Canada, UK hold education events in October

HCMC and Hanoi will each hold two big educational events this month - the Canadian Education Fair and Education UK Week 2010.

The Consulate General of Canada in HCMC will host its biggest Canadian Education Fair so far with the participation of almost 70 Canadian education institutions, representing the full range of some of the best education options from kindergarten to Grade 12, to college and university. The fair will also be organized in Hanoi by the embassy.

Two scholarship programs - Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and Sauvé Scholars Program will be introduced at the fair. The first attracts and retains world-class doctoral students to Canadian universities by supporting individuals who demonstrate strong leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in health, natural sciences, engineering, humanities and social sciences. This program provides 500 Canadian and international doctoral students with highly prestigious scholarships valued at 50,000 Canadian dollars per year for three years. The Sauvé Scholars Program exists for young leaders under the age of 30 from across the globe who want to change the world.  Each year, up to 14 remarkable young leaders are invited to come to Montreal for the academic calendar year.

The fairs will be at the Melia Hotel in Hanoi on October 24 and the InterContinental Asiana Hotel Saigon in HCMC on October 30 from 1p.m. to 7p.m.

For Education UK Week, nearly 60 representatives of UK universities, colleges and high schools will visit  Hanoi, HCMC and Danang on October 23, 26 and 28 respectively.

As part of the Week, a UK Alumni Gala will be held for the UK Alumni Vietnam on October 22 in Hanoi and on October 24 in HCMC. The Alumni Gala will have fashion and music shows showcasing Vietnam-UK collaboration and creativity.

During the week, representatives of Vietnamese universities will share their experience in establishing and managing joint education programs between Vietnam and the UK. Two workshops on the topic will be held at the Foreign Trade University in Hanoi on October 22 and at the University of Transport in HCMC on October 25.

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Festivities for Hanoi’s 1000th anniversary off to a shaky start

Students Tuan (L) and Thuy at Ho Guom Lake on the morning of October 1

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Hanoi 1000’s anniversary is, not unlike other events of such magnitude, a cash generating opportunity for many local businesses whether of a formal or informal nature.

Inflated prices and aggressive sellers

Hundreds of photographers around Hoan Kiem Lake earn a living by taking instant photos of willing tourists at a rate of roughly VND 20.000 (US$1) for shot.

On the morning of October 1 the price of a photo was up to VND50,000 - 70,000 ($2.5-$3.5). By the afternoon some photographers were aggressively pursuing costumers.

“I must have already taken some 10 photos and spent lots of money yet they still hassle me to buy more”, a visitor from Thanh Chuong District in the central province of Nghe An said.

As beverages and souvenirs vendors joined the price-hike madness, bottled water could not be found at less than VND20,000 for half-a-litter bottle.

Shuttles to the festivities: Free yet unsatisfactory

Free shuttles were scheduled to transport visitors to and from the sites of the main festivities between 6am and 8pm. However, passengers who showed up at My Dinh bus station, one of the pick-up points, complained of wait times exceeding one hour.

In addition to the long wait, passengers voiced frustration about poorly designed bus routes taking an unreasonable amount of time to get them to their destination.

“The bus route from My Dinh bus station to the festival site involved a huge detour around Thanh Xuan district amounting to a 10-kilometer stretch of road,” Vu Van Hung from the Son La northern province complained.

Nguyen Thi Vui from Co Nhue commune in Tu Liem District in Hanoi reported in distress after being yelled at by unfriendly bus attendants after asking for directions to the festival upon being dropped off at the end of the route.

Disrupted routines

On October 1 many Hanoians struggled to get to their place of employment, especially if their route passed by the downtown area around Hoan Kiem Lake due to several streets closed off for the festivities and the unusually high volume of traffic.

In the coming days, especially from October 7 to 10, many city roads will be closed off to traffic. No measures were taken to alleviate inconveniences for residents having to go to work.

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Ha Noi plans fun celebration

All dressed up: Ly Thai To Garden is readied for the opening ceremony of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Ha Noi on Friday. — VNS Photo Truong Vi

HA NOI — A fun-filled phantasmagoria of activities will take place in the city on Friday to celebrate the capital's millennium.

The opening ceremony take place at Ly Thai To Garden and around Hoan Kiem Lake.

Following a worshipping ceremony dedicated to King Ly Thai To, who oversaw the transfer of the capital from Hoa Lu (in the northern province of Ninh Binh) to Thang Long (former name of Ha Noi) in 1010, city officials will be presented with an official certificate from UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova recognising Thang Long Citadel as a world heritage site.

Pigeons will be released to mark the occasion.

Around Hoan Kiem Lake and in front of the Opera House five stages have been erected to celebrate the occasion.

On the opening night there will be an ao dai (long traditional dress) show featuring more than 1,000 local designs. Models will walk along a 370m-long catwalk from the The Huc Bridge to Dinh Tien Hoang Street.

The show will be broadcast live on Viet Nam Television's VTV1, VTV4, VTV5 channels and HCM City Television's HTV1, HTV9, and re-screened on CNN, BBC, KBS, CNBC and Bloomberg.

Between October 1 and 10, as many as 245 art shows by domestic troupes and 38 shows by international artists will take place every night throughout the city.

In addition, there will be dozens of exhibitions at the Viet Nam Centre for Exhibition, Culture and Arts and at the Giang Vo Exhibition Centre. There will also be a photo exhibition at the Ha Noi Exhibition House.

A carnival will also take place on October 8.

Around West Lake, from October 6-10, food-lovers will be able to sample local delicacies from across the country.

Meanwhile, at Ba Dinh Square on October 10, there will be a parade of the armed forces and local residents numbering an estimated 31,000. There will also be an art show at the My Dinh National Convention Centre on the final day of the celebrations.

A full list of the millennial celebrations is available on page 27. — VNS

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