Northern
provinces to receive Japan
aid for primary school project

The Government of Japan has agreed to a grant of US$191, 900
for the construction of primary schools in the northern provinces of Nam Dinh and Quang
Ninh.

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yasuaki Tanizaki, handed US$
95,183 and US$ 96,717 to Mr. Nguyen Van Dong, Chairman of People’s Committee of
Yen Tho Commune in Nam Dinh province and Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Chairman of
People’s Committee of Xuan Son Commune in Quang Ninh respectively on December
28, 2010 at the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam.

The Yen Tho Primary School in Nam Dinh Province was built in 1975 but was
damaged by floods and is in need of repair. Furthermore, classrooms are too
small to accommodate enough students, as a result the school has to borrow
space in a nearby secondary school and often students study in two shifts.

Xuan
Son Primary
School in Quang Ninh province was built in 1964
and is now in a dilapidated condition. It has only three classrooms hence can
only facilitate children from grade 1-2. The school has to continually borrow
space from the nearby secondary school for their 3-5 grade children and pupils
have to learn in two shifts.

The People’s Committee, in an effort to improve the
condition of both the schools plans to build a new 2 storey 8 classroom
building. The Government of Japan grant that supports this project will help
towards the purchase of building materials.

At a ceremony, Ambassador Tanizaki hoped that through this
project, funded by the Government of Japan, learning conditions in Xuan Son
Commune would improve considerably and that through this project friendship and
mutual understanding between Japan
and Vietnam
would further deepen.

Overseas students
join new year festival

A Festival of Overseas Students to celebrate New Year 2011
opened in Hanoi
on Dec. 29 with the participation of about 500 students.

The event, the ninth of its kind, was jointly organised by
the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper, the Vietnam Television, the Sinh Vien Viet
Nam
(Vietnamese Students) newspaper and the Quoc Anh International Education
Consultancy (QA) company.

At the event, overseas students joined an incense-offering
ceremony and an exchange programme to share experiences in study and career.

On the occasion, Nguyen Dac Vinh, chairman of the Vietnam
Students’ Association and QA company presented certificates of merit and gifts
to 30 outstanding students.

In the afternoon the same day, a delegation of 52 overseas
students was received by Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan in Hanoi.

The students, coming from the United
Kingdom, the United States,
Australia, Japan, China
and Singapore
among others, were also presented with gifts and letters wishing for a new
year.

Hanoi prepares to welcome New Year

International and Vietnamese disc jockeys will burn up the
capital in a special New Year’s Eve countdown at the Hanoi Opera House on the
evening of December 31.

Jonathan Glaser from Sweden,
Tempo from USA and Tuan
Kruise from Vietnam
are the three talented DJ’s expected to make fans go crazy with their music on
New Year’s Eve. They will play from 9 pm until well after midnight to welcome the
New Year.

Pop star My Linh and musician Nguyen Duc Cuong will also
take part in this event.

The show titled “Heineken Countdown Party” is being
organized for the first time in Vietnam
and is bound to bring excitement to the city in the first moments of the New
Year.

The countdown party in Times Square in New
York City is already a very popular global event and Hanoi hopes to create
similar magic.

Group sculpture show
in town

An exhibition by 16 sculptors opened on Monday at the HCMC
Association of Fine Arts.

The show features 24 works made of synthetic materials,
wood, copper and stainless steel
representing some of the latest developments in modern Vietnamese
sculpture.

“When people think about fine arts, they just think about
painting. And me, too,” said Thanh, a visitor, adding “This is the first time I
have visited a sculpture show and I feel really excited by the artists’ skills
with different materials and imagination.”

The exhibition runs till January 2 at the association, 218A Pasteur Street,
HCMC’s District 3.

PV