Clean green transport means around Hue

A visit to Hue City is not complete without drifting on the Huong River to come face to face with the beauty of the imperial land. With an eco-tour along the Huong River by bicycle and kayak, we had a chance to learn more about the daily life of the locals living on the riversides and to admire the simple beauty of Phu Mong-Kim Long Garden, Thien Mu Pagoda and Sinh folk painting village.

The tour can be booked at the Hue Festival Service Center under the management of Huong Giang Tourist Company.

Departing at 7:30 a.m. by bicycle for Phu Mong-Kim Long Garden, we savored the lush greenery at either side of our path and the ongoing lullaby sung by the Huong River, as well as Truong Tien Bridge and Ngo Mon Square. Over 6km of pedaling gave us time to consider the Nguyen Dynasty in the cool of morning.

In 30 minutes we were there. The Garden of Eden couldn’t have been much nicer than this. The eye-soothing carpet of green and the comforting scent of native tress in the prime of their lives make the perfect background for the bright colors of the fruits and flowers and the sounds of the birds on the wing. Nature does not provide all the art as here there are samples of man’s creativity carved permanently into stone. Scattered randomly around the garden are many old wooden houses which are worth looking into for the sake of their style.

From the garden we headed for Thien Mu Pagoda, the oldest pagoda in Hue City which was built during the Nguyen Dynasty. Located beside the picturesque Huong River, the pagoda adds its considerable charm to this beautiful natural setting.

After discovering the pagoda’s well preserved original architecture with its accompaniment of elegant embellishments and recharging ourselves with the comforting peace of its sanctuary, we folded our limbs into kayaks for a trip along the Huong River to see Sinh folk painting village. Drifting on the river for nearly an hour, we had a chance to join the residents of Hen Islet in their trading at Dong Ba Market and to contemplate the charm of Bao Vinh old city.

We landed at Tien Non Wharf in a peaceful swathe of bamboo covered countryside. To get into the center of the folk painting village, we mounted bicycles again and started out on a tree lined path and pushed on through the shafts of sunlight.

At the village, we visited artist Ky Huu Phuoc at his home. It was educational to see the artisans painting with traditional materials and tools and then to see the local farmers working the rice fields, the vegetable patches and the flower gardens.

(Source: SGT)

Hanoi introduces five tours to craft villages

Hanoi’s Department of Industry and Trade is putting together five tours of the city’s traditional craft villages to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The tours, which are scheduled to start this month, include a one-day tour to the Chuon Ngo pearl inlay village, Thang Loi embroidery village, Ha Thai lacquer village, Phu Vinh bamboo and rattan village and an extended tour to Van Phuc silk and Son Dong sculpture villages.

A tour of Bat Trang ceramic and Kieu Ky gold-leaf villages is also planned.

The department has also selected a number of typical workshops and old houses of architectural interest to be visited during the tours.

(Source: VNA)

Vietnamese cuisine attracts visitors at fair in Belgium

Vietnam is one of 29 countries to participate in annual Asia-Pacific Women Association (APWA) Bazaar held in Brussels, Belgium on June 12.

This year Vietnam as ASEAN president actively took part in all the bazaar’s activities. In addition to skillful handicraft products, the Vietnamese booth attracted visitors with traditional food such as pork pies, spring rolls, fried shrimp in batter, fried rice and stir-fried vermicelli. The conical hat dance presented by Vietnamese girls was particularly praised by international friends.

The annual APWA Bazaar aims to raise funds for education and healthcare activities and minimize the aftermath of natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. It also provides regional countries a good opportunity to introduce their special culture through culinary arts, handicraft products, ethnic minority costumes and traditional dances.

All money raised at the bazaar will help poor and disabled children in Samoa, Sri Lanka and the Belgian DAMIAANACTIE charitable organization.

APWA was established through the initiative of the ambassadors’ wives of Asia –Pacific countries in Belgium and the EU. Over the past 7 years, APWA has organized fairs to raise funds for women and children in countries which face difficulties or natural disasters.

(Source: VOV)

Japan shows contemporary art works

As many as 42 contemporary art works made their debut in Vietnam at an exhibition opened on June 12 in Ho Chi Minh City.

The works by 11 Japanese artists covered including paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs and video clips.

They focused on the daily life, highlighting the authors own sentiment and philosophy.

The exhibition titled “Future journey: Japan’s new generation fine arts”, jointly organised by the Japanese Consulate-General in HCM City and the Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam, will last till June 21.

(Source: VNA)

8 records set at Hue Festival 2010

The Vietnam Record Book has recognized 8 new records set during the eventful nine-day Hue Festival 2010.

The first record was an impressive 90-minute reenaction of “the Navy manoeuvre under the Nguyen Dynasty” with the participation of 1,200 artists and 70 fighting boats. The performance brought back the heroic memory of our ancestors. Another record was the performance of the “Voyage to Reclaim the Country’s Land” performed on the largest stage ever in front of the Flag Tower (Ky Dai).

The other records set were “The Breath of Water”, the first play showcased on a water stage; the biggest paper collage made by one person; a festival street showcasing the most pictures in one street; the display of a thousand kites on Trang Tien Bridge; the most ways of writing the Chinese character Long (Dragon) in hand-written calligraphic letters; and the agency to hold the most traditional Hue royal festival programmes: the Hue Royal Vestige Preservation Center.

(Source: VOV)

Traditional offering ritual takes place in Hue

The Nam Giao offering ritual, part of the Hue Festival 2010, took place on Nam Giao esplanade in the central city of Hue on the June 9 evening.

The event, which drew the participation of tens of thousands of local people and tourists, is one of the traditional rites under the Nguyen Dynasty featuring the desire for prosperity and peace to the nation and favourable weather.

Building on the success of previous festivals, the Offering Ritual this year was precisely restored its ceremonial process as it had been in the feudal era of Vietnam.

Nam Giao Esplanade is an open-air monument in the south of ancient Hue Citadel. The model of architecture bears both the religious and political significance of Oriental feudalism. It was built in 1806, based on the dogma of heaven fate of Confucianism. The structure of the terraces also shows the misunderstanding deriving from old thoughts on the Universe of the prior times: circular heavens and square earth. The esplanade has been restored and recognised by the UNESCO as the world’s heritage since 1993.

(Source: VNA)

Tourism body to select channels for new publicity programs

The executive committee of the National Tourism Action Program will select international television channels this week to promote the culture and tourism image of the country worldwide, an official said.

Nguyen Van Tinh, Director of the International Cooperation Bureau under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that his bureau would submit plans to make publicity programs on international television channels like CNN, BBC, StarSports and Discovery to the committee. The bureau was planning another program to make similar programs on international magazines, especially those specializing in culture and tourism.

“I think that the committee will choose only one channel due to the high cost. In this year, our bureau is focusing on programs on international magazines because of lower prices than on television channels,” he said.

According to Tinh, after the publicity program on CNN channel in 2007, the bureau has made one more program on the channel last year along with the program on London-based BBC channel and some international magazines.

“We want to continue on CNN and BBC but the advertising prices are higher than last year,” Tinh said.

The bureau has received discounts of around 30 to 40% for programs on CNN and BBC last year. Such channels have quoted prices of more than US$300,000 for each similar program this year.

“We will have a budget of around VND15 billion for all activities in this year so we are giving priority to budget publicity programs like inviting representatives of foreign media to the country (for familiarization trips),” Tinh said.

Of the guests, a group from Channel 4 of the Chinese CCTV channel has visited the country, and a film about Vietnam’s culture and tourism is to be broadcasted on the channel on September 2.

Along with the bureau, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) is also carrying activities to promote the culture and tourism image worldwide.

According to Tinh, his bureau is organizing culture and tourism festivals in foreign countries like the festivals in South Korea and Japan this month, while VNAT is focusing on specific programs for the tourism sector like tourism road shows, and participation in tourism fairs abroad.

VNAT has reported that nearly 351,000 international visitors visited the country last month, bringing the total number of such visitors during January-May to more than 2.1 million, up 32.2% year-on-year.

(Source: SGT)