Hue re-enacts imperial neu pole raising

Hue Monuments Conservation Centre re-enacted the Tet pole erecting ceremony that was once held in the former Royal Palace during the Nguyen Dynasty reign (1802-1945).

The ceremony yesterday was conducted using costumed soldiers and mandarins, who carried a long bamboo tree and ritual items, required for the ceremony, from Hien Nhon Gate to the Long An Palace.

As a common Tet tradition, people erect a tall bamboo pole, which is called cay neu, in front of village communal houses or pagodas, believing the poles prevent ghosts and monsters from entering the communities during the holidays.

People also believed that the poles would direct ancestors seeking the path home for the Lunar New Year holiday.

Some families also erect a pole in front of their house to drive the past year's bad luck away and welcome good luck for the new year.

Maintaining this tradition can be seen in many localities around the country, as well as among different ethnic groups in Viet Nam.

The setting up and taking down of the pole marks the beginning and ending of Tet.

Research on Vietnamese pottery win French award

A research project on ancient Vietnamese pottery has been presented the “Young Talent” award by the France – Vietnam Friendship Association (AAFV).

The PhD thesis research on archaeology was conducted by Beatrice Wisniewki, a postgraduate of the Paris-Sorbonne University.

At the January 23 award-presenting ceremony at the French School of Asian Studies, Patrice Cosaert, AAFV member and Chairman of the council of examiners, said the research helped enrich knowledge about Vietnam and popularise the country’s cultural development through various periods.

Wisniewki spent nine years in total on the research, which included visits to Vietnam and fact-finding tours to an archaeological excavation site in Duong Xa village, the northern province of Bac Ninh.

The AAFV’s award covers research projects on science, arts and other fields relating to Vietnam. Award winners also receive a cash prize of 3,000 EUR.-

Hanoi honours traditional craft artisans

The Department of Industry and Trade of Hanoi has honoured 42 outstanding artisans, five traditional craft villages and many rural handicraft products in the city in 2013.

The move aims to recognise the artisans’ contributions to preserving and developing various traditional trades, including handicrafts, wood sculpture, embroidery, pottery, music instrument production, and weaving.

This year, five more craft villages were added to the list of traditional villages, including Huong Ngai carpentry village in Thach That district, Yen Quan woodwork and carving village in Quoc Oai district, Van Trai Thuong incense village in Phu Xuyen, and a Dao ethnic minority-inhabited herbal medicine village and Da Chong tea village in Ba Vi district.

Nguyen Quoc Su, 72-year-old embroidery artisan who has practiced the craft for 60 years, said he will work to continue preserving the craft and passing it on to younger generations.

Meanwhile, 32-year-old rattan artisan Nguyen Van Binh said the recognition requires him to do more to further promote the craft and get more youngsters involved in the traditional trade.

Currently, Hanoi has 19 eminent artisans, 185 municipal artisans and 286 recognised craft villages.

Flower festival in Ha Long to welcome Tet

The People's Committee of the Bai Chay ward, Ha Long city, and the Syrena Vietnam Investment and Development JSC, a member of the BIM group, are hosting a flower festival in the city from January 21.

Several kinds of flowers and bonsai, including orchids, camellias, as well as peaches and kumquats, are being showcased at the 10-day festival at the Ha Long Marina Plaza. All of these items are used by families to decorate their homes during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday in Vietnam.

The annual Ha Long Flower Festival is expected to serve the demand for decorative flowers during the New Year holiday.

The Ha Long Marina Plaza is also offering promotional schemes, with discounts from 15 percent to 50 percent, at its supermarket and shopping centres.

Quang Ngai’s specialities win Vietnam recognition

The central province of Quang Ngai has announced that four of its local specialties have won national accolades: Tra River bong fish, keo guong (transparent candy), don (shellfish) and Tra Bong cinnamon.

The special cinnamon has been recognised as one of the eight top Vietnamese specialise by the Vietnam Records Organisation.

It is known for its potency and aroma, and is used in the production of wooden furniture, pots and cups, as well as being mixed with tea.

The area of Tra Bong cinnamon cultivation in the province has grown to 2,000 hectares from 350 hectares in 2007. The product is popular in China, France, India and the Republic of Korea.

Keo guong, which made the list’s top 10, is largely made of refined sugar which is heated until it turns light yellow, before being blended with lemon juice and vanilla powder to create a gluey mixture.

Roasted sesame and peanuts are then sprinkled on top. When cool, it is cut into bite-sized pieces.

The bong fish was named in the Vietnamese top 50. Local producers say it tastes best when it is bruised for 45-60 minutes and served with rice or porridge.

Don shellfish is also one of top 50 Vietnamese specialities. Typically it is boiled after being soaked in rice-washed water for four hours.

Once their shells come apart, they are extracted and the broth is heated again and seasoned with herbs, ground pepper, garlic, shallots and fresh vegetables.

Don can be served in different dishes, including soup, porridge and summer rolls.

Festival serves up traditional cakes

A southern traditional cake festival is taking place in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho’s Cai Khe Islet, with more than 100 kinds of traditional cakes on show.

The cakes care made from rice, glutinous rice, and other ingredients available in the Mekong Delta region.

At the three-day festival, from January 23 to 25, visitors can see artisans make various kinds of cakes like bank tet (cylinder-shaped glutinous rice cake filled with green bean past and pork) and bank xeo (Vietnamese rice-flour pancake filled with green bean, bean sprouts, shrimp, and pork).

Visitors can also take part in a contest on traditional cakes.

House of Heritage celebrates folk painting

Hanoi’s House of Heritage is celebrating the famous Dong Ho and Hang Trong folk painting styles as part of Lunar New Year (Tet) festivities.

Running from January 24 to February 16 at 87 Ma May Street, the exhibition evokes the cozy atmosphere of Tet’s past. The Hanoi Old Quarter management board selects folk paintings depicting everyday local life and exemplifying artistic talent.

Hang Trong painting, a Vietnamese woodcut painting method, originated in the Hang Trong and Hang Non streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter. It commonly captures glimpses of Tet celebrations and deploys a variety of cultural and spiritual symbolism.

Dong Ho paintings often retell legends, fairy tales, and fables with moral or religious implications. Images of happiness, prosperity, and good luck make the prints favoured decorations during Tet.

The Hanoi Old Quarter management board will also organise music and dance performances at a number of heritage sites over February 1-3.

Mekong Delta theme for spring show

Features of the Mekong Delta's rural areas are on display at a fair in the Phu My Hung area.

Themed Huong Sac Mien Song Nuoc (Waterway Flavours and Colours), the Phu My Hung flower fair 2014 includes thousands of aquatic flora and fauna and a floating market.

Held on Crescent Lake, the floating market features dozens of boats selling the delta's agricultural products and flowers.

The flower and aquatic product street features 700m paths along the lake and includes more than 100 species of flowers and aquatic fauna species.

Various kinds of plants such as seaweed, lotus, waterlily, duckweed, water fern and nipa are also on display. The fair includes indigenous flowers, ornamental trees and a shopping mall with 500 booths selling flowers, trees, Tet gifts and as well as areas for games and calligraphy.

The festival organisers have also called for artisans nationwide to showcase their rare ornamental plants and flowers at the festival.

The admission-free fair, which is organised annually focuses on a flower street displaying aquatic fauna species and a floating market. It will end on January 29.

Global design competition seeks entries from talented Vietnamese

Vietnamese young people, including design students across the nation, have been invited to participate in Design Lab, a global design competition hosted by the Swedish household and professional appliances manufacturer, Electrolux.

Launched for the first time in Viet Nam, the contest invites participants to submit innovative design ideas for future home environments. Under this year's theme, "Creating Healthy Homes", contestants will have to describe how people in the future can enjoy health and well-being, live in pleasant environments and take care of themselves and others in a way that is creative, sustainable and effortless.

The participants are required to submit a description of an idea, a visual sketch illustrating the idea, as well as provide a description of the consumer benefits.

The competition opens for entries on March 1 and the submission deadline is April 6. The winner of the competition will be chosen by a jury of world-renowned professionals. Alongside a 5,000-euro prize, the winner will also have the chance to join a six-month paid internship at Electrolux's global design centre. Further information about the competition can be found at the Design Lab website: http://electroluxdesignlab.com

Last year, the design competition received over 1,700 submissions from over 60 countries.

In Viet Nam, the Design Lab's opening ceremony on Wednesday at Ha Noi's University of Industrial Fine Arts was jointly organised by the Swedish Embassy and Electrolux Vietnam as part of a series of activities to celebrate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Sweden.

Exhibition showcases architecture of literature temples

Eighty photos featuring architecture and objects dating back to feudal times found at literature temples across the country, are on display at the Literature Temple in downtown Ha Noi.

The provincial literature temples in the north include Mao Dien Literature Temple in Hai Duong Province and Xich Dang Literature Temple in Hung Yen Province, while the southern temples include Confucious Temple Hoi An in central Quang Nam Province, Tran Bien Literature Temple in Dong Nai Province, Cao Lanh Literature Temple in Dong Thap Province and Vinh Long Literature Temple in Vinh Long Province.

The Thang Long Literature Temple in today's Ha Noi and Hue Literature Temple are the largest central-level literature temples in the Confucianism system of the country.

Various objects unearthed during the excavations conducted at Thang Long Literature Temple in 1998, including ink pots, books, wooden book printing moulds and lists of scholars who topped in royal exams, are on display.

Most of the provincial temples of literature were destroyed over time. After several renovations, most of the temples have gates, bell towers and main buildings.

The exhibition runs till February 15.