Buddhist Sangha publishes block calendar for holiday

HCM CITY — A special block calendar featuring Buddhist pagodas across Viet Nam is proving popular amongs monks, nuns and Buddhists countrywide, even though The Year of the Cat is still two months away.

The block calendar is the first to be published by the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha Central Dharma Executive Council in cooperation with the Loc Tai System Joint-Stock Company and Thoi Dai Publishing House.

It contains 365 tear-off pages featuring quotes from the Buddha and 365 photos of Viet Nam's popular and historic Buddhist pagodas in HCM City and throughout the country, all taken by photographer Vo Van Tuong.

Tuong said he chose the best photos among tens of thousands of photos of pagodas in Viet Nam that he had taken over a 30-year period.

"Apart from old photos, I also spent a month travelling across the country to take new photos for the calendar."

The calendar publishers have issued 30,000 copies of the 4.5 by 20.5-cm calendars and 10,000 20 by 30-cm calendars, priced at VND80,000 (US$4) and VND180,000 ($9), respectively.

"We hope the calendar will be a New Year gift that the Viet Nam Buddha Sangha will give to monks as well as Buddhists across the country," said the Most Venerable Thich Thuong Toan, deputy director of the Buddhist Sangha Central Dharma Executive Council's Economics and Finance Department.

The calendar blocks can be purchased at bookstores at pagodas in HCM City and across the country.

Calendar market

Apart from the block calendar from the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha, this year's calendars include a wide range of subjects from traditional pictures to well landscapes.

According to calendar sellers in HCM City, local publishers have released block calendars featuring Ha Noi landscapes and historical sites in 3D to celebrate the 1,000 anniversary of the capital.

Tran Thi Hoai, owner of a calendar shop in District 5, said the most prominent calendar for 2011 was Lich su Viet Nam (History of Viet Nam), featuring 365 paintings about Viet Nam's history from the beginning to the reunification day in 1975.

Large and extra-large block calendars sized 25 by 45 and 40 by 60 are also popular this year. They are usually bought for gifts for relatives and friends.

The price of small – and medium-sized block calendars currently ranges from VND6,000 ($0.2) to VND20,000 ($0.5) while larger ones are VND260,000-600,000 ($13-30).

According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, local publishers are registered to produce 16.4 million copies of block calendars this year. — VNS

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Hue centre fails in bid to buy royal painting

Artist in exile: Chieu Ta (Sunset), an oil on canvas by former King Ham Nghi (1802–1945), went to an unnamed bidder at auction in Paris. — VNS Photo/Courtesy Hue Monuments Conservation Centre.

THUA THIEN – HUE — The Hue Monuments Conservation Centre outbid at an auction in Paris on an artwork painted by former King Ham Nghi of Viet Nam.

A diplomat at the Vietnamese Embassy in France who represented the centre at the auction at Millon&Associes submitted a bid of 8,000 euros (US$11,784) for the Chieu Ta or Decline dur Jour (Sunset), an oil on canvas by King Ham Nghi.

But the highest bid was 8,800 euros ($12,962), said Nguyen Van Phuc, head of the Centre's External Relations Division.

The reserve price was between $1,100 and $1,700.

Phuc said the centre decided to join the auction because it had recognised the historical value of the painting, an art work related to the Nguyen dynasty (1802 – 1945).

A number of Viet kieu (overseas Vietnamese) in France, who wanted to donate the painting to the centre, were unhappy that they could not purchase the painting.

King Ham Nghi, the eighth ruler of the Nguyen dynasty, ascended to the throne in 1884 and ruled for one year, during which he led the Can Vuong resistance movement against the French.

In 1888 he was arrested and exiled in Algeria, where he died in 1943. He was buried in 1965 in Aquitaine, France.

He painted Chieu Ta in 1915 while in exile. It is thought to be influenced by the works of Paul Gauguin, a leading French post-impressionist artist who lived in the 19th century.

Phuc said through the Vietnamese Embassy in France and the Association of Overseas Vietnamese in the country that the centre would contact King Ham Nghi's daughter, Princess Nhu Ly, the owner of many paintings by her father, to ask for transfer of ownership of these art works, to the city of Hue. — VNS

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European Music Festival features performances by Austrian duo

HA NOI — The Austrian duo z.b.+ performs in Ha Noi tomorrow as part of this year's European Music Festival.

Christof Dienz is a classically-trained musician who played bassoon for the Vienna Opera Orchestra during the 1990s, touring extensively with that organisation before discovering the zither. His 2005 album Dienz Zithered received the Pasticcio Award from the Austrian cultural radio station O1 for an exceptional Austrian CD, and Dienz was presented the SKE award in 2006. He also won a number of other prizes and appeared at music festivals around the world.

Bassist Matthias Pichler studied studied jazz at the Anton Bruckner University in Linz. He has received the Hans Koller Jazz Prize twice and was named Best Sideman of the Year in 2006. Last month, Pichler won first prize in the International Double Bass Convention in Berlin.

The duo's debut performance will take place at the Youth Theatre at 11 Ngo Thi Nham Street, Ha Noi. They will then appear in HCM City on Monday for a performance at the Conservatory of Music, 112 Nguyen Du Street, District 1.

China publishes book on Ho Chi Minh to celebrate 60 years of relations

Beijing — China 's World Knowledge Publishing House has published a book on President Ho Chi Minh on the occasion of the 60th founding anniversary of the China-Viet Nam diplomatic ties.

The 296-page book titled Ho Chi Minh – A Legendary Life is authored by former Chinese Ambassador to Viet Nam Li Jia Zhong. It is divided into four chapters following the president's life since his young days until he wrote the famous testament: his journey abroad to seek the way to liberate the country, his leadership in the August Revolution and the struggles against the French colonialists and the US aggressors as well as stories about Ho Chi Minh with many photos.

In the foreword of the book, the head of the China Diplomatic Writers Association Wang Chou praised President Ho as a great leader of the Vietnamese people and a close friend of the Chinese people.

Wang said the President had devoted all his life to national liberation and independence and stood side by side with the Chinese people in the most difficult time of its revolution.

"With a revolutionary spirit and an upright life, Ho Chi Minh is forever a bright example for us to follow," he said.

Circular issued on management of excavated, salvaged properties

HCM CITY — The Ministry of Finance has issued a building circular on a Government decree on the management of excavated or salvaged properties found in Viet Nam.

The decree 96/2009/ND-CP, which took effect on October 30, 2009, concerns the authority and liability of relevant agencies over the management of excavated or salvaged properties discovered by individuals or organisations.

Under the circular 88/2010/TT-BTC, the Government must set up a council to assess the value of properties, pay the fees for exploring, excavating and salvaging the properties, and disburse the value of the properties and reward the individuals or organisations that found the properties.

Any disbursement must be in accordance with current financial management regulations, according to the circular.

Many old ships have been found under the seas in the provinces of Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Kien Giang, Quang Nam, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau and others.

Many antiques salvaged from the ships have been transferred to national museums for management, preservation and display under regulations of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. — VNS

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Arts journal now also in English

Bowled over: Studies on Vietnamese Fine Arts Scientific Information Bulletin 2008 includes articles on ancient and contemporary fine arts. — VNS Photo Truong Vi

HA NOI — The Viet Nam University of Fine Arts's Institute of Fine Arts has published an English translation of its annual academic bulletin Studies on Vietnamese Fine Arts Scientific Information 2008, with plans to issue translations of the 2009 and 2010 editions next year.

The bulletin, a yearbook of the fine arts scene, has been published annually since 2002 and has been warmly received by experts for its form and full-colour content. The 300-page, lavishly illustrated 2008 edition contains articles on ancient and contemporary fine arts and applied arts.

"It has been commissioned to function as a bridge between Vietnamese fine arts and the world as well as a forum in which artists and researchers exchange their views on academic issues," said Institute of Fine Arts director Le Anh Van.

Printed by The Gioi (World) Publishers, the journal will be issued for free to research institutes, fine arts colleges and universities, libraries, galleries, diplomatic organisations and cultural centres.

"About seven years ago, I had a chance to visit South Korea's National Museum of Fine Arts and realised that many Vietnamese paintings were respectfully displayed in the halls," said the director of the The Gioi Publishers, Tran Doan Lam.

"The director of the museum told me that they were interested in learning more about Vietnamese fine arts but could find very few documents in English. I promised him that we would publish a work in English to serve international researchers. Now my promise has come true." — VNS

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Rival for old ceramics village

by Cong Thanh

Theme park: A craftsman makes a clay jar at Minh Hai craft village in Gia Lam District, Ha Noi. Tourists can practice pottery-making skills during a visit to the site.

A new craft village site, the Minh Hai ceramic village, which has been built near the Bat Trang ceramic village, began welcoming tourists last month, and offers more choice for tourists looking for a day out from Ha Noi.

Bat Trang Village is a well-known half-day tour from Ha Noi, but the new site will offer travellers more choices in exploring a large natural site with folk performances and a backdrop modelled in the typical style of craft villages in the northern delta region.

The 10-ha Vietnamese art village displays different traditional handicraft trades, such as ceramics, silk, woodwork and bamboo.

A lake stage has been set up at the site to feature traditional Vietnamese folk performances such as cheo (traditional opera), chau van (spiritual music), quan ho (love duet) ca tru (ceremonial singing), and water puppetry twice a day every Saturday and Sunday.

Visits cost from VND150,000 (US$7.5) to VND300,000 ($15) for a day-time tour.

The cost includes pottery practices, cultural performances, lunch and fishing from the lake.

Getting there

What's for dinner? Different galleries in the Minh Hai craft village display tri-coloured ceremic products, a unique ceramic product of northern Viet Nam. — VNS Photos Hoai Nam

The site is situated near Bat Trang Village, near the foot of the Red River dyke, and is a 20-minute bus journey from the city centre. The No 47 bus leaves from Long Bien station to Bat Trang Village every 15 minutes from 5.30am to 8.20pm daily.

The bus route winds the 12km river dyke from Chuong Duong Bridge to the east and runs across the site gate, which is 300m from Bat Trang.

Visitors can explore both the site and Bat Trang Village over a few hours.

Hanoian Nghiem Huyen Trang and her friends visited the site as soon as it opened last month.

The 19-year-old student said she preferred taking a motorbike rather than the bus along the river dyke road, but the unfinished road was particularly dusty. However, the Hanoian had a perfect day at the site after touring the ceramic village on a buffalo-drawn cart.

The group also saw water puppetry shows, pottery, reading and fishing with lunch on a raft.

Trang, who grew up in the Old Quarter, said she enjoyed the peace and quiet of the place, just 20-minutes from the crowded city centre.

"I still remember the dust and smoke emitted by the kilns in Bat Trang Village a few years ago when I first visited, but I'm excited by the new craft village site," Trang said.

"I was clumsy when trying the pottery and fishing, but it was interesting to give it a go as I'm a city girl. It was great when we caught some fish from the raft," she said.

Pottery gallery

Nguyen Minh Hai, the owner of the Minh Hai craft village, designed the gate of the site in the shape of a pottery-kiln, while pavilions and stilt houses surround a big lake.

The passageway imitates a stream with dotted stepping-bricks in the middle.

Hai, 40, who has 20 years of experience in the tourism and pottery industries, wanted the site to offer a new look at traditional ceramic villages.

"Bat Trang Village has been long-known as a pottery centre, but it's not easy to promote it as a charming destination due to its polluted environment. Although villagers have introduced gas furnaces to replace coal-fired kilns," said Hai.

"I launched the cart-buffalo service 10 years ago, but I want to lure tourists with a new tourist product," he added.

The site has different galleries showcasing silks from Van Phuc Village in Ha Dong town; brocade weaving from Sa Pa; wooden furniture, rattan and bamboo products, terracotta from Bau Truc in Ninh Thuan Province and precious stone from Yen Bai Province.

"It's like a miniature centre for Vietnamese craft villages. I even made myself a flower pot with the help of a craftsman in the ceramic workshop," said Tran Thanh Van.

Van, 28, a shop assistant from Ha Noi, said she was glad to make the clay pot within half an hour.

Craftsman Nguyen Van Doanh, 36, instructs visitors practising with porcelain clay.

"I teach them how to form thing with hands and a slab-roller. It lets them do a bit of handicraft," Doanh said.

"Tourists can take home unfinished things that they make themselves. We want to let visitors have a bit of fun for a few hours."

The tour closes with cultural performances. — VNS

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Vietnamese tunes to swing along to big jazz band

HA NOI — Popular Vietnamese songs will be presented in jazz arrangements by a big band led by the nation's leading jazz musician and impresario, Quyen Van Minh, in a concert in Ha Noi next Monday.

Tenor saxophone player Minh and his 16-piece band first performed Vietnamese songs in swing arrangements last April during the Jazz & Vietnamese Songs tour through Ha Noi, Hai Phong and HCM City. The shows were an initial experiment in combining Vietnamese and American music styles, said Minh, who is also the owner of Minh's Jazz Club in Ha Noi.

In addition to a programme of Vietnamese songs, the band in Monday's concert will perform such jazz standards as In the Mood, I've Got You under My Skin, and They Can't Take That Way from Me.

Guest artists will include singer Tung Duong, winner of the 2004 Sao Mai Diem Hen (Morningstar Rendezvous) singing contest, and Minh Bien, an amateur singer from HCM City.

"While Tung Duong is a very popular singer in Viet Nam, Minh Bien will be a surprise for audiences since he possesses a very good voice," Minh said.

The Monday's concert to be entitled Quyen Van Minh and Friends with Jazz will take place at the Ha Noi Opera House at 8pm. Tickets, priced at VND300-500,000, are available at the Opera House or at Minh's Jazz Club, 92 Tran Vu Street. — VNS

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Viet Nam tops travel polls

Viet Nam has emerged as one of the top destinations for travellers from Thailand, Australia, Japan, and Singapore, a recent survey compiled by Visa and the Pacific Asia Travel Association found.

The survey polled 6,714 respondents in 13 countries and territories and found that among travellers most likely to visit Viet Nam in the next two years, 17 per cent are from Thailand, 16 per cent are from Australia, and 11 per cent are from Japan and Singapore.

Most of the potential tourists listed natural scenery, new places, and affordability as their main motivation for visiting Viet Nam.

They plan to budget more than US$1,200 for their next vacation and pay more for good food and opportunities to experience a new culture.

Food festival month arrives

Rice dishes from around the country and cuisines from around the world will feature at two food and culture festivals to be held in HCM City in December.

Hat Lua Que Toi (My Country's Rice Grain), to be held at the Binh Quoi Tourist Park in Binh Thanh District from December 10 to 12, will showcase some 100 rice dishes.

From December 27 to January 3, the HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will host the Tastes of the World 2010 festival at the September 23 Park in District 1.

It will feature food from 20 countries.

Viet Nam promo in Egypt

Representatives from Egyptian travel agencies attended a seminar held by the Vietnamese embassy in Egypt to promote Vietnamese tourism on Monday.

Besides screening a short film on Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha-Ke Bang, Sa Pa, Da Lat, and some beautiful beaches, the embassy also provided participants a full list of Vietnamese travel agencies and information about the country's economic potential.

Ambassador Pham Sy Tam told them that Viet Nam is a safe and ideal destination for tourists.

Air link from Da Nang to Japan

On December 15 Vietnam Airlines will launch a new route from Da Nang to Narita on the outskirts of the Japanese capital Tokyo.

Seven flights per week will fly the route which will go through HCM City to Japan, departing Da Nang at 2.55am and arriving in Narita at 1.20pm.

After March 31, Vietnam Airlines will begin flying directly between Da Nang and Narita.

The carrier also begins direct flights between the central city and Hong Kong today.

Binh Thuan delays yacht festival

The first international sailing festival in Binh Thuan Province, scheduled to be held from December 8 to 11, has been pushed back to January 15 – 18 due to bad weather.

Le Thi Thanh Lien, deputy director of the province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the organisers fear the weather will affect the yachts' performance.

Binh Thuan will host the race together with the Viet Nam National Administration for Tourism, Viet Nam Airlines, and XT AsiaINC.

It will feature around 200 yachts cruising from Mui Ne to Cape Ke Ga and Hoa Thang Beach. — VNS

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