VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Friday collected the opinions of 60 media agencies about ten outstanding cultural events and five regrettable cultural incidents in 2008.

Brothers by Bui Xuan Hoai, which won a FIAP gold medal.

According to the ministry, 12 events were submitted for selection, including: overseas Vietnamese cultural days, local cultural festivals, Festival Hue city, Festival Binh Dinh, the international firecracker festival in Da Nang, the campaign to call for votes for Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha-Ke Bang and Fansipan Mountain as new seven wonders of the world, the National Tourism Year in Can Tho, Vietnam’s successful hosting of the World Young Chess Championship.

It is said that many meaningful events were not added to the list for selection, for example the 1^st National Experimental Stage Festival and Vietnam’s victories at international photo contests.

At the FIAP Photo Contest this year, Vietnam won the world cup for a photo collection entitled “Traditional Cultural of Ethnic Minority Groups in the Central Highlands”. Vietnamese photographers also won five gold medals and one silver medal and a team prize at the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) this May.

Painter Vi Kien Thanh, Vice Chief of the Art, Photography and Exhibition Agency under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said if the ministry didn’t add any photographic event to the list, newspapers would choose one.

The five problems of the year, according to the ministry, were the nude dance at a celebration of the Corporation for Financing and Promoting Technology (FPT), the scandal related to the Miss Vietnam 2008 pageant, the impacts of environmental pollution on tourism, hooliganism in football and domestic violence, including child violence.

The Chief of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Office, To Van Dong, said ballots would be submitted to the ministry’s senior officials for consideration and the results would be announced on December 25.

(Source: Tien Phong)