Hanoi hosts exhibition on Vietnamese Traditional Costumes

A display of Vietnamese Royal and Traditional Costumes from the Ly Dynasty to the Nguyen Dynasty period (1009-1945) opened at Manzi Art Space in Hanoi.

A publication of traditional costumes of Vietnamese people from all levels of society throughout the last 1,000 years by the 28-year-old researcher Tran Quang Duc of the Vietnam Institute of Literature was also released earlier this year. The book has received much praise from experts and researchers at home and abroad.

The book is most likely one of the most in-depth and detailed studies on Vietnamese culture and clothing, both locally and internationally, said researcher Trinh Bach, who has spent many years studying traditional culture, especially Vietnamese royal costumes.

The event will end on September 9.

Ninh Thuan Province hosts Raglai Ethnic Cultural Festival

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in collaboration with Ninh Thuan Province is organizing the Raglai Ethnic Cultural Festival in Bac Ai District of the Province from August 29-31.

This is the first time the festival is being held in Ninh Thuan Province, attracting participation of 500 Raglai craftsmen, and artists and musicians from Ninh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan and Lam Dong Provinces.

The Festival also has 150 artists from Viet Bac Folk Music, Song, and Dance Theatre, and other large theaters of Ninh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan and Lam Dong Provinces.

At the festival, artists will perform Raglai folk music and songs in Vietnamese as well as Raglai language, play folk instruments, hold a wedding ceremony, and pray for the rain festival.

Asian and African scribes show solidarity

Writers from Asia and Africa will be ambassadors for peace, freedom of expression and preservation of each country's own identity and culture, said Mohamed Salmawy, president of the African-Asian Writers Union at the closing ceremony of the first meeting of Permanent Bureau of the Union in Ha Noi yesterday.

The first meeting was held in Ha Noi and Quang Ninh Province from August 25-29, after the Union was re-established in December 2012 in Cairo, Egypt.

It was founded in 1957, but dissolved 30 years later due to the political tensions in the world.

The meeting this time aimed to revive cultural relations between Viet Nam and other countries in the world.

"The Union has become one of the most prestigious writers' associations in the world and I hope writers will put a hand together to make the Union develop further in the future," said Salmawy.

During the five-day meeting, 14 representatives from more than 50 member countries of the Union gathered in Ha Noi to discuss major topics. They included the development of bilateral relations, the opening of intellectual channels through conferences, symposiums, translated books, as well as the training of young writers, to help them face the difficult challenge of preserving their own identity and holding strong to the values of each country's.

The highlight of the meeting was the signing of an agreement to strengthen co-operation in the field of literature between the Viet Nam Writers Association (VWA) and its Egyptian counterpart on Monday.

Poet Huu Thinh, president of the VWA, said the agreement was significant, as the Egypt Writers Association was the first writers' body in Africa to sign an agreement with the VWA.

Salmawy, who is also president of the Egypt Writers Association, said the agreement would facilitate visits between writers from both countries, the translation of Vietnamese and Egyptian literary works and annual conferences covering major prevailing topics.

During the Permanent Bureau meeting, representatives also decided to extend the range of membership with three levels.

"At the first level, we want to encourage member countries in the region to join. At the second level, we'll try to include Latin American countries in the Union. And finally, we hope that the Union will have honorary members, outside Africa, Asia and Latin America, who would be willing to join in based on personal relations," said Salmawy.

The representatives also decided to publish the Lotus magazine every three weeks and in three languages: English, French and Arabic with a special edition in Vietnamese.

A volume of short stories from all member countries will also be produced in three languages.

A literary prize named Lotus will also be awarded to writers of the Union who make great contributions to the literary development of their countries.

In the 60s and 70s when the Union was still active, Vietnamese writers including Nguyen Ngoc, To Hoai and Thu Bon won the prize.

The second meeting of the Permanent Bureau of the African-Asian Writers Union is expected to be held next February in Baghdad, Iraq.

According to Salmawy, the Union has always been an independent union who receives its budget from the membership fees for member countries and voluntary donations by organisations.

Vietnam Culture Week begins in Laos

The Vietnam Culture Week 2013 started in Laos on August 29 on the occasion of Vietnam’s upcoming National Day (Sept. 2).

The opening ceremony was attended by Lao Deputy Prime Minister Asang Laoly, and Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Bosengkham Vongdala, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Huynh Vinh Ai, among others.

Deputy Minister Ai said the event helps to promote cooperation in culture and tourism between Vietnam and Laos while improving mutual understanding and solidarity between the two peoples.

The week will feature a photo exhibition portraying the cultural life of Vietnam’s ethnic groups, the country’s landscape, sea and islands, as well as the special relationship between Vietnam and Laos, plus an art performance by Vietnamese artists.

Ukraine hosts “Vietnam: World’s Rendezvous” celebration

The Ukraine’s Kharkov City will host a week long photography exhibition and film festival entitled “Vietnam: World’s Rendezvous” from August 30 to September 5.

The event includes more than 200 photographs and 100 documentaries selected by the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communication’s Centre for Press and International Communication Cooperation.

They cover the seven sub-categories of Vietnam’s National Assembly: Government; Vietnam: Integration and Development; World Cultural Heritage in Vietnam; Vietnam’s Traditional Craft Villages; Vietnamese Festivals; Vietnamese Food; and Vietnamese Beauty.

Introducing these images of Vietnam’s landscape and people to Ukrainian citizens is destined to expand the two countries’ bilateral cooperation.

Attendees can deepen their understanding of Vietnam’s Doi moi (Renewal) process, its long history, its traditions, and its continuing march towards development and integration.

The exhibited media will be handed over to the Vietnamese Embassy and the Association of Overseas Vietnamese at the conclusion of the event for further touring throughout the Ukraine.

The festival is part of the Ministry of Information and Communications’s commemorations of Vietnam’s 68th National Day (September 2) and the 21st anniversary of establishing Vietnamese-Ukrainian diplomatic ties.

Veteran ethnic singer facing mounting debt

Siu Black, a prominent Vietnamese popular singer from the Central Highlands, has admitted that she in fact owes  around VND10 billion (USD476,190), not the recently announced VND2.5 billion.

She said that the figure of VND2.5 billion (USD119,047) is just the original debt, adding that she has to pay compound interest of 20-30% on that, and she really doesn't know how much the total interest amounts to.

“Currently, I and my friend, singer Phuong Thanh and other lenders, are jointly calculating the total debt. I will try to work to pay the debt, but the most important thing to me is now is time. I really hope that the creditors can help by giving me enough time,” Siu Black said.

Earlier, artists held a music show for Siu Black in HCM City on August 11 to raise funds to help the singer. The event attracted the participation of many famous singers.  However, the audience had to wait until  22:00 p.m, to see Siu, who appeared on the stage accompanied by security guards.

According to singer Phuong Thanh, Siu Black came to the show at 8:00 p.m but she was immediately surrounded by creditors. Thanks to Phuong Thanh’s plea, she was allowed to perform.

The show raised a total VND100 million (USD4,760). After the performance, Siu Black got into a state of panic because she was still being harassed by her creditors.

Phuong Thanh herself is also shocked at the size of Siu Black’s real debt.

The 46-year-old Ba Na ethnic singer got into financial trouble when she decided to open a cafe, using her house in Kon Tum as collateral for a VND700 million (USD33,276) loan. She also borrowed from friends and family to invest a total of around VND1 billion (USD47,537).

Vietnam’s army presents flag to Russian museum

The Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) presented its traditional flag, which is the national flag with the word “Quyet Thang” (Determined to win) added in yellow at the top left corner, to Russia’s Central Armed Forces Museum at a ceremony held in Moscow on August 28.

The military flag is the noble symbol of the VPA and has been used as a reward to military units with outstanding achievements.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Pham Xuan Son expressed thanks for the valuable assistance that the people and army of the Soviet Union in the past and Russia at present have provided to Vietnam. He said he hopes the ties between Vietnam and Russia in general and the two armies in particular will be further tightened.

At the ceremony, Chairman of the Presidium of the Association of Russian Former Military Experts in Vietnam Col. Nikolai Kolesnik praised the traditional solidarity and attachment between the two peoples and the two armies.

On the occasion, the chairman also presented the museum a memoir written by former Russian experts titled “Chien tranh Viet Nam la the do” (That is Vietnam War).-

Propaganda poster contest launched for Vietnam People's Army Day

A propaganda posters contest, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Vietnamese People's Army Day (December 22, 1944) and 25th anniversary of the festive day of People’s National Defence (December 22, 1989), was launched in Hanoi on August 28.

Entries should highlight the glorious tradition of the Vietnam People's Army over the past 68 years. They should also reflect the image of Uncle Ho’s soldiers in national construction and defence.

The contest, organised by the Vietnam Military History Museum, is open to all professional and amateur Vietnamese painters at home and abroad. The deadline for submissions is December 12, 2013.

The organising board is offering one first prize, two second prizes and three third prizes, as well as 13 other prizes for outstanding entries.