Whats technology application

The statement was made by UP Maputo Rector Prof. Jorge Ferrão during his meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador to Mozambique Le Huy Hoang on April 7.

He spoke highly of the cooperative results between UP Maputo and Vietnamese universities over recent years, including Portuguese language training for many Vietnamese students at his university.

As Vietnam and Mozambique are stepping up their internationalisation strategy in education, Jorge Ferrão suggested the two sides promote direct collaboration between their universities, enhance the exchange of lecturers and students, and intensify the sharing of experience, particularly in terms of the application of digital technology in teaching.

General view of the meeting. (Photo: Vietnamese Embassy in Mozambique)

He encouraged Vietnamese universities and businesses to actively participate in UP Maputo’s vocational training, as well as to join with sponsors to help UP Maputo implement technical projects on education.

For his part, Ambassador Hoang welcomed the active and proactive initiatives of UP Maputo in fostering educational cooperation between Vietnam and Mozambique, and lauded the university’s provision of scholarships to Vietnamese students in the past few years.

He said that many Vietnamese graduates from UP Maputo have contributed to the bilateral friendship and economic cooperation between the two nations.

Vietnamese universities attach importance to cooperation with their Mozambican partners, including UP Maputo, Hoang affirmed, proposing the university and other educational institutions of Mozambique provide more scholarships for Vietnamese students.

In addition to traditional dances that have been preserved and promoted, young artists have introduced both domestic and foreign audiences to contemporary works inspired by the quintessence and traditional cultural identities of Vietnam during its process of exchange with the world.

The ballet entitled “Kieu” by choreographer Nguyen Tuyet Minh, inspired by the literary masterpiece of the great poet Nguyen Du, left an indelible impression on artistic life last year. The dance combines the techniques of western classic ballet and contemporary dance with the folk dances of Vietnam. Symphonic and contemporary music are harmonised with Ca Tru (ceremonial singing) and hat xam (ballads sung by wandering blind musicians) in the ballet performance. Recently, dancer Vu Ngoc Khai, who was trained in the Netherlands, has become a favourite. After he returned to Vietnam, he came closer to the public through dance pieces entitled “Suong som” (Morning Dew), “Moc” (Rusticity) and “Tich tac” (The tick). In particular, the contemporary dance piece “Day gieng” ( Bottom of the Well), choreographed and performed by himself, surprised audiences with the sound of Binh Dinh war drums that heretofore only appeared in traditional art as well as images of non la (conical hats) and flower-shaped mats. In addition, movements simulating the folk games of cockfighting and buffalo fighting became special features of the dance.

An artwork in the project “From tradition to tradition”

Folk materials have also been the inspiration for contemporary music. The public enjoyed traditional music forms such as Chau Van (spiritual singing), Tuong (classical drama) and Cheo (traditional opera) in shows entitled “Gio” (Wind) and “Lua” (Fire) by pianist Pho An My and musician Dang Tue Nguyen. The feature dialogue between piano and traditional musical instruments. The symphony orchestra Seaphony gathered over 50 artisans and instrumentalists from many regions around the country. Lip-lutes, leaf-horns, Tinh flutes and gongs form a unique national symphony orchestra that has resonated both at home and abroad.

The recent concert “Folklore on jazz/Folklore on the strings” was a special musical programme in late 2020, featuring the participation of veteran artists from the traditional arts as well as jazz artists and an orchestra with traditional and symphony instruments. The concert was a bridge for north-west dialogues with jazz playing a role as the connection between traditional music and symphonic sounds. The show was atypical of a combination between indigenous and international music. The quintessential beauty of the traditional art forms of Tuong, Cheo and Cai luong (reformed opera) and the pristine features of the melodies from the northwestern mountainous regions as well as the improvised structures of jazz and the expressive ability of the strings and brass in the symphony created an open music space. Audiences felt a strong connection between many aspects of music: tradition – modernity and freedom.

The Seaphony National Orchestra in a performance in Hanoi

The country’s traditional fine art treasure has also formed the base and inspiration for the creation of new cultural values. The public once admired the traditional patterns on Ao Dai designs by famous designers such as Minh Hanh, Hoa Nguyen and Ha Linh Thu. They were promoted to the world through fashion shows. The images of Dong Son bronze drums also appeared on the watches, phones and music boxes of many famous brands in the world.

With a great love for Hang Trong paintings, designer Trinh Thu Trang and her S-River group conducted the project “Hoa sac Viet” (Vietnamese Colours and Patterns) to provide insightful analysis and concrete methods of using colours and patterns of this painting style. The data was digitised into a colour charset and vectorised in association with instructions on the combination of colours and their application in graphics, fashion, furniture and handicrafts. They will be an abundant warehouse of raw materials to create future designs imbued with the Vietnamese identity.

Also inspired by Hang Trong paintings, a group of teachers and students from the Vietnam Fine Arts University applied the paintings’ motifs to other materials such as pottery, lacquer, silk and 3D printing technology. The softness of the silk and sparkle of lacquers emphasised the delicate and soft patterns of the Hang Trong paintings. Under the guidance of skilled teachers, students also brought contemporary stories into their works that have a high level of relevance to life such as the silk painting featuring “carp turning into dragons” on curtains, the “rat’s wedding” on lacquer vase, and Hang Trong paintings on lanterns. Traditional heritage has been developed by younger generations. They communicated with the tradition via their own feelings. This will be an inspiration for the start of other projects with a series of traditional art heritage in dialogue with the many contemporary qualities of Vietnam and the world.

Never before has the traditional cultural heritage been promoted in such a skillful and creative manner like today. This is the way for young people to spread their patriotism, Vietnamese cultural identity and sprit to the world.

COLOURED IMAGERY: Duy’s lightboxes showcase ancient Vietnamese royal costumes, landscapes, and traditional culture. VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Đạt

By Minh Anh

Ancient Vietnamese royal costumes, landscapes and traditional culture have all provided inspiration for Nguyễn Duy Duy to create enchanting 3D lightboxes.

A native of Thạch Thất District on the outskirts of Hà Nội, Duy came up with the idea of combining LED lighting and the Japanese art of “kirigami”, inspired by shadow puppetry, to create magical lightboxes as his university graduation project in 2018.

With the help of a friend, he experimented making lightboxes for over three years and then established his own brand — Fox Design. He and his friend are now considered the innovators of such creations in Việt Nam.

KEY CREATIONS: Duy’s lightboxes are a source of pride for him because he understands the importance of culture for a country. VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Đạt

The 25-year-old’s latest completed project, entitled Việt Nam — Đất Nước và Con Người (Việt Nam — Land and People), is a combination of three distinct parts, in which the “People” part aims to honour the beauty of Vietnamese women in traditional or ancient royal dresses.

Meanwhile, the “Land” part features beautiful landscapes in Việt Nam, from the north to the south.

When seeking ideas for the project, Duy happened to hear the song Nhớ Về Hà Nội (Remember Hà Nội) presented by singer Hồng Nhung, which brought back childhood memories of hanging out with his father and rekindled his affection for his hometown.

DETAILED PROCESS: The first step is designing paper layers on a computer, then printing them and placing them in a certain order to complete the image. VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Đạt

Much of the scenery inside his lightboxes is associated with outstanding Hà Nội landmarks like the Old Quarter, the Instagram-famous “train street”, and St Joseph’s Cathedral.

Stunning national landscapes also make an appearance, such as terraced rice fields, Hội An ancient town, and the former imperial city of Huế.

According to Duy, presenting Vietnamese culture and costumes in his lightboxes is both a joy and a source of pride, because he understands that “culture is an integral part of a nation”.

STUNNING DESIGN: A woman in a royal costume, dating back to the 18th century, is the subject of one of Duy’s lightboxes. VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Đạt

“The ‘Việt Nam’ part was the hardest for me, as I had to select what I consider to be national symbols,” he recalled. “After talking to my friend, I decided to integrate four cultural and artistic forms into our creations, including tuồng (classical drama), water puppetry, Huế court music, and the Central Highlands gong space.”

Before making any product, Duy must conceptualise, design, set up the background scene, and arrange paper layers on a computer. He then meticulously cuts out designs, which must be printed by hand on art paper in order to ensure precision in the final product.

After the cutting, the paper layers are attached to each other to create a complete image. Each layer must be carefully chosen so that its original quality is maintained, with no shrinking, stretching, or wrinkling due to unfavourable temperature or humidity.

PUT TOGETHER: Each lightbox includes from five to seven or even as many as 15 layers of paper, depending on the desired image and colour. VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Đạt

Each lightbox includes from five to seven or sometimes up to 15 layers of paper, depending on the complexity of the context and image. Duy and his friend must strike a balance between component parts, so that the light can pierce through the paper layers and create the intended effect.

The set-up for the LED lighting at the back of the box is also carefully calculated. The ratio of light determines the colours in the final product. Thanks to laser printing technology, each member of Duy’s team can make three for four lightboxes a day with an increasing level of precision and sophistication.

Prior to the “Việt Nam — Land and People” project, Duy made lightboxes featuring famous scenes from classic films like The Lion King or celebrations of traditional Vietnamese festivals, from which he gained a lot of experience.

Sometimes he and his friend decide to start over again if they feel the colour is unsuitable or if light can’t make it through the set-up the way they prefer.

But that doesn’t dampen their spirits, and Duy and his friend are fully invested in pursuing their artistic craft.

“We plan to experiment with other subjects, such as childhood memories, depicting memorable moments that most kids in rural areas would have had, or more sophisticated topics like ‘feng shui’ or Buddha,” Duy said. VNS