Long Bien Bridge in the eyes of US photographer; 300 antiques on display in Ho Chi Minh City; Chinese art troupe to perform in Vietnam; UNESCO helps Vietnam to preserve wooden architectural heritage

Long Bien Bridge in the eyes of US photographer

About 70 black and white photos of Long Bien Bridge taken by US photographer Douglas Jardine are on display at an exhibition in Hanoi.

Entitled “The Four Seasons of Long Bien Bridge”, the exhibition, from August 22 to September 3, features the photos Douglas , a photographer and historian of bridges, has taken for over two years, using black and white film.

The author confided that he was interested in Long Bien Bridge for its aestheticism as it is an art work that has been created by many hands and brains, time and history.

Douglas, who is now a lecturer at the Hanoi University, is one of the photographers who will showcase photos in a festival on Long Bien Bridge to be held in the capital city in October this year. He organised a photo exhibition in Hanoi in 2007.

300 antiques on display in Ho Chi Minh City

The Vietnam record book centre on August 23 officially included a bronze drum which was made by artisan Le Van Bay in Thieu Trung village, Thieu Hoa district, Thanh Hoa province.

The drum is 1.21m high, weighs 739kg and has a diameter of 1.51m.

The Hoang Long museum in Thanh Hoa province which is the first private museum in Vietnam is also listed in the Vietnam records book. The museum has around 11,000 items and antiques featuring Vietnamese cultures on display.

On the same day, the Vietnam History Museum in Ho Chi Minh City showcased more than 300 antiques, which have been collected over the past 30 years. Many dating back to 2,000-3,000 years ago include items, such as stone axes, Dong Son bronze drums, coffin jars, glass earrings and vases.

Chinese art troupe to perform in Vietnam

The Ordos music and dance troupe from Inner Mongolia in China will perform in Vietnam from September 2-5.

The troupe will give a performance at the Military Theatre, the Hanoi Opera House and the August Theater in the port city of Hai Phong.

Established in 1960, the troupe from Ordos city has won many prestigious prizes at various national and international arts competitions and festivals.

UNESCO helps Vietnam to preserve wooden architectural heritage

The National Cultural Heritage Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed the minutes of a meeting with the Asian-Pacific Cultural Centre on August 20 concerning technical assistance in researching, restoring and preserving wooden architectural heritage.

Accordingly, 15 Vietnamese researchers will attend a training course run by Japanese experts in Hoi An and Da Nang from October 26-31.

US to display Vietnamese antiques

The Asian American Association (AAA) has received 114 Vietnamese antiques for an exhibition in the US starting next month and another one in February next year.

The antiques are considered typical of Vietnam’s north, south and central regions and will be first exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston from September 13 to January 3 next year. They will then be showcased at the Asian Association Museum in New York from February 2 to May 2.

The items, ranging from fine arts pieces to those relating to revolutionary history, are on loan from prominent museums nationwide including in Hanoi, Da Nang City, Hue city, Ho Chi Minh City, and neighboring Dong Nai and Long An provinces.

PV