In each zone indigenous people introduce visitors to aspects of their culture. Nguyen Thanh Son, Director of the village's Management Board, said, “We invite ethnic people to come to conduct festivals, cultural exchanges, and performances that promote their culture. Each year, about 1,000 ethnic people come here to participate. We organize three major events each year: the Spring Festival during the Lunar New Year holiday, the Cultural Day of Vietnam’s Ethnic Groups on April 19, and the Week of Heritages and Ethnic Solidarity from November 18 to 23.” The management of the village holds themed communal culture programs on a monthly basis. There have been programs on the Northwest region, the Central Highlands, ethnic costumes, musical instruments, and production tools. Since it opened to the general public in October, the village has welcomed over 2 million visitors. Tour guide Nguyen Thi Hoasaid: “The ethnic village zone is divided into 4 areas. The first area … [Read more...]

Heritage items recognised by UNESCO will be highlighted at the biennial Hue Festival of which the next edition is set to take place from April 24 to May 2, 2018, according to tentative programming announced by the local government. Items to be featured include the Hue monument complex, Hue royal music, woodblocks and royal administrative documents of the Nguyen Dynasty and literature on Hue royal architecture, which was included in the Memory of the World in 2016. In recent years, the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre has organised a wide range of activities to promote heritage items such as holding re-enactments of the changing of the guards, royal weddings and games played by royal members during the Lunar New Year. Notably, the Duyet Thi Duong Royal Theatre has re-opened with four shows a day to bring ceremonial music and imperial dances to visitors and the public. The Hue Festival 2018 will include other activities such as a hot-air balloon show, kite flying, boat racing … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HCM CITY - A special performance featuring Vietnamese contemporary music and dance works will be held at the HCM City Opera House on May 19. The programme will open with Sài Gòn - Thành Phố Tuổi Thơ Tôi (Sài Gòn - The City of My Childhood), a new symphony by Vĩnh Lai. The song features the composer's memories of Tết (Lunar New Year) in HCM City when he was a child. Lai, 78, graduated from the Việt Nam National Academy of Music, and studied at the University of Music and Theatre in Leipzig, Germany. He has composed numerous songs and symphony works which have been broadcast both on radio and television, and has performed on big stages, including Niềm Tin (Faith), Mùa Nắng Quê Hương (Sunny Season in Homeland) and Tiếng Lòng (Inner Voice). The work will be performed by the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) led by conductor Trần Nhật Minh. The second part of the programme will highlight contemporary dance performance Chạm Tay Vào Quá Khứ (Touching the … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – The south’s key economic provinces--such as Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Binh Duong--have recently shifted focus from agricultural to non-agricultural sectors, resulting in a serious shortage of agricultural workers during harvest season. Farmers collect pepper in the southern province of Binh Phuoc. — Photo: VNA/VNS In the last few years, farmers in these provinces have struggled to find seasonal labourers during the harvest of agricultural products such as pepper, cashew and coffee. They said they are willing to pay high wages, but few labourers were available and interested in working the fields. In Nhon Trach District’s Phuoc Khanh Commune in Dong Nai Province, sugarcane crops stand ready to be harvested. However, few locals want to do the job. Le Minh Dung, a seasonal labourer said to Nong thon ngay nay (Countryside Today) newspaper that he was paid VND500,000 (US$22) each day to harvest the sugarcane crops. This is a good … [Read more...]

Items to be featured include the Hue monument complex, Hue royal music, woodblocks and royal administrative documents of the Nguyen Dynasty and literature on Hue royal architecture, which was included in the Memory of the World in 2016. In recent years, the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre has organised a wide range of activities to promote heritage items such as holding re-enactments of the changing of the guards, royal weddings and games played by royal members during the Lunar New Year. Notably, the Duyet Thi Duong royal theatre has re-opened with four shows a day to bring ceremonial music and imperial dances to visitors and the public. The Hue Festival 2018 will include other activities such as a hot-air balloon show, kite flying, boat racing and traditional local festivals across the former imperial capital. Like previous years, the event will also see the participation of famous art troupes from both at home and abroad, offering diverse and colourful arts programmes. … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News ĐỒNG NAI - The south's key economic provinces--such as Đồng Nai, Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu and Bình Dương--have recently shifted focus from agricultural to non-agricultural sectors, resulting in a serious shortage of agricultural workers during harvest season. In the last few years, farmers in these provinces have struggled to find seasonal labourers during the harvest of agricultural products such as pepper, cashew and coffee. They said they are willing to pay high wages, but few labourers were available and interested in working the fields. In Nhơn Trạch District's Phước Khánh Commune in Đồng Nai Province, sugarcane crops stand ready to be harvested. However, few locals want to do the job. Lê Minh Dũng, a seasonal labourer said to Nông thôn ngày nay (Countryside Today) newspaper that he was paid VNĐ500,000 (US$22) each day to harvest the sugarcane crops. This is a good payment, but it was a hard job, he said. Most labourers came from the surrounding provinces, as local … [Read more...]

Liquidity in the inter-bank market has showed positive signs after several months of being under pressure. The latest report from Saigon Securities Incorporate (SSI) showed that the central bank withdrew a total of VND18.46 trillion (US$811.4 million) through open market operations (OMO) last week, reducing the money being circulated in OMO to VND6.54 trillion, the lowest level in the past two months. This is the first time since Tet (Lunar New Year) that the banking system has shown abundant liquidity. The central bank had to inject a significant amount of money through OMO to support liquidity of the banking system in the past months. In the past week, owing to good liquidity, interest rates in the inter-bank market slid down constantly, hitting a two-month low of 4.16 per cent on May 11, down 27 basis points against the previous week. Source VNS … [Read more...]

Mondelez Kinh Do Inaugurates New Cake Workshop In Hung Yen Factory Reported by Thien Ly Nearly two years after its acquisition of the Kinh Do snacks business in Vietnam, Mondelez is investing in increasing its capacity through a new cake workshop in its Hung Yen facility to satisfy the robust market demand. This world-class workshop is aimed to make Vietnam a key manufacturing country in Asia Pacific. According to Stephane Gripon, Managing Director of Mondelez Kinh Do Vietnam, this investment is a key milestone on the success of Kinh Do's integration to Mondelēz International. Q.: Why did Mondelez choose to invest in a new production line? A.: This investment is part of our integration masterplan, and will bring our beloved brands to more consumers across Vietnam and Southeast Asia. As the snacks market grows, we aim to increase our production capacity in line with the highest quality standards to systematically anticipate the demand in the region. Therefore we believe it's the … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HCM CITY - Cần Thơ plans to open more domestic and international flights to the city by giving subsidies to airlines, with a maximum subsidy of VNĐ8.5 billion (US$375,000) a year, said a city official. Võ Thành Thống, chairman of Cần Thơ People's Committee, said the city had worked with the Civil Aviation Administration of Việt Nam (CAAV) to open new routes to Hải Phòng, Cam Ranh and Bangkok by the end of this year. Cần Thơ is drafting policies to provide support to airlines that open flights to the delta city, including initial support for office rentals, promotions, ground service fees and financial aid for vacant seats. Airlines opening new routes to and from Cần Thơ will enjoy incentives such as 12 months of office rental at a maximum subsidy of VNĐ15 million ($660) per month per company. Ground service fees will be halved in the first year for domestic flights, while international flights will receive an additional 30 per cent discount in the following year. … [Read more...]

The organizers collecting nearly 800 blood units  Present at the event were Senior Colonel Dao Thanh Hai, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Municipal Police; Professor, Doctor Nguyen Anh Tri, Director of the Central Institute of Blood Transfusion and Hematology; and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Tien Phong Newspaper Vu Tien, deputy head of the Organizing Board of the "Red Sunday" 2017 Program. Addressing the event, Senior Colonel Dao Thanh Hai stated, "The 3rd "Lighting up the voluntary flame - Service for the people" 2017 journey and the blood donation festive day, in response to the "Red Sunday" 2017 Program, are practical and meaningful activities, which aim to celebrate the 87th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3) and Youth Union congresses at all levels. They also reflect the spirit, responsibility and sentiment of the Hanoi Police's youths for the community, easing the shortage of blood in curing patients during the lunar New Year festival (Tet) 2017. … [Read more...]

>>> Hanoi launches first book street >>> Hanoi’s book street attracts nearly 20,000 visitors An official book street Situated nearby the Hanoi People's Court and the historical attraction Hoa Lo Prison, built during the time of French colonialism, the 200m book streets was designed in the form of a pedestrian street, stretching between the Ly Thuong Kiet and Hai Ba Trung Streets. Promising to become a popular destination, the first street in Hanoi dedicated to books welcomes thousands of visitors each day to look for books and enjoy a new reading environment, particularly during weekends. The book street stands out with a modern gray brick road. It features 16 booths of famous publishing houses, continuously introducing new books to readers. The booths are also well equipped with reading chairs inside for visitors to buy and read books inside the stores. Previously, when referring to the “book street” in Hanoi, people often immediately thought of … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge - Known as the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi is teeming with ornate Buddhist temples, ancient citadels, war memorials, and French colonial architecture while traditional villages and national parks are just outside the city. From full-day excursions to UNESCO-listed Ha Long Bay and Ba Vi National Park to evening cyclo tours and traditional water puppet shows in the city centre, these popular Hanoi tours cater to just about any budget and preference. Hanoi nightlife walking tour Spend an evening discovering the bustling nightlife in Hanoi's Old Quarter. Sample from popular Vietnamese foods, including pho and nem chua ran, before continuing to clubs and bars to drink Vietnamese beer and choose how you want to spend your night. Meet your tour guide at your hotel lobby and take a walk around the narrow and crowded streets of the Old Quarter, discovering the unique nightlife of the bustling city. Try a bowl of pho, the famous Vietnamese beef noodle soup. Choose to taste … [Read more...]

Forbidden in some cultures, pork has always reigned supreme on top of the Vietnamese food pyramid. The Vietnamese lexicon recognizes pork as the standard meat. In the mind of a native speaker, the word “meat” simply means the flesh of a pig. Traditionally, Vietnamese people did not raise cows for meat or dairy products. Researchers have pointed out that unlike many Western countries, Vietnam did not have the rich meadows conducive for large cattle farming. Its dominant rice farming also needed the labor of cows and buffaloes more than their meat. Swine, on the other hand, require less space and as omnivores are much easier to please in terms of diet. For generations, Vietnamese families have kept herds of pigs – and sometimes flocks of chickens and ducks – in their backyards as the original moveable assets. At the end of last year, more than half of the country's 30 million pigs were raised on such smallholdings, but that could soon change with factory … [Read more...]

Pham Sanh Chau was trained as a professional diplomat in Vietnam and abroad. He can speak a number of foreign languages, including English and French. Eighteen years working with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Chau has helped Vietnamese heritages recognized worldwide. For these efforts he has been called “the diplomat of heritages”. “I started involving in cultural activities in 1999. Former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cam appointed me Vietnamese Ambassador to UNESCO and France. Since then, my work has been closely associated with cultural events. This was the destiny and I am thankful to the Deputy Prime Minister,” said Mr Chau. He added it is through culture that people touch the essence of another country. He has persistently sought ways to revive Vietnamese heritages. “My friends often say that people can now do anything - except create cultural and natural heritages. Vietnam is very … [Read more...]

The Xo Dang, who speak a Mon-Khmer language called Xo Dang, are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Central Highlands - about 170,000 people. They live mainly in Kon Tum province and scattered in the mountain areas of Quang Ngai and Quang Nam province. The Xo Dang grow rice and other crops, raise cattle and poultry, collect wild vegetable and fruits, and catch fish. They weave fabric and forge farm tools. Their life and production are largely dependent on nature, so they worship many genies and supernatural forces. Xo Dang men wear loin-cloths and go shirtless. Women wear blouses, skirts, and shoulder scarves. Black is the dominant color of their clothing. Women prefer silver earrings and necklaces and stone-beads around their hips and ankles. Luong Thanh Son, a researcher of Central Highlands culture, said “The Xo Dang’s costumes are similar to other ethnic groups in the Central Highlands. But they embroider more flowery images on their costumes. At rituals and … [Read more...]

Can Tho wants to open more air routes Dao Loan HCMC - Can Tho City government has committed to support airlines to open air links between the city and domestic and international destinations, with a maximum subsidy of VND8.5 billion a year, not to mention other assistance for marketing and office rental. On May 10, leaders of Can Tho City met with representatives of tourism and aviation companies to discuss a plan to add flights to and from the city. In addition, the municipal government is drafting mechanisms and policies to support enterprises to open air routes, including support for office rental, promotion, ground service fees and financial aid for vacant seats in the initial time. According to the draft, except Can Tho - Hanoi, Can Tho - Danang, Can Tho - Phu Quoc and Can Tho - Con Dao routes, airlines opening new routes to and from Can Tho will enjoy incentives such as office rental for 12 months with a maximum subsidy of VND15 million per month per firm. Ground service fees … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Tra (pangasius) fish prices skyrocketed last month, reaching a 10-year high, but experts warn that export of this seafood product could be unstable this year. They said measures should be taken to restore declining imports to major markets like the United States and Europe, counter misinformation about the local seafood industry, and create a national brand with quality products. In the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces, tra fish prices surged by VNĐ4,000-7,000 (20-27 US cent) per kilo over last year to VNĐ24,000-29,000. At these prices, it is estimated that farmers can earn profits of VNĐ1.5-1.7 million per tonne. Meanwhile, the prices of tra fish breeds climbed to VNĐ50,000-60,000 per kilo in late April and early May, VNĐ20,000 higher than early April, a threefold year-on-year increase. According to the Việt Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), tra fish prices in the Asian market averaged $2.3 per kg in January and rise $2.7 per kg … [Read more...]

These days, the term “save the pigs” has appeared in many local newspapers, as the price of live pigs has dropped to a record low, causing major losses for farmers across the country. Viet Nam News spoke with the leaders of three state management agencies about the causes of the downward pressure on prices as well short-term and long-term solutions to help the struggling pig-farming industry recover. Nguyen Xuan Duong, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (MARD’s) Animal Husbandry Department: It can be said that there are many factors leading to the current crisis in the pig-farming industry. However, the underlying cause is the ideology of small-scale production, mainly among the animal husbandry households. A crucial factor is that Vietnamese pig farmers look solely at the Chinese market which accepts pigs weighing more than 120kg, bringing large benefits to the farmers. So when the Chinese halt purchases, the breeders … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News These days, the term "save the pigs" has appeared in many local newspapers, as the price of live pigs has dropped to a record low, causing major losses for farmers across the country. Việt Nam News spoke with the leaders of three state management agencies about the causes of the downward pressure on prices as well short-term and long-term solutions to help the struggling pig-farming industry recover. Nguyễn Xuân Dương, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's (MARD's) Animal Husbandry Department: It can be said that there are many factors leading to the current crisis in the pig-farming industry. However, the underlying cause is the ideology of small-scale production, mainly among the animal husbandry households. A crucial factor is that Vietnamese pig farmers look solely at the Chinese market which accepts pigs weighing more than 120kg, bringing large benefits to the farmers. So when the Chinese halt purchases, the breeders face … [Read more...]

A woman walks amid the debris at the site of an explosion at a fireworks warehouse in the municipality of Chilchotla, Puebla, Mexico on Tuesday. At least 14 people were killed and 22 injured in the incident. — EPA/VNA Photo Viet Nam News PUEBLA, Mexico — An explosion at a fireworks warehouse killed 14 people, all but three of them children, in a poor Mexican village as it celebrated a religious festival. The blast struck on Monday night in San Isidro, a remote farming village of some 40 houses in central Puebla state, the regional government said. It came just five months after a similar tragedy killed 42 people in explosions at a fireworks market near Mexico City, in a country where fireworks are often used to mark saints’ days. Villagers in San Isidro were setting off fireworks as part of preliminary festivities ahead of the feast of the village’s patron saint on March 15. One of the fireworks "landed in a house where pyrotechnic material was being … [Read more...]