Khanh Hoa: Five more temples ranked; World of Zen; Moon in the Bottom of the Well in the USA; Lac Long Quan Temple inaugurated; Prestidigator Le Van Quy passes away

The Hung Vuong Temple on Ngo Gia Tu Road, Nha Trang City.

The People’s Committee of Khanh Hoa province has recognised five temples in Nha Trang city and Ninh Hoa district as provincial-level relics.

Of the five new rated relics, the Hung Vuong Temple is the youngest work, which was built in 1973 to worship Hung Kings.

Other works include: Dac Loc Temple in Vinh Phuong commune built prior to 1820, Phuoc Hai Temple in Phuoc Hai ward, Nha Trang city built in 1770 and My Hiep Temple in Ninh Hoa district, which was built in 1751 and has been restored five times.

Khanh Hoa currently has 74 provincial-level relics and 13 national-level relics.

World of Zen

A video art and installation exhibition by visual artist Vu Phuong Manh from Hanoi has opened at the New Space Arts Foundation in Lai The village, Phu Vang district, the central province of Thua Thien – Hue city.

Coming to the exhibition, people will be attracted by a 10-minute video clip showing smoke, supported by “Zen-style” music. In front of the screen are four lines of pyramid-shaped nylon bags containing fish.

The author said “World of Zen” is a gift for those who seek balance in state of mind in the modern world.

Moon in the Bottom of the Well in the USA

Director Vinh Son (left) and Vietnamese students after the show at the Wesleyan University.

Many Vietnamese students and overseas Vietnamese in Connecticut, the US attended the opening show of the Vietnamese movie “Trang Noi Day Gieng” (Moon in the Bottom of the Well) at the projection room of Wesleyan University on March 26.

This is the first showing of the movie in the US at the invitation of the Institute for Vietnamese Culture and Education in New York from March 26 to April 22.

The film will be screened at 11 reputed universities in the US including Cornell, Pennsylvania, Princeton, New York, George Mason, and UC Berkeley before joining the Vietnamese International Film Festival in California (VIFF 2009).

Lac Long Quan Temple inaugurated

After two years of construction, the first phase of the Lac Long Quan Temple, the temple of the forefather of Vietnam, was inaugurated on March 29 at the Hung King Temple relics in Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province.

Attendants saw the unveiling of the statue of Lac Long Quan and his two trusted servants.

The construction will continue on a total area of 13.9ha of land, with a total investment capital of VND139 billion ($8.17 million).

Prestidigator Le Van Quy passes away

Le Van Quy, one of the first prestidigators in the southern region, passed away at his home on March 29, 2009.

Quy, 83, was famous for small prestidigation acts requiring skilful hands. His son, artist and writer Mac Can, couldn’t learn all of his magic tricks.

Quy’s body is being kept at his home in Hooc Mon district, HCM City and will be incinerated at Binh Hung Hoa cemetery on March 31.

VietNamNet/TT