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The annual festival is named after the region’s signature flower “hoa ban”, or bauhinia, and features unique cultural life in the north and northwestern region, which is home to about 19 ethnic minorities, including both the Thai and Mong people. Workers make final preparations for the event. Many artists prepare for art performances which will take place as part of the opening ceremony of the festival. The festival will boast a diverse lineup featuring many activities, including a music extravaganza, a high-altitude fireworks display, and a photo contest. The event will also feature a show of traditional costumes of ethnic groups, an ethnic sports competition, and plenty of tourism activities. The first-ever light show featuring a total of 200 drones will be held as a highlight of the opening ceremony of the Hoa Ban (Bauhinia) Festival and national tourism year 2024. Utilising both drones and mu...

The Kim Dong Publishing House, in collaboration with the French Institute in Vietnam, organized an event on March 12 in Hanoi to introduce a graphic novel called “Song” by Vietnamese-French author Tran Hai Anh and French illustrator Pauline Guitton, as reported by VNS. In “Song”, a mother shares the story of her teenage years when she had to hide during the Vietnam War against the US. From 1969 to 1975, the mother, now a director, spent seven years in the forests with Vietnamese revolutionary soldiers, accompanied by her father, a scriptwriter. Her father introduced her to the national resistance and the world of film. This story of a Vietnamese woman during a lesser-known part of history becomes a portrait of the complex relationship that Hai Anh has with her mother and her roots. The cover of the graphic novel ‘Song’. Photo courtesy of Ankama Publishing “Song is a word that came to my mind when my mother told me about her adventures during her teenage years,” said Hai...

Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan suggested empowering women and girls in science, technology, and digital transformation while addressing the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York on March 11 (local time), VNA reported. The work should go in tandem with the fight against discrimination and violence in cyberspace, she said, stressing the need to promote women’s role in building an international environment of peace, stability, and inclusive and sustainable development, and handling non-traditional challenges, especially climate change. Women should be given opportunities to maximize their capability in economic, political, and social activities, and further engage in decision-making mechanisms in these fields, especially economy, Xuan continued. Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan speaks at the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York. Photo: VNA The Vice Presid...

The winning photos of the 12th Vietnam International Photography Competition (VN-23) are on display at an open-air exhibition at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi until March 19. The opening ceremony of the 12th International Photo Contest in Vietnam Exhibition took place on March 13 in Hanoi. Photo: VNA With four categories of “free theme in color,” “free theme in monochrome,” “Children’s” (both color and monochrome), and “Creative” (both color and monochrome), VN-23 has attracted 10,330 works by 1,079 authors from 32 countries and territories. According to the organizing committee, the works submitted to the competition will be independently and objectively judged online by four prestigious Vietnamese and international juries. As a final result, the three winning works in the “free theme in color” category are “All around music” and “Pollution” by André Boto, from Portugal, and “The Memory of Time” by Nguyen Anh Tuan, from Vietnam. Three gold medals for the win...

Through the support of nearly 300 artisans, each gold-embroidered design of the “Source Spring” collection by designer Do Trinh Hoai Nam requires nearly 15,000 hours of work.  The collections being put on show comes after designer Do Trinh Hoai Nam recently launched the “Source Spring” collection in San Diego in California of the United States with the participation of two international supermodels Wynter Alana and Nya Deng. During this year’s festival, Nam has also taken on the role of being an ambassador to elevate the beauty of Vietnamese Ao Dai whilst promoting Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism to the world. Nam emphasized that the new role has helped him to promote domestic and international tourism to foreign customers whilst spreading the love of the Ao Dai among the community. Nam’s Ao Dai designs make use of high-quality materials, are treated with modern technology in the style of Mosaic art and combined with aspects of traditional Vietnamese culture such as embroidery,...

Over 10,000 entries by 1,073 photographers from 32 countries and territories around the world are submitted to the contest, which ran for six months starting from September 12, 2022. It featured four topics, including colour freedom, monochrome freedom, children, and ideas. Vietnamese photographers won 45 prizes at the event, including four gold medals. Among them is a piece featuring childhood snapped by Nguyen Duc Nguyen in the colour freedom topic. A photo taken by Nguyen Huu Binh depicts farmers harvesting lilies. An image by Do Phuong Mai tells a story of a mother’s love. A photo by Nguyen Sanh Quoc Huy A piece submitted by Thach Minh Le An impressive work in the colour freedom topic is showcased at the exhibition. A photo by Nguyen Son Tung in monochrome freedom impresses viewers. Vu Bao Ngoc’s winning photo in the monochrome freedom topic A photo by Ngo Thanh Binh A piece by Nguyen...

Many customers drive along Hang Luoc street by motorbikes to select the perfect flowers and decorative items for their homes. Customers can easily find flowers and festive decorative items for their annual Tet celebrations. Gold-plated cat-shaped products are available at the market this year for the Year of the Cat. Veronique from the United States is visiting Vietnam for the first time. She is eager to buy a kumquat tree which is on sale at a price of VND300,000. Hung, a resident of Nguyen Luong Bang street, buys a peach branch worth VND1.2 million to decorate his house with during Tet. Small peach branches valued between VND50,000 and VND200,000 are put on display, with many people buying them to worship their ancestors before Tet. A stall owner waters kumquat trees in order to keep them fresh for the entire day. A customer spends nearly one hour purchasing their favourite trees. The Hang Luoc ...

According to Ron Carver, though the war has ended, its legacy leaves on. In Vietnam, many people are still affected by Agent Orange, while land mines exist in many localities. In the US, many veterans are obsessed with memories of the war. Through the project, the authors want to honor men and women who have contributed to the anti-war movement and encourage the young generation to go for peace and oppose war and issues such as environmental pollution and racism. Phan Anh Son, Vice President, General Secretary of VUFO (outer right) receives Ron Carver (center), an editor of “Waging Peace in Vietnam” (Photo: Thu Ha). Ron Carver and his colleagues are planning to bring US witnesses, scholars, and veterans to organize seminars and talks at universities across Vietnam, reaching out to universities in the USA, bringing the book closer to American and Vietnamese students, offering the younger generation a more comprehensive view of the war. VUFO Vice President and General Secr...