Exhibition on achievements on realising President Ho Chi Minh’s testament; Ha Long Bay rises to 4th in World’s Natural Wonders list; Ethnic Cham community to hold Muslim festival; Ancient Champa stele unearthed

Achievements gained in realising President Ho Chi Minh for the past 40 years are now on display at the Vietnam Exhibition and Fair Centre, Giang Vo street, Hanoi until September 2.

The exhibition, held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, to mark the 64th anniversary of the country’s August Revolution and the National Day, September 2.

The exhibition displays 200 fine art works and 100 photos which have been selected from 1,500 entries by thousands of artists nationwide. The exhibition also has the participation of almost all departments, of culture, sports and tourism across the country. The total display area of the exhibition is up to 1500 sq m2.

During the exhibition, special art performances with the participation of artists Vietnam Folk Song and Dance Theatre, Vietnam Light Music Theatre, Tuong (Classical Opera) Theatre and the Vietnam Circus Federation will be given during the opening and closing ceremonies of the event.

Apart from the exhibition, a fair will be opened introducing products and services of businesses.

A seminar discussing cultural industry in Vietnam will also be organised.

Head of the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition Hoang Duc Toan said that the exhibition is a big event of the department with the aim of introducing people achievements of the sector though different periods of national construction, defence and renovation.

Ha Long Bay rises to 4th in World’s Natural Wonders list

Ha Long Bay has unexpectedly risen from 12th to 4th position in the list of the World’s 28 Natural Wonders.

Iguaru Waterfall in Argentina and Brazil now tops the list, followed by the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Papua New Guinea. The third position has been taken by Komodo in Indonesia.

When entering the third phase of the vote for the World’s Seven Natural Wonders, Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay has a good start and hopes to receive much more support from overseas Vietnamese and the global community as a whole.

Ethnic Cham community to hold Muslim festival

Muslims from the Cham ethnic group in Ninh Thuan province will celebrate Ramadan in the 1430th year of the Muslim calendar from August 19-21.

The southern province’s Cham community comprises 73,300 people, or 11.6 percent of the province’s total population, 33,000 of them being Muslims.

The province is making a great effort to improve the lives of the Cham people such as building roads, schools, health clinics, water and electricity supplies and markets.

Provincial leaders have been visiting and presenting gifts to pagodas, mosques and Muslim dignitaries and followers in the locality to mark the occasion.

Ancient Champa stele unearthed

A stone stele, chiselled with ancient Champa script, was unearthed in the central province of Phu Yen, and believed to be a very significant archaeological find.

Phan Dinh Phung, Deputy Director of the Phu Yen Service for Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the granite stone is 170 cm high, 60 cm wide and 25 cm thick. The surface of the stele bears eight lines of ancient Champa script. It was discovered under the roots of a tree that is hundreds of years old.

The recent findings at the site, including a square water well, are clear indications that the site contains valuable cultural and historic relics from the Kingdom of Champa.

The Kingdom was founded in the second century and existed till the 13th century.

Phung added that his agency was conducting research to determine the stele’s age and planned to launch archaeological excavations at the site in future.

It is the second stone stele linked to the ancient Champa civilisation found in Phu Yen province.

The first was a relief on the wall of Nhan mountain in the heart of Tuy Hoa city. It dated back to the fifth century, bearing the prayers of King Bhadravarman of the first dynasty of the Kingdom of Champa.

PV