VietNam Culture: capital city

Showing posts with label capital city. Show all posts

Friday, February 18, 2011

T&T set for Da Nang showdown

Comeback: Top striker Le Cong Vinh (right) of Ha Noi T&T will be back in action after a prolonged injury. — VNS Photo Quang Thang

HA NOI — The national football league resumes play today after a three-week Tet holiday break with a match between defending champions Ha Noi T&T and SHB Da Nang in the capital city.

The match is considered entrepreneur Do Quang Hien's own personal derby, as the businessman owns both teams.

The winner of the game will receive a huge bonus from Hien, who has urged both teams to compete in the spirit of fair play.

This is only the third season that Ha Noi T&T have been completing in the V-League- Eximbank Cup, but they have always won against Da Nang when playing at home.

In addition, Ha Noi T&T are in high spirits following victories in the first two matches of the season. They currently top the table, while Da Nang stand sixth following a victory and a loss.

Ha Noi T&T's fire power received a substantial boost today with the news that top national team striker Le Cong Vinh will be in the line up for the match, his first match after an injury eight months ago.

Vinh said he was very keen to get back into action.

"I have totally recovered and feel very strong," he said. "I hope I can play with the same skill as before my injury."

Vinh's return is a major boost for the team, which is seeking to extend its lead in the league.

Coach Phan Thanh Hung revealed that he added Vinh to the list of substitutes for today's game, and the striker will be allowed to play if he is needed.

"It is possible that Vinh will come off the bench," said Hung. "I will give him a chance to compete but it is not good for him if he is forced to play too much."

Apart from Vinh, T&T are also welcoming back former national player Thach Bao Khanh, who was rested for a month due to an ankle injury. Khanh, who joins the club from Thanh Hoa, is a tough midfielder and will make Hung's line-up more solid.

Former champs Da Nang also boast a strong line up. In preparation for the season, coach Le Huynh Duc has brought home several top players, including former national team captain Nguyen Minh Phuong.

Phuong will be a key player during the match, along with Argentinean Gaston Merlo who was the top goal scorer during the last two seasons and has scored twice already this season.

Duc and his players travelled to Ha Noi on Wednesday to familiarise themselves with the capital city's cold.

In the other matches tomorrow, Ha Noi ACB will play Hoang Anh Gia Lai at Hang Day; Vicem Hai Phong will face Dong Thap at Hai Phong's Lach Tray Stadium; hosts Ninh Binh will meet former champions Dong Tam Long An in Ninh Binh Province; Lam Son Thanh Hoa will clash with Navibank Sai Gon at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCM City; two-time winner Becamex Binh Duong host dark horses Khatoco Khanh Hoa at Go Dau, and in Vinh, Song Lam Nghe An welcome Hoa Phat Ha Noi. — VNS

Friday, November 26, 2010

Old Quarter celebrates culture

Hanoi's Old Quarter is hosting a tea ceremony and an exhibition of
vintage timepieces until Nov. 27, as well as a discussion of traditional
culture in the capital city.

The tea ceremony will take place at
28 Hang Buom Street, while the collection of clocks will be displayed
at Dong Lac Temple, 38 Hang Dao Street.

The Vietnamese often
drink tea, chew betel or smoke a cigarette as a prelude to conversation,
reflecting the folk saying, "A quid of betel starts the ball rolling".

Tea
drinking is an integral part of many Vietnamese cultural rituals, from
holidays to wedding, and it brings friends and family together in
conversation and celebration.

"Brewing Vietnamese tea is a
sophisticated artform which takes a lot of time to master," said
researcher Hoang Anh Suong. "But it can also be enjoyed in a very simple
manner.

Simply boiled green tea leaves can bring people closer in an informal conversation."

At
the tea ceremony, Suong and other researchers will speak about the
history of tea culture, the manner of drinking, and the differences
among Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese tea drinking.

Meanwhile, at Dong Lac Temple, collector Nguyen Trung Dung will display over 50 historic clocks.

Clock-collecting
has been a popular pastime among intellectuals in the capital city
since the 19th century, Dung said, with collectors fascinated by the
different designs and decorations and the way in which the sound of the
ticking clocks reflects the passage of time and the value of every
moment of life.

Finally, the old house at 87 Ma May Street will
host a talk by researchers Giang Quan and Nguyen Vinh Phuc about Hanoi's
culture, helping visitors understand the way Hanoians live and receive
guests. The discussion, held to accord greater respect the value of
Hanoi's traditions, was organised as part of the celebrations of the
Vietnam Heritage Day on Nov. 23./.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Projects inaugurated to mark Hanoi’s millennium

Hoa Binh Park in Tu Liem district of Hanoi opened to visitors
on Oct. 8 as a project to mark the capital city’s millennium.

Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan attended the opening ceremony.

The 20-ha park has a 20-tonne bronze peace statue, trees, a 5.4 ha lake, a games house and entertainment facilities.

The same day, the expanded section of Le Van Luong road opened to traffic to mark the 1,000 th anniversary of Hanoi .

The six-lane road with a length of 2.67 km was built at a cost of nearly 700 billion VND (36.8 million USD).

The
road’s operation will contribute to an easing of traffic jams on
Nguyen Trai Road , the national highway No. 6, and facilitate
socio-economic development in the capital city’s western region.

Also
on Oct. 8, young people held a giant programme, including art
performances, exhibitions and street festivals across the country, to
celebrate the millennium anniversary.

The
programme started in Hanoi with an incense offering ceremony at King
Ly Thai To statue in Hanoi and an art performance of 3,500 children
and young people of Hanoi and 65 young foreigners around Hoan Kiem
Lake .

The programme continued with a
performance of dragon and unicorn dances as well as singing and
dancing simultaneously in Hanoi , the central city of Da Nang and
Ho Chi Minh City .

Also in the morning of the
day, 1,000 children drew a large painting on the theme, “I love Hanoi ”
at Hoan Kiem Lake , while performances of songs and dances took
place at universities, colleges and senior high schools nationwide.

As part of the programme, an exhibition of photos and objects was
held around Thien Quang lake in Hanoi . Over 600 photos, documents
and objects were displayed under the theme, “Vietnamese Youth – proud of
1,000 years of Thang Long-Hanoi and National Construction”.

A three-day festival of young people of ASEAN+3 (ASEAN countries and
China , Japan and the Republic of Korea ) was
held from Oct. 6. Festival participants took the occasion to boost
exchanges and establish cooperation in many fields.

Young people from the northern province of Bac Ninh brought a
collage painting, the largest of its kind in Vietnam , to the
festival.

In the evening, a street festival is expected to be held with singing, dancing and a parade around the centre of Hanoi./.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Festival events bring young people to Hanoi

The ASEAN+3 youth festival and “Peaceful melody” art festival opened on
October 6 evening in Hanoi with the participation of 65 youths from 13
countries and 3,000 youths from the capital city.

The event aims to popularise the ASEAN+3 countries’ national images,
people and longstanding cultures and introduce Vietnamese images, people
and the capital city to the world on the occasion of the 1000 th
anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The festival is a
bridge connecting youths from Vietnam with ASEAN+3 countries to share
experiences in many areas, expressing the creativity and solidarity for
an internationally integrated ASEAN.

At the
ceremony, the exhibition on ASEAN+3 cultures with Thang Long-Hanoi
opened, introducing the unique cultures of ASEAN+3 to visitors. The
event will last till October 9.

Earlier in the
morning, Nguyen Dac Vinh, secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth
Union Central Committee (HCMCYY) and chairman of the Vietnamese Students
Association received the head of the ASEAN+3 countries delegation and
presented the HCMCYY insignias to representatives of those countries./.

Birthday gifts to Hanoi put on show

More than 200 works of art, which are gifts from organisations and
individuals at home and abroad to Hanoi, are on display at “The
hearts to Thang Long-Hanoi” exhibition, which opened in the capital city
on October 6.

The works, including paintings, embroidery
work, sculptures, handicrafts and music have been created by Vietnamese
people and foreign friends, showing their affection for the capital city
on its 1,000 th birthday.

One of the exhibits that drew the
attention of many visitors is a shoe in the size 1,000, designed by
Pham Quoc Thang, Director of the TS Milan Shoes Joint Stock Company.

The shoe has a 71cm heel, which is engraved with an ascending dragon.

“The image of the ascending dragon represents the city’s development
as it is beginning to walk abreast with other countries in the world,”
he said.

On the occasion, Hanoi’s People’s
Committee handed over certificates to the individuals and organisations
who have works on display at the exhibition.

Conductor
Claude Brendel from Frances Rouen Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, said
he was happy to receive the certificate on behalf of the composer of
the “One thousand years Thang Long” symphony, Francois Tashdjian.

He added that he was honoured to lead the orchestra playing the symphony in Hanoi to acknowledge the city’s birthday.

One
of the visitors, lawyer Phung Van De from the Hanoi Bar Association
said the exhibits reflect the love and admiration for Hanoi, Vietnam’s
capital city at present and in the future.

The exhibition will be open to public until October 12./.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Photos show national heroes, celebrities

More than 500 items, documents and photos featuring of the land and
people of Vietnam , particularly Vietnamese heroes and cultural
celebrities, went on display at the Vietnam Revolutionary Museum
on Oct. 4.

The exhibition showcases the lives and careers of more than 50 heroes
and famous men of culture, who made great contributions to the country's
national independence, construction and development during different
periods. They include Le Loi - who successfully led the Lam Son
insurrection which ended Ming domination- and Nguyen Trai - a national
hero and cultural celebrity in the 15th century.

Exhibition goers also have a chance to see valuable documents and items
relating to late President Ho Chi Minh, such as the original copy of his
diary in prison and a picture depicting the President with
representatives of children from three regions of the country which was
painted in blood by painter Diep Minh Chau in 1947.

The exhibition, one of many events to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary
of Thang Long-Hanoi, also spotlights the history, development and people
of the capital city.

"The event expresses the
current generation's gratitude to the previous generations who made
great sacrifices for national independence and want to help educate the
younger generation about the country's history and patriotism," said the
museum director Pham Quoc Quan.

"I am deeply moved
to visit the exhibition, which reminds me of historic moments," said
60-year-old Nguyen Thi Phuong My in Hoan Kiem district's Hang Bai
street .

"I am also very happy to see many young
people here, which means that they are interested in the country's
history," she said.

The exhibition will run until December 31.

On the same day, an exhibition featuring famous battles and campaigns
opened in the Vietnam Military History Museum, including the Battle of
Bach Dang river in 938 against the invading forces of the Nanhan of
China, the Dong Da-Ngoc Hoi battle against Qing invaders in 1789, the
battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 against the French colonialists and the
Ho Chi Minh campaign in 1975 that led to the total liberation of South
Vietnam on April 30, 1975.

The exhibition, held to celebrate the capital city's 1,000th birthday, will last one month./.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Art performances celebrate Hanoi’s anniversary

A “Festival of dragon” show performed by Spanish theatre troupe Els
Comediants and Vietnamese artists from the Circus Federation of Vietnam
took place at the My Dinh National Stadium in Tu Liem district, Hanoi
on Oct. 2 to celebrate Hanoi ’s millennium anniversary.

The art programme, which was jointly held by the Ministry of Culture,
Sports and Tourism, the Hanoi People’s Committee and Spanish Embassy,
featured music, acrobatics, dance and spectacular fireworks, depicting
the legend of the birth of the city mixing elements of Vietnamese
culture with a Spanish perspective.

It combined
the musical language and aesthetics of one of Vietnam’s most popular
dragon legends and the Spanish spirit fire to tell about the royal
proclamation of King Ly Thai To to transfer the capital from Hoa Lu to
Thang Long in 1010.

The show started with a dragon
waking up after a long sleep and breathing fire into the sky, to create
the islands of Ha Long Bay. Then the islands become greener and more
beautiful waking up other gods.

The centerpiece of
the stage was a big dragon, ten meters wide and ten meters tall with its
moving eyes to express emotion.

Established 33
years ago, Els Commediants includes a group of artists of different
majors. They staged art performances in many countries across the world,
attracting a large number of fans.

On October 3, a
special art performance themed “Thang Long-Hanoi in Ho Chi Minh era”
took place at Ly Thai To Flower Garden .

The
programme included a phantasmagoria of four chapters reflecting major
events in the history of the country and the capital city from Duy Tan
movement, the birth of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Declaration
of Independence read by the late President Ho Chi Minh on September 2,
1945 to the current cause of national construction.

Spectators swelled with pride in the country’s traditions and the
1,000-year history of the capital city when viewing the images, which
were presented in popular songs about Hanoi./.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Jubilant, solemn programmes to celebrate Hanoi birthday

A jubilant and solemn programme was held in the northern province
of Ninh Binh on Oct. 1 in re-enactment of the announcement of the Royal
Proclamation on the relocation of the capital and the relocation
journey.

The programme started with a ritual at the temple of
King Dinh Tien Hoang and King Le Dai Hanh at the former royal capital of
Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh.

Then drum performance and unicorn and
dragon dances warmed up the atmosphere before King Ly Thai To’s
proclamation to move the capital city was read out.

King Ly Thai
To, who was the first king of the Ly Dynasty, made the strategic
decision to move the country’s capital city from Hoa Lu to Dai La (now
Hanoi ).

Artists from Hanoi and Ninh Binh dressed up as the
King, the Queen and members of the royal court got on a dragon boat to
leave for Hanoi, following the journey of the King in 1010.

The
same day, an exhibition of photos and documents entitled “Ho Chi Minh
City: renewal, development and integration” opened at Lam Son park in Ho
Chi Minh City as an activity to mark the 1,000 th anniversary of Hanoi
and the 9th municipal Party Congress to open on Oct. 5.

The 10-day exhibition is among many other activities being held in the city coinciding with the 10 festive days in Hanoi.

On
this occasion, the city is decorated with flags, colour lights, banners
and slogans to mark Hanoi's birthday and the municipal Party
Congress.

In the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, from late
September, many activities have been organised to celebrate the capital
city’s birthday.

An exhibition of nearly 300 photos of Hanoi
and Thua Thien Hue opened at the provincial Ho Chi Minh Museum and will
run until Oct. 15.

On this occasion, Pham Chi Luong, a craft man
of Truong Son drum establishment of Hue city made a pair of drums
with a height of 2.8m and a diametre of 2.2m for the celebration.

Another
craft man also from Phuong Duc ward of Hue, Nguyen Van Thuy, made a
giant bronze gong for performance at celebrations in Hanoi./.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Numerous activities to be held during Hanoi’s anniversary

Hanoi will organise firework displays in 29 locations on Oct. 10 to mark
the grand ceremony of the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The 15-minute fireworks will be set off following the
end of an artistic fireworks programme at the My Dinh National Stadium
in Tu Liem district on Oct. 10.

Four locations for
high-range display will include Hoan Kiem Lake (Hoan Kiem
district), Ly Tu Trong Garden (Tay Ho district), Thong Nhat
Park (Hai Ba Trung district), and Van Quan Lake (Ha Dong district).

The other 24 locations will be for low-range displays.

Some 31,000 people will participate in the march and parade at the Ba Dinh Square on Oct. 10 to mark the event.

Over 12,000 army soldiers and officers, police and local security force with 10 helicopters will join the march.

The
demonstration will be the largest in Vietnam to display forces and
achievements of Hanoi and the country over the past 1,000 years,
especially those in the national renewal process, the honour of
civilised and heroic capital and the city of peace.

According to
Le Tien Tho, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the event
will begin with a torch procession from the Ho Chi Minh Museum to his
mausoleum and light up at the torch tower. After the tower was light up,
a ceremony to salute the national flag and shooting of 21 battery
salvos will take place. Later, there will be an art performance on
Hanoi .

The event which will be broadcast live by the Vietnam Television will conclude by pigeon and balloon release by 1,000 children.

On Sept. 28, procession of Vietnam ’s largest embroidered picture to Hanoi completed.

Embroidery
artisans held a ceremony to offer the picture as gift for Hanoi ’s
birthday. Pham Quang Nghi, municipal Party Committee Secretary, on
behalf of Hanoi received the gift.

The 4m-long and 3m-wide picture was made by nine artisans of XQ Da Lat embroidery painting company during 1000 days.

The embroidered picture features a brilliant lotus and the letter “S”
for Vietnam in the lotus lake, with a temple, clouds, moon, cranes,
and old villages.

Also on Sept. 28, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) opened a photo exhibition on the 1,000 year-old capital city.

On
display are 100 photos by VNA reporters and its freelance
photographers. They depict Hanoi now and then, President Ho Chi
Minh and Party and government leaders with Hanoi , as well as
historical events of the capital city.

The exhibition will run until Oct. 2.

For the same purpose, a ceramic statue of the old tortoise of Hoan
Kiem Lake made by artisan Tran Do from Hanoi ’s Bat Trang
Pottery Village was handed to the Hanoi Culture-Sports-Tourism
Department on Sept. 28.

The 4-tonne tortoise was made as a replica of the tortoise which is being displayed at the Ngoc Son temple.

The same day, the delegation of Hanoi’s Party’s and People’s
Committees, People’s Council and Fatherland Front paid floral tributes
to Kings Dinh and Le at their temples and King Ly Thai To stele in the
northern province of Ninh Binh on the occasion of the capital’s
birthday.

Hoa Lu is the first ancient capital of the
feudal Vietnamese State and the firm military stronghold of the
Dinh, pre-Le and Ly dynasties for 42 years. One year after ascending the
throne, King Ly Thai To decided to move the capital city from Hoa Ly to
Thang Long (now Hanoi) in 1010./.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Nguyen dynasty woodblocks reproduced

The State Records and Archives Department will present a set of
reproduced woodblocks “Chieu doi Do” (the royal proclamation to change
the capital city) and 1,000 copies of two books on Thang Long-Hanoi
featuring the Nguyen dynasty woodblocks, to the Hanoi People’s Committee
on September 24.

The head of the department Vu
Thi Minh Huong said that the woodblocks are the same size as the
original ones, which are 20x29.5cm and 3cm thick.

The original engraved woodblocks, which were discovered by the
National Archives Centre, were used by King Ly Cong Uan and include 214
Chinese characters.

As part of activities to
mark the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, an exhibition of oil
paintings by Croatian artist Anna Tzarev will also be opened in Hanoi
on September 24.

Her paintings of flowers
originate from a famous porcelain painting “Con duong gom su ven song
Hong” (the path along the banks of the Red River ) which will be opened
on the capital city’s millennial birthday.

Other activities include a performance by 18 Vietnamese circus artists
and 19 from a Spanish troupe at the Dragon festival, at the My Dinh
national stadium in Hanoi on October 2.

The programme will include music, the circus, dancing and a firework display./.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Online dialogue on Thang Long-Hanoi opens

The Vietnamese Communist Party’s online newspaper on September 15 held
an online dialogue themed, “ Thang Long-Hanoi: present and future”.

The readers’s questions focused on how to preserve Thang Long-Hanoi’s
cultural heritage, the preparation for millennial celebrations, the
encroachment of development on Hanoi’s relics, the treatment of
environmental pollution and solutions for the capital city’s
socio-economic development.

In a reply to queries
on Hanoi’s unique characteristics and how to preserve them, Ass.Prof.Dr
Tran Trong Hanh, former head of the Hanoi Architectural University, said
that Hanoi is characterised by its terrain of trees, water and urban
architecture.

In order to preserve them, solutions
should be applied including grading historical cultural heritages and
architectural relics, working out a master plan for urban and
architectural heritage sites, mobilising capital for the preservation
work and enforcing strict regulations to deal with violations as well as
raising the people’s awareness of preserving Hanoi’s distinctive
characteristics.

The event was a chance for readers
to find out how Hanoi upholds traditional cultural values, and learn
about its achievements in all areas, as well as its limitations. Readers
also learnt about Hanoi’s development in the coming decades, especially
effective solutions to build a civil and modern capital city./.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

New anthology celebrates Hanoi’s 1000th birthday

A thousand special copies of a book on the life and times of Hanoi
over 1,000 years, by the leading expert on Hanoi , Nguyen Vinh Phuc
will be sold to herald the capital city’s millennial celebration.

Nguyen Minh Nhut, Director of the Young Publishing House which published
the book, said that these special copies will be available at the third
Hanoi International Book Fair from September 17-21, at the Giang Vo
Exhibition Centre in Hanoi .

According to Nhut, the limited addition of only 1,000 copies printed on high quality paper will also be signed by the author.

The
books will be numbered beginning at 1010, the year when King Ly Cong
Uan announced he was moving the capital city from Ninh Binh to Hanoi ,
with the last copy numbered 2010.

Those copies whose number
coincides with the year during nation witnessed major events, such as
1975 when the country became reunified, will be put to auction to raise
fund for charitable activities.

With more than 1,000 facts about
the history and culture of Thang Long-Hanoi, Phuc’s book is basically an
encyclopedia on Hanoi , and won him a prize from The Thao-Van Hoa
(Sports&Culture) newspaper and the Bui Xuan Phai Foundation in 2009./.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Third Int’l book fair to celebrate Hanoi birthday

The third Vietnam International Book Fair will be held in Hanoi
from Sept. 17-21 as part of activities to mark the 1,000th anniversary
of the capital city.

Nearly 80 publishing
houses, book distribution companies, book stores and printing
establishments across the country will display their publications at the
event.

The Frankfurt centre for international
book fairs and exhibitions will bring 800 books to the fair and plans
to present them to the National Library.

Meanwhile, the Chinese press and publication general office will bring to the fair 2,610 book titles and 2,685 books.

In addition, about 30 foreign publishing houses and book distributors will take part in the event.

Prominent
at the fair will be the historic book which includes the full text of
King Ly Thai To’s decree to relocate the capital city to Hanoi, and
many objects and publications on Thang Long-Hanoi.

During the biennial fair there will be seminars, exchanges between
writers, publishing houses and readers and a ceremony to launch the book
on the 1,000th celebration of Thang Long-Hanoi./.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Exhibition of photos of Hanoi past and present

More than 100 black and white photos by photo-journalists from the
Vietnam News Agency (VNA) chronicling Hanoi from the past until the
present day are on display in Hanoi .

Speaking at the opening ceremony on August 23 for the “Hanoi-the heart
of motherland” exhibition, VNA’s Deputy General Director Nguyen Duc Loi
said the exhibition reflects the capital city’s glorious history during
the country’s struggles for national independence and construction as
well as simple images from days gone past.

He said
that VNA’s staff, along with people the length and breadth of the
nation, are reverently welcoming the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang
Long-Hanoi, which is in October this year.

Apart
from the documentary photos of Hanoi in the past, there are also
images of late President Ho Chi Minh and other state leaders as well as
of the capital city in its struggle for freedom during the US and
French wars and the industrialisation and modernisation process.

The exhibition will last until August 29./.

Friday, February 18, 2011

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