off the calendar after last year's race but Formula One bosses have talked about … [Read more...] about Vietnam Formula 1 race looks likely, says Ecclestone
Vietnam looks like an entire different kingdom in these 1990s photos
By Phong Vinh  February 18, 2018 | 11:09 am GMT+7 These two-decade old snaps offer a rare look into the past. Kyle Michael Nunas, the now Canadian General Consul in Ho Chi Minh City, was one of a few people who had the chance to travel and capture Vietnam in the late 1990s, when the country just started to open to the outside world after a long period of isolation. With a Minolta XD-11 camera in his hands, the diplomat captured various tourist attractions in their far-off pristine days. Nunas first flew to Saigon, then officially named Ho Chi Minh City, in January 1997. The photo was taken in front of the Hotel Continenal Saigon in the city center, when Honda Cubs were trendy and traffic jams were a strange concept. The Municipal Theater, or Saigon Opera House, before a major renovation in 1998. A wet market in the late 1990s, when bicycles were a popular affordable vehicle. Another take of traffic in Saigon in 1997, a decade before the government … [Read more...] about Vietnam looks like an entire different kingdom in these 1990s photos
Seeking a brand for Vietnamese paintings
While artworks by painters in some Southeast Asian countries are priced at hundreds of thousands or several millions of USD, Vietnamese paintings sell for considerably less. Famous painter and critic Phan Cam Thuong said Vietnamese paintings hadn’t joined the world art market yet. They are still seen as fine-art handicraft, tourism, copied and tax-dodging paintings. “We don’t have a market for painting and our painters are unprofessional. Professionalism is partly shown through artists’ ability to live by their brushes and register their job as painters for tax purposes,” Phan Cam Thuong observed. In the world, painters who don’t perform tax duties are not seen as professional painters. Vietnam doesn’t have a market for paintings because it doesn’t have a procedure for managing, preserving, assessing and trading paintings up to international standard, he said. “It is a fact that we can’t integrate into the world market … [Read more...] about Seeking a brand for Vietnamese paintings
Exhibition centre can preserve Dong Ho folk paintings?
The 5,000sq.m Dong Ho Folk Painting Preservation Centre was recently inaugurated, but can it preserve this folk art?Mr. Nguyen Dang Che, one of several craftsmen of the Dong Ho village in Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh province, on July 25 inaugurated the Centre for Dong Ho Folk Painting Preservation. Che opened this centre to honour Dong Ho paintings and gather historical evidence, current products, production procedures, etc. of this famous craft village.The centre has three houses built in an old style. The first house exhibits remnants of Dong Ho folk painting arts comprising over 100 wood blocks of 60-100 years old which were handed down by his ancestors; and six sets of ancient paintings for which the wood blocks have been lost. The most valuable set is paintings based on a tale named Thach Sach, which are estimated at 100 years old. In addition, the room has over 170 topics of paintings, and this is a nearly all the painting topics created in the history of Dong Ho village.Next … [Read more...] about Exhibition centre can preserve Dong Ho folk paintings?
Danish embassy introduces Vietnamese paintings
(Cinet)- On January 03, a selection of artwork by Vietnamese painters has displayed at the meeting hall inside the Danish Embassy in Ha Noi. Nguyen Thi Tu Quyen's acrylic painting Holy Sunlight is among the nine works on display. Quyen paints several colours over each other and then scrapes off the layers, so the painting ends up looking like wood.Born in the Central Highlands, the artist hopes to preserve her local culture through her work.Her paintings and those that accompany them were selected from over 100 paintings across the country by the Danish Culture Development and Exchange Fund (CDEF)'s board members, including artist and curator Le Quang Dinh. The artists represented at the show are Nguyen Tran Cuong, Le Chi Hieu, Nguyen The Hung, Doan Hoang Lam, Pham Tran Quan, Nguyen Khanh Toan, Vu Duc Trung and Nguyen Thi Tu Quyen.Lam has depicted his daughter in 20-30 paintings. One of them, 108cm by 86cm, is hanging on the wall behind the ambassador's working table."I think the … [Read more...] about Danish embassy introduces Vietnamese paintings
Black paintings: Enlightened Look
“Black paintings are related to the dark, which always hides mysterious and unexpected things. It compels one to go deep inside to seek the truth and it also causes worries and uncertainties,” said painter Nguyen Thai Tuan about his latest artworks at an exhibition named Black Painting at The Floor of Art, 23 Ly Tu Trong, HCM City. Painter Tuan, from the resort city of Da Lat , Lam Dong province, introduced his first series of paintings about people without faces ten years ago. There works were displayed in New York , USA (2002) and Australia (2005). Black Painting, opened on May 15, is his first solo exhibition, which will open till June 14, 2008 . With only eight oil paintings featuring persons of no faces or persons with black faces, the painter shows his strong view of the life with “black” colour. The paintings seem to warn people who are living in a fast-moving society, … [Read more...] about Black paintings: Enlightened Look
Eating humble pie, courtesy a Mr. Tiger Woods
Robert Bicknell looks at Tiger’s return and eats a dish of crow while examining his new swing. After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that “semi-retirement” sucks. I actually found myself looking at a rocking chair in the furniture store before realizing what I was doing and almost jumped out of my skin. A rocking chair is NOT in my plans, unless its strapped to a Harley Davidson… Sadly, I haven’t played one round of golf since November 1, but to be honest, I don’t really miss it at the moment. I can see myself getting the itch to play again in the coming weeks, but c’est la vie, I will deal with it when the time comes. For the moment, I am content just hitting the gym every day and giving an occasional golf lesson to former students who as for it. It’s a big difference not being able to play golf whenever I want. When you manage a club, you can throw your clubs on the golf car and go out after work for a … [Read more...] about Eating humble pie, courtesy a Mr. Tiger Woods