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)
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.
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 works by 11 Japanese artists covered including paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs and video clips.
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 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.
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.
The performances are scheduled to take place at the Viet Bac Arts and Culture College in northern Thai Nguyen on June 14, the Hanoi Opera House in Hanoi on June 16 and the August Theatre in Haiphong on June 17.
The programme, staged by thousands of actors, actresses and musicians, was one of the main activities during the Hue Festival 2010 was dedicated to the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi capital city.
The Head of Marketing Division of the company Sitthideth Douangsith said on June 7 that the new service aims to meet the growing demand of buoyed by the rapid development of economic relationship between the two countries.
The lake’s name is associated with the famous Truoi region in the central city of Hue including Truoi Mountain, Truoi River, Truoi Village and the Truoi people. The lake is a hydroelectric work built in 1996 and makes a strong impression with its crystal water and poetic surroundings. The lake has a 50m embankment and a capacity of 60 million cubic meters of water.
The document encourages cooperation and exchanges between travel agents of the two cities. Accordingly, the two sides will build, develop, promote and popularise their tourism products and tours, link official tourism websites to share information and tap the potential of tourism resources.
100m² of the center sells books, magazines and compact discs for visitors to understand the country and its people, history and scenic spots.
The festival, themed “Medicine and Public Health”, covers public health issues such as research on how to prevent cancer, new infectious diseases and ways of preventing high blood pressure and diabetes.
The pace of economic growth, while fast is more orderly than in the larger cities, and the city promises to become a major destination for tourists.
Presented by the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, the Hue Fine Arts Through Prints of Royal Architectural Patterns exhibition is part of Festival Hue that started on June 6.
In HCMC, the holiday makers are scheduled to visit a number of places of interest, including historical sites, Cu Chi Tunnels and Ben Thanh Market, see water puppetry shows and enjoy traditional Vietnamese cuisine.
For Momentum of the River's Flow, Les Horvat, an Australian photographer proposes thirty-four photographs depicting the length and breadth of Vietnam's cultural and historical landscape.
The event, to be held in HCMC's Phu Tho Stadium, is part of a larger programme orgainsed by the Mekong Delta Economic Co-operation-Kien Giang Forum 2010.
Who touring Quy Nhon City in Binh Dinh Province should visit Ghenh Rang, an area of pristine beaches such as Bai Bang, Bai Xep, Bai Rang and Bai Dai. These beaches offer privacy for honeymoons or summer vacations.
The French artists took part in five different kinds of events including exhibitions, installation art, street acts, music and drama.
Roam, a captivating journey performed by five stunning dancers plunges the audience into a world of swinging sub-bass and complex percussion, with especially commissioned tracks from producer/composer Shackleton and drum&bass Sion.
The stele, which is 1.6m wide, 2m high and 1.4m thick, shows sophisticatedly-carved characters on both of its sides.
According to ITPC’s Director Tu Minh Thien, who is also head of the organising board, the 300-stand exhibition will showcase the economic achievements that Vietnam and HCMC in particular have made in a wide range of areas, including processed products, agricultural materials, interior decor, garments, footwear, tourism, hospitality, banking, security and insurance.
The book "Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi" (Essays on the Great United Vietnam) written by historians at the time of King Tu Duc (1847-1883) under the Nguyen Dynasty, described the Pagoda's location as follows on the top of the hill, there are many old trees, wild flowers and plants. Along the hillside, there are caves and grottoes and streams, and the houses of local residents. The entire environment is very tranquil."
Traditional Vietnamese products such as the long dress (ao dai), hats made of the finest quality latania leaves (non bai tho) and lacquer paintings caught the attention of many visitors to Vietnam’s stalls.
Mrs. Hoang Thi Diep – Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Mr. Nguyen Phu Duc – President of Vietnam Tourism Association, and representatives from The Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports & Tourism, district people’s committees in Hanoi, national and local press and representatives from hotels and tourism companies attended the conference.
Attracting more than 200 domestic and foreign businesses with over 500 booths, the fair showcases socio-economic and cultural achievements of Thua Thien-Hue Province and other localities across the country. It also displays products from Thailand, Laos among handicraft and specialties of different regions. During the six-day event, seminars and investment promotion forums will also be held to foster the regional economic development.
Through 110 photos and 73 paintings made of different materials, including lacquer, silk, oil and sculpture, the artists have depicted land and people in five ancient capital cities of Phu Tho, Ninh Binh, Hanoi, Thanh Hoa and Hue, highlighting Vietnam’s traditional cultural values.
The opening ceremony, which saw the attendance of Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong, included performances by artists from France, Japan, China, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Belgium. With the theme “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development”, the Hue Festival this year, from June 5-13, will have a wide range of large-scale, impressive cultural shows.
The 1km² site is surrounded by the Phuong Hoang and Ky Lan mountain ranges so it is perfectly still and poetic. During the Tran Dynasty, the site was one of three centers of Truc Lam Zen along with Yen Tu and Quynh Lam.
The event is jointly held by the RoK Cultural Centre in Vietnam and the Folk Music Academy of Busan City.
The Cooperative Achievement between the Mekong Delta and HCMC exhibition, held as part of the Mekong Delta Week in HCMC 2010, displays 120 photographs about the 13 delta provinces and their people and economic achievements.
It will schedule four flights a week to the Chu Lai, open economic zone in Quang Nam Province on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Ngan Nam Gom Viet (A Thousand Years of Vietnamese Ceramics) features 260 artefacts that traces the development of national traditional ceramics during the reigns of the Ly, Tran, Earlier Le, Mac, Le Trung Hung (Later Le), and Nguyen dynasties.
The picture is right under the Long Bien bridge pier and stretches 25m along the embankment. It is made of lively coloured lines of Tango dances and beautiful sceneries of the tropical country of Argentina.
The artefacts were made of various materials ranging from ceramics to stone, wood and metals with China household utensils making up a majority.
This is actually a complex of pagoda, small temples and small valleys covering over four hectares. The pagoda’s sanctum, mediation areas, worship hall and bell tower are surrounded by caves and seasoned trees. Each cave is dedicated to a Buddhist deity.
The tour, put together and run by Hanoi’s Tourism Promotion and Information Centre will take in famous and popular sites such as Ba Vi National Park, Hai Spring, Va Temple, Khoang Xanh and Dam Long.
The visitors, who are Italian, Spanish, British and German, will make a tour of Ho Chi Minh City and the central region, with main destinations being Danang, Hoi An, My Son and Hue, within three days.
The event is also a chance for farmers and distributors to cement their ties with customers for their own benefits and help increase the value of Vietnamese fruits.
The event, a combination between traditional and modern arts, is part of various activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Cuba (December 2).
The festival will run from September 30 to October 15, with the theme “Dragon Bridge tells of 1,000 years of Thang Long”, a historical account of Vietnam.
The 10-minute film reenacts the Ho Quyen royal arena where tiger-elephant fights were staged in the audience of the King and the royal court as an offering ritual dedicated to the God and the Earth, under the Nguyen Dynasty (1558-1775).
On display at the Korean Calligraphy Art Exhibition are 52 works of 25 prominent calligraphers of the Republic of Korea. They are excerpts of poems in President Ho Chi Minh’s “Diary in Prison” collection.
Phan Huu Hung, office manager of the Central Airport Corporation, said that Vietnam Airlines had recognised the demand and had added flights from HCMC and Hanoi to two airports in central Vietnam. They are Vinh Airport in Nghe An Province and Phu Cat Airport in Binh Dinh Province.
Do Dinh Hong, Head of the Hanoi People’s Committee Office said that under a plan on the festival organisation, the event will include the presentation of traditional gastronomy, art performances and folk games.
They include people from the capitals and world cultural heritage sites in countries such as France, Russia, Denmark, China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, India, Thailand, Laos, the US, Mexico, Argentina, and Australia. In addition, there will be art troupes from 27 countries, including Cuba, Haiti, Senegal, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Mexico and Mongolia.
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vietnam Airlines and the tourism departments of HCMC, Hanoi, Danang, Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue will join the events.