Exhibition of northwestern market fair photos to open soon; 13 photographers win awards at int’l competition; Vietnam’s cultural centre to take shape in Berlin

The photos feature a get-together of women from such ethnic minority groups as the H’Mong, Dao and Nung living in northern Lao Cai and Ha Giang provinces.

The event will take place from September 9-19 at the French Culture Centre (IDECAF), 31 Thai Van Lung in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

Nearly 200 documents on late President Ho Chi Minh collected

The Ho Chi Minh Museum on September 7 received nearly 200 documents and objects relating to the late President Ho Chi Minh, which had been collected by organisations and individuals over the 2008-2009 period.

These activities are part of the “Study and follow Ho Chi Minh moral’s example” campaign to mark the 40th anniversary of the implementation of President Ho Chi Minh’s testament.

Unique items within the collection include 30 essays about Uncle Ho.

Over the last two years, the museum has collected a variety of documents on President Ho Chi Minh’s activities abroad, totalling nearly 20,000 pages including articles and emails relating to his activities abroad in the 1920s. It has also collected more than 100 original photos of President Ho Chi Minh and has accepted a large number of valuable documents and objects from international friends.

The museum is also collecting memoirs of those who met Uncle Ho and worked with him. It plans to collect documents relating to President Ho Chi Minh from more than 40 nations and territories where the President set his foot during his revolutionary career.

13 photographers win awards at int’l competition

32 photographers from 15 countries have won awards at the 5th International Photography Contest, which was held in Vietnam by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with the Vietnam Artistic Photographers’ Association.

Thirteen of the winners were Vietnamese, who joined 970 other local photographers in submitting more than 6,400 photographs to the contest.

This year’s event drew the largest ever number of participants, with more than 8,500 entries sent by nearly 1,300 photographers from 44 countries around the world.

An exhibition will be organised in Hanoi in November 2009 to display the winning pictures.

Vietnam’s cultural centre to take shape in Berlin

A Vietnamese cultural centre will be officially put into operation in Berlin, Germany, on the occasion of Hanoi’s Liberation Day (Oct. 10), to meet the increasing demand for cultural exchange among the Vietnamese community.

The centre, the first of its kind in Germany, is expected to contribute to maintaining and promoting the Vietnamese identity among the younger Vietnamese generations in the European nation. It will also help foreigners better understand Vietnam’s people and land.

Phan Y Nhi, an official from the Vietnamese Embassy in Berlin, affirmed the Embassy’s support for the centre and expressed her hope that the model would be expanded to other localities in Germany.

Vietnam’s beauty highlighted at exhibition in Paris

A photography exhibition entitled “Vietnam’s Beauty” opened at the Vietnam Cultural Centre in Paris, France, on September 4 as part of activities to mark Vietnam’s National Day (September 2).

The exhibition aims to introduce French friends and the overseas Vietnamese community in France to the beauty of the Vietnamese people and their culture.

On display are 80 photos selected from nearly 1,000 entries featuring Vietnam’s people and land, many of them had won prizes at national and international competitions during the past five years. In particular, 10 black-and-white photos of ethnic minority people in the Central Highlands of Vietnam won the first prize at an international photography contest in Slovakia in 2008.

Pham Xuan Sinh, Director of the Vietnam Cultural Centre in Paris, said that the month-long event will help strengthen friendship and boost cultural exchange between the two countries.

Children to enjoy free performances during Mid Autumn Festival

A performance for children, especially those living in difficult conditions, will be held in Hanoi on October 1 to ease their pain and lift their spirits.Nguyen Dinh Lieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Disabled People and Orphans, confirmed the information at a press conference on September 4.

Artists from the Vietnam Youth Theatre and Vietnam Circus Federation will offer attendees programmes of crowd-pleasing music and circus acts, as charitable gifts for the children on the occasion of the Mid Autumn Festival 2009, which will fall on October 3.

The charity art performance is expected to be broadcast on Hanoi Television, Mr Lieu said.

He added that his association will organise another programme to bring the Mid Autumn Festival to children in Hoang Van Thu commune, Yen Lang district, Lang Son province and present bicycles and scholarships to them.

PV