Tu Dam Pagoda restoration completed; Mine Awareness Day set for Sunday; Young southern poet wins competition; City to host Thang Long art competition

Tu Dam Pagoda. (Photo: Vietnampathfinder)

The restoration of one of the biggest pagodas in the central city of Hue cost VND13 billion (US$685,000) and took four years to complete.

The restoration work, beginning in July 2006, included restoration of the main sanctuary, the conference house, service hall and a monastery.

A new 27m high seven-storey tower was also built. Each storey has a Buddha statue.

Known was An Ton Pagoda when it was built in the late 17th century, its name was changed in 1841.

Located in the city’s Truong An Ward, it is now a major spiritual centre for Buddhists in the city and the central region.

Mine Awareness Day set for Sunday

The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action will be held on Sunday.

The programme will be broadcast live at 8.30pm on VTC Digital Television’s VTC14 and VTV4. The event is co-organised by Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People’s Army) newspaper and VTC Digital Television.

Young southern poet wins competition

A young poet from the southern province of Hau Giang won first prize at the eighth But Moi (New Pens) Competition, which carried the theme Finding Myself, on Sunday.

The competition was launched by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper for young poets last December. The organising board received 800 entries.

Pham Duc Hai, the daily’s editor-in-chief, said he hoped the competition would encourage and inspire budding young poets.

City to host Thang Long art competition

The awards ceremony for a painting contest for school children entitled Painting Thang Long Capital will be held on April 17 at HCM City’s Viet Nam Museum of History.

The competition was launched on March 1.

Contestants visited the museum and attended seminars on Thang Long under the Ly, Tran and Le dynasties (11th-17th centuries).

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News