My Son Sanctuary to be in 3D simulation

Danang-based 3D services supplier, 3DSCAN VN, has unveiled a project to provide a 3D scanning project for the World Heritage site My Son Sanctuary, Thanh Nien reports.

The project is in progress with the measuring, calculating and data collecting done by specialized and aerial cameras, said Nguyen Cong Huong, head of the management board of My Son Sanctuary.

People use aerial cameras to monitor and measure vestiges because it is easier to enter and check the actual state of Champa towers from above. This is far more effective than using the old method to observe those towers from the ground by placing iron frames around them. Obtained technical parameters of the towers will be used for promoting the relics in the future, and especially for restoring them.

According to Huong, the project is being executed in combination with UNESCO’s photo exhibition of the intangible heritage in My Son, which is funded VND200 million by UNESCO and will be finished in this September.

Cultural relics replication in 3D technology has been successfully applied to Hoi An prison in Hoi An City’s Son Phong Commune since July 2013 in the framework of a relic restoration and preservation project.

Short film contest focuses on barriers faced by disabled

Anyone interested in helping disabled people is invited to join a short film contest organised by the HCM City Disability Research and Capacity Development Centre.

The contest is open from now until October 5. Works submitted should be five minutes or less and focus on barriers restricting the disabled from social activities.

The organiser expects each movie to open a new channel of information for the public in assisting the disabled and breaking down barriers between disabled people and the community.

More information is available at www.drdvietnam.org/song-doc-lap-tin-hoat-dong/16036.

Singing festival showcases restored ca tru music

Twenty six ca tru (ceremonial singing) troupes from across the nation will gather at a festival hosted by the Viet Nam Institute of Musicology from August 26-29 in Ha Noi.

The festival is part of the national programme to preserve and develop ca tru which was deemed an intangible cultural heritage in need of promotion by UNESCO in 2009.

The festival will be a chance for ca tru troupes to report their efforts in restoring the significance of treasured ca tru pieces over the 2010-14 period.

About 130 repertoires will be performed at the festival which will highlight and reward the best performances on August 29.

Photo book illuminates life and career of late President Thang

A photo book depicting late President Ton Duc Thang has been released on the occasion of his 126th birthday and the 69th anniversary of the

August Revolution (August 19) and Independence Day (September 2).

The 80-page book, Ton Duc Thang – Immortal Revolutionary, provides insight into the life and career of the late President as well as his devotion to the country.

The materials come from collections possessed by Viet Nam News Agency, Japanese Nihon Denpa News and the memorial site dedicated to the late President in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of An Giang.

President Thang was born on August 20, 1988 into a farmer's family in Long Xuyen, now An Giang Province. He was elected President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam in 1976 at the first session of the sixth National Assembly.

The publication is released by Kim Dong Publishing House.

HTV airs Heroic Mothers documentary

HCM City Television (HTV) is running a documentary series on the lives of 100 Vietnamese Heroic Mothers who lost children in the war.

The latest episode of the 100-part series, Huyen Thoai Me Viet Nam Anh Hung Nguyen Thi Thao (The Legend of Vietnamese Heroic Mother Nguyen Thi Thao), will air tomorrow night on HTV9.

The 20-minute episode features Thao, who is from Cu Chi District, a land with a heroic tradition during the war.

Thao and her husband joined the revolutionary movement when they were both 20 years old. In 1955 her husband was captured and sent to Con Dao Prison. After 1975 he returned home but died because of his suffering in prison.

She lost both sons and a daughter to the American War.

The 89-year-old now lives with her grandchildren and is supported by local organisations.

She is one of 715 Heroic Mothers in Cu Chi District who lost children during the war.

"We began filming in 2012 as part of HTV's long-term filming project that highlights national heroes during different periods," said Vo Anh Can, one of HTV's 12 directors who were involved in filming.

To perfect screenplays for each episode, Can and his staff worked with the HCM City Museum of Southern Women, which stores and displays documents and photographs of 200 of the 47,000 Heroic Mothers living across the country.

"Our first episode is about Heroic Mother Vo Thi Thai of Ca Mau Province. It aired on National Day, September 2, last year and left a very strong impression on viewers," he said.

"We have received hundreds of letters from people nationwide to encourage our work. Many of them are young and said they cried while watching Heroic Mothers," he added.

"We understand that our films help youth learn more about their country's heroic history and people, particularly women, who sacrificed all they had for the peaceful world for us today."

The previous episode of the show, broadcast last week, was about Tran Thi Xua of Ben Tre Province, who lost her only son in the war.

She is one of 2,000 Heroic Mothers in Ben Tre.

"Our sons sacrificed their lives in the American War because they believed their mother's lives would be better in an independent nation," the 89-year-old woman, who lives alone in a ‘gratitude house' in Binh Dai District, said.

HTV has divided its crew into several teams to fan out into outlying areas of provinces around the country, including lands renowned for their heroism like Ca Mau, Nghe An and Quang Ngai, to film Heroic Mothers going about their daily life.

Dozens of skilled directors, scriptwriters and cameramen participated in the filming.

The series is broadcast at 7pm every Friday.

Canadian Embassy launches competition for school students

The 2014 edition of the educational competition entitled Explore Canada from A to Z has been launched, with trips to Canada being promised to its winners.

Running until September 30, the competition is open to all Vietnamese high school students who want to explore and experience Canada.

What is new this year is that the competition also invites Vietnamese students who are studying in Canada to participate and work in pairs with the students from Viet Nam to prepare their projects.

The competition will include two rounds, namely essay writing and movie production.

The contestants will be asked to write essays in English or French on three topics, namely culture, education and career prospects.

The contestants who submit the best essays will be chosen to produce an interesting and relevant short movie on the theme of the competition, which is ‘Exploring Canada's culture while experiencing Canada's education to enhance your career prospects'.

Organised by the Embassy of Canada in Ha Noi and the Consulate General of Canada in HCM City, the competition is reportedly an opportunity for Vietnamese students to challenge themselves and improve their knowledge.

Interested students can learn more about the contest and register at www.duhoc-canada.vn/a-z. Last year's competition attracted 700 participants.

Photo exhibition depicts children’s life

A photo exhibition capturing the daily lives and dreams of poor children in Lao Cai, Dak Nong and Ninh Thuan provinces will take place in Hanoi on August 23-31.

Themed “Dung dang dung de” – a traditional game in Vietnam, the event is to enable kids tell their own stories about their lives and dreams through 83 pictures taken by themselves.

Co-organised by Live & Learn and Oxfam organisations that work for poverty reduction in Vietnam, the exhibition is part of a project to enhance capacity and participation of children in education under the “I love my school” programme.

During the event, the organisation board will raise money for buying bicycles and learning tools for children from low-income families in the targeted localities.-

More artefacts, documents on Uncle Ho donated

A number of documents and objects relating to late President Ho Chi Minh were donated to the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi on August 21 on the occasion of the National Day (September 2).

Among the valuable artefacts are the President’s book “Sua doi loi lam viec” (Changing working style) which was published in 1948 and an invitation to the memorial service for President Ho issued on September 9, 1969.

Since August 2013, the museum has collected 25 photos and artefacts on the President as well as made more than 1,000 files of copies of pictures and memoirs on his revolutionary career and the friendship between Vietnam and other nations that were founded and nurtured by the President.

The museum has also enriched the content of the collection by strengthening cooperation with domestic and foreign organisations.

Book fair marks 60th anniversary of Hanoi's liberation

A book fair titled “Hanoi – The City for Peace” will take place at the Thang Long-Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center in the capital from September 26-October 2.

The event aims to celebrate the 60th anniversary of capital's liberation (October 10-1954) and the 15th anniversary of Hanoi's UNESCO recognition as a City for Peace.

The fair will feature about 200 display booths presenting thousands of books in various fields. There will be many promotion and discount programs during the event.

The book show will be divided into main subjects, including Thang Long and Hanoi-Past and Present, President Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi Capital, General Vo Nguyen Giap and the Vietnam People's Army; Hanoi and sea and islands.

The event will also have the talks on Thang Long-Hanoi's culture and reading habits as well as exchanges between authors and readers.

Art performance to raise fund for soldiers and fishermen on islands

An art performance raising money for coast guard, fisheries surveillance forces and fishermen will be organized in Hanoi on August 29.

Artists, dancers and 200 members of the Hanoi Martial Arts Association will join performances of dance, music, martial arts and circus.

All proceeds of the event will be donated to the Fund “ For beloved Truong Sa (Spratly )” aiming to improve the lives of soldiers and civilians in Truong Sa Island district and the DK1 housing platform.

The program also aims to honor love for the country, raise the public awareness of exploiting sea and islands' potential and protecting Vietnam's sovereignty over sea and islands.

Art exhibition of northern central region opens in Thua Thien-Hue

The 19th art exhibition of the northern central region was opened at a ceremony held at the Hue Cultural Museum in Thua Thien-Hue province on August 20.

The exhibition, held by the Vietnam's Fine Arts Association (VFAA) and the Thua Thien-Hue Literature and Arts Association to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2), attracted 215 artists from the six provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue. Among 291 works created from June 2013 to June 2014 sent to the organising board, 140 were by 138 artists selected for display.

According to Tran Khanh Chuong, VFAA President, the exhibition is a get-together for the artists, showing the development of art in the region.

The works, which are diverse in theme and material, depict different aspects of life and people in the northern central region. Many works on sea and islands bring art lovers and local residents new emotions.

At the opening ceremony, the organising board presented an A prize to the work ‘Me va nguoi linh’ (Mother and soldier) by Trinh Hoang Tan (Quang Tri province), a B prize to ‘Suc song’ (Vitality) by Le Ngoc Thai (Quang Binh province) and a C prize to ‘Anh sang-thien nhien II’ (Light-Nature II) by Pham Hoang Anh (Thua Thien-Hue province).

The board also selected 19 works to be judged for the 2014 prizes from the National Committee of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations and granted support to 16 works by VFAA members.

The exhibition is open to the public until August 30.

Gallery Café for art lovers in HCMC

Located on a small, quiet street in HCMC’s District 3 is a very special venue for art and coffee lovers. If you’re a fan of art and coffee then Gallery Café Lavie, a unique combination of an art gallery and a coffee shop, is the right place for you.

Gallery café is a brand-new and rare model in HCMC. And Gallery Café Lavie is an authentic version of this style because unlike other shops, they have plenty of space for art display and do not use artists’ works as decorations only.

The current art exhibition is an abstraction one with the theme “Illusion” that will last until next Monday. Apart from the exhibition, this is also the place for young designers to present their fashion collections on the weekend.

With a quiet location, beautiful works of art, melodious songs being played and a diverse menu, Gallery Café Lavie is a lovely place in town that you would not want to miss.

Gallery Café Lavie is located at 17 Ho Xuan Huong Street in HCMC’s District 3.

Cargo Bar hosts One Night in Ibiza tonight

EDM (electro dance music) lovers are promised an exciting party “One Night in Ibiza” at Cargo Bar in HCMC’s District 4 tonight from 6 p.m. The event as part of a series of EDM HOTSPOT initiated by the HCMC-based EDMVN will bring participants some catchy tunes by both local and foreign artists.

With the main concept is Ibiza is an island in the Mediterranean Sea 79km off the coast of the Spanish city of Valencia. The island which has not only good music but also features cool-style dudes everywhere. Tickets are priced at VND100,000. For further information, access http://goo.gl/YJWjMN.

Cargo Bar is located at 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, District 4, HCMC.