Photo show praises Vietnamese ao dai grace; Honourary doctorate title awarded to RoK Minister; World fair features Vietnamese cultural identities; Sa Huynh’s ancient jar tombs restored; UNESCO Vietnam opens office in HCMC; City to present Ho Chi Minh–Ton Duc Thang statue to Hanoi

The grace of ao dai (traditional long dress of Vietnamese women) shines at a show held by a Vietnamese photographer in Berlin, Germany.

The Sang, member of the Vietnamese Photographers’ Association in Germany, brings to his photo exhibition opening on May 13 more than 50 photos out of a collection he made during his tours of Hanoi, central Hue city city, Ho Chi Minh City, and cities in the Netherlands, Italy and Germany.

The photos feature middle-aged Vietnamese women wearing traditional ao dai during their visits to pagodas, and young Vietnamese and foreign girls in innovated ao dai during festive days and beauty feasts.

The photo show will last until July 31.

Honourary doctorate title awarded to RoK Minister

The National Economics University in Hanoi has awarded an honourary doctorate title to the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Ahn Byong Man.

Ahn Byong Man is the author of a series of research publications about Vietnam in the fields of politics, economics, society and education and has made numerous contributions to promoting the development of the Vietnam-RoK relationship.

Addressing the awards ceremony in Hanoi on May 15, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan highly praised Ahn Byong Man’s contributions to Vietnam and hoped he would promote diplomatic activities to help Vietnamese students study in the RoK.

The cooperative relationship between Vietnam and the RoK has developed well in recent times. There are now about 70,000 RoK citizens living and working in Vietnam – the biggest foreign community in the country.

The RoK has chosen Vietnam as its first partner in a programme to share its experiences on economic development with emerging economies.

The Vietnamese government has chosen the RoK as a strategic partner in the field of applying information technology to education and training.

World fair features Vietnamese cultural identities

Vietnam’s land, people and culture were introduced internationally when the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK attended the 50th World Fair held in London from May 12-13.

Vietnam’s booth at the International Spring Fair has a wide range of images featuring the country’s landscape, people and typical products, including those depicting Ha Long Bay - a UNESCO-recognized world natural heritage - which is seeking a place in the list of the World New 7 Wonders of Nature.

Most visitors showed interest in various handicraft products made by skillful Vietnamese artisans.

The event also hosted art performances, singings and dances from several nations among more than 50 participating countries.

Organized by the International Social Service UK, the annual fair aims to promote cultural exchanges between countries and raise funds for disadvantaged children and vulnerable groups in society.

Sa Huynh’s ancient jar tombs restored

Conservationists from central Quang Ngai province have completed restoration of four ceramic jar tombs belonging to the Sa Huynh Culture, which dated back more than two millennia.

The Sa Huynh Culture flourished in central and southern Vietnam 2,500 years ago, Doan Anh Tuan, director of UNESCO Vietnam’s Ancient Relics Preservation Centre, said.

The tombs bulge in the middle before tapering at the neck. The tallest is 1.3 m and 70cm across. The other three are 85cm tall. “The jars were used to preserve human ashes,” Tuan explained.

“A unique characteristic of the Sa Huynh was their funeral rites: corpses were cremated and the ashes placed in jars for burial,” UNESCO Vietnam experts said.

Quang Ngai native Lam Du Xenh found over 2,000 ceramic pieces from these tombs in 1999 at a site in Binh Son District where workers were clearing land for the construction of the Dung Quat Shipyard.

Xenh, who spent many years researching the Sa Huynh Culture, kept the ceramic pieces at his home.

“Two months ago, I started working with a group of conservationists from UNESCO Vietnam headed by To Anh Dung to restore the tombs to their original condition,” he said.

All the relics are now kept at the Sa Huynh Culture Museum in Hoi An.

UNESCO Vietnam opens office in HCMC

The Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations opened a representative office in Ho Chi Minh City on May 14 in an effort to expand and develop the federation’s activities in the city as well as other southern provinces and cities.

The Vice President and General Secretary of the Federation, Nguyen Xuan Thang, said that since its establishment in August 1993, the federation has attracted nearly 100 affiliates, comprising of provincial and municipal UNESCO associations, UNESCO centres and clubs with more than 5,000 official members.

The federation has a total of some 140,000 members in 45 provinces and cities across the country, he said.

In HCM City there are nearly 100 official members and more than 1,000 people who take an active part in the federation’s activities.

The Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations is one of the most prestigious non-governmental UNESCO organizations in the region, holding the post of vice president of the region’s UNESCO association and vice president of the world’s UNESCO association.

It specializes in part time education, vocational training, preserving tangible and intangible cultural identities and popularizing scientific information.

City to present Ho Chi Minh–Ton Duc Thang statue to Hanoi

Ho Chi Minh City is seeking to gift a statue of two late presidents Ho Chi Minh and Ton Duc Thang to Hanoi for the millennial celebrations of Thang Long - Hanoi (1010-2010).

The statue of the two leaders shaking hands is expected to be installed at Thong Nhat (Unification) Park on Nam Bo Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi.

The HCM City Fine Art Association has designed three different slightly different models (see photo) and put them on display at the HCM City Museum - 65 Ly Tu Trong, District 1 - from May 12 to 18 for receiving public comments.

The three options for the statue of late President Ho Chi Minh-Ton Duc Thang HCMC plans to gift Hanoi for its 1000th anniversary celebrations.

Youth football series to be broadcast

A five-part series about the lives of young Vietnamese footballers, their families and fixed games will be aired on HTV9 at 6 PM from May 19.

The series, “Cau truong khong yen tinh” (Disturbed football ground), opens with a penalty kick in the three last minutes of injury time.

Thanks to the successful penalty, the Lua Vang Dong Tien team wins the game and is promoted.

Supporters then decide to finance a training center for would-be footballers in the team’s province.

With success come opportunities and the team’s coach, Minh Chanh – played by actor Trung Dung, is no exception.

A house owned by a man named Tung, a football enthusiast, is demolished to make way for the training center.

Tung has an aptitude for football and Tu, a gambler arranges, for him to play football. Tu introduces Tung to Coach Chanh, who gets put in the youth team despite being too old.

When the province’s Sport Department hosts a cup competition for under-sixteens, the team is ordered to win the prize by all means necessary. Tung is forced to play the game despite being17 years old.

All tricks to win the game are discovered by reporter Minh Anh, who later becomes Minh Chanh’s wife.

She knows the referee deliberately helps the team win by giving a penalty. She and Tung’s father are also furious by the fraudulent use of an older player.

Minh Anh is determined to denounce cheats in football in bid to help her husband from his wrongdoings.

The series touches upon problems in Vietnamese football, such as match fixing, bribing referees and deliberate use of players too old for their league.

PV