Nhat Thuy wins Vietnam Idol 2014

Nhat Thuy of Nam Dinh Province grabbed the majority of the audience votes to win the Vietnam Idol 2014 on Sunday night.

Thuy won about 52 per cent of the votes, as compared to second-runner up Minh Thuy, at the award ceremony.

Born in 1991, Thuy graduated from the Military Culture and Arts College's Music Education Faculty. She has a natural talent and technique which enables her to perform in different genres of music easily.

At the contest, she was highly appreciated by the jurors, including veteran composer Anh Quan. Thuy is a rare singer in the Vietnamese entertainment industry who is endowed with a good voice, according to Quan.

Thuy received a prize of VND600 million, or US$30,000. Vietnam Idol originates from the reality programme Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive Simon Fuller. The first season of Vietnam Idol premiered in 2007.

Truong Sa love songs a huge hit

Search results for Noi Dao Xa (Far Away from Islands), a song about the love for soldiers living on Truong Sa (Spartlys), totalled 18.5 million hits on Google as of Sunday.

Noi Dao Xa was written by veteran composer The Song, who once worked for Viet Nam Radio.

The song was written in 1979 when the composer participated in a creative camp, and was performed many times by professional singers like Trong Tan and Tung Duong.

The song on Google has two versions, one produced by the Viet Nam Television in 2011 and the other by HCM City-based Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper in 2013.

Both performed by young singers, such as Duc Tuan, Phuong Anh, Minh Quan, Ha Hoai Thu, Le Viet Anh and Dong Hung, who recorded with the support of the National Music Academy's choir.

The song includes clips featuring meaningful images about the rights of Viet Nam over Truong Sa and Hoang Sa (Paracel) islands.

Noi Dao Xa is among dozens of songs featuring Truong Sa people and soldiers that have been searched on Google.

Among the songs are Menh Mang Dao Xa (Island in Endless Sea) and Ngoi Nha Linh Dao (Home of Island Soldiers), and Quynh Hop's To Quoc Nhin Tu Bien (Fatherland Seen From Sea) and Tieng Bien (The Voice of Sea).

Hop's works are on Tuoi Tre online and The Thao & Van Hoa (Sports & Culture) newspaper's website thethaovanhoa.vn.

"Through our music, we wanted to show our love for the country," composer Hop said.

Artist creates clay replicas of buildings by Da Lat lake

Sculptor Trinh Ba Dung has re-created Da Lat’s iconic buildings in clay as a tourist attraction near the city’s Tuyen Lam Lake.

They lie on either side of a 1.2-kilometre walkway and include buildings in both traditional and modern styles – like the Pedagogy College, Da Lat train station, churches, Buddhist temples, ancient villas, and traditional houses.

Also along the walkway are clay replicas of antique cars, Vespa scooters, steam locomotives, and everyday tools, which trace the development of Dalat.

A ‘Vietnam sovereignty house’ has the country’s map on its roof, including the Paracel and Spratly Islands.

The work, which started in 2010, is expected to be completed later this year.

Hanoi hotel presents ‘Le Petit Prince’ exhibition

Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince), one of the most captivating children’s stories of all time, will be the focus of an exhibition at Sofitel Legend Metropole in Hanoi taking place from June 1-30.

The composition, penned by French pilot and literatif Antoine de Saint-Exupery, tells the tale about an interstellar traveler who comes to Earth in search of friendship and understanding.

The exhibition features scanned images of the original manuscript pages of Saint-Exupéry, as well as personal letters, photographs, and artifacts on loan from the Saint-Exupéry estate, which allow visitors to explore in depth the creative thoughts and decisions of the author as he crafted his beloved story.

All of the images will be showcased at Le Club Bar and L’Orangerie in the hotel.

As part of a promotion, for every customer purchase of a “Magnifique Family” package, the hotel will donate EUR2 to the Saint-Exupéry Foundation.

The package includes a 50% discount for a child’s room, complimentary breakfast for children under 16 years old, and late check-out until 4 pm for families.

Children will also receive a travel diary with their picture on the first page.

Ancient village rules found in Hoi An City

A four-page draft of village regulations written in Chinese characters has been found at Hoi An City's Centre for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation.

The draft, which was made in the late 19th century under the reign of King Tu Duc of the Nguyen dynasty, was compliled by scholar Nguyen Tuong Tiep from the Nguyen Tuong Van (1774-1822) family in Hoi An.

Historical researcher Ngo Duc Tri from the centre said the draft was found during research on ancient documents.

"It's the only draft of village regulations ever found in Hoi An. It is a precious document that still influences values in modern life," Tri said.

He said the rules outlined ways of offering sacrifices and prayers, of acting with deference and sincerity, the need for equality in allocating property and farm land, the punishment of guilty people, the condemnation of unrestrained drinking - and how village meetings should be held.

Tri said the documents offered rules on morality, transparency, customs and the need for communication.

The city has restored the 208-years-old house on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street that sheltered 14 generations of former leaders of the Royal Army, Nguyen Tuong Van's (1774-1822) family.

The old house, which is one of the tourist destinations in Hoi An City, preserves 20 royal diplomas from the Nguyen dynasty and many antiquities. Some of the descendants still live there.

Dien Bien Phu poetry published

A poem collection on the Dien Bien Phu victory has been released by the Literature Publishing House in Ha Noi to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu victory.

The 300-page book, titled Troi Dien Bien May Trang (White Clouds on the Sky of Dien Bien Phu), includes poems written by the late President Ho Chi Minh and talented authors, such as To Huu, Nguyen Dinh Thi, Quang Dung, Xuan Dieu, Nong Quoc Chan, Che Lan Vien and Te Hanh, who have played a role in the country's contemporary literature between 1930 and 1954.

The book's editor Gia Dung spent 20 years collecting and editing the materials for the book.

The Viet Nam Cartoon Company in co-operation with Viet Nam Cinematography Association will open the 2014 Cartoon Creative Camp in Vung Tau in July.

Seminars and forums on comic strips and cartoon-making software will be highlighted.

State-owned and private film companies, film directors and scriptwriters across the country have been encouraged to participate in the event.