VietExplorer2020

The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism financed the public library renovation project at Hanoi Library. The project was aimed at improving the quality of amenities at Hanoi Library, moving toward building a reading-culture space. The renovated public library will advance cultural discussions and exchange, spread knowledge, and enhance the mental health of Hanoi readers. The first phase of the project, from November to December last year, focused on designing and decorating the space of the library’s first floor. The second and third floors of the library had their reading space decorated and refurbished from December 2022 to April this year. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the refurbished library, vice-chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Vu Thu Ha said that the public library renovation project backed by South Korea is one of many cultural activities helping solidify the Vietnam-South Korea friendship. The activity also beefed up the t...

Delegates at the event. Photo: toquoc.vn Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and President of the National Assembly of People’s Power of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernández attended a special music show in Santiago de Cuba city on April 22 (local time), which marked the 60th founding anniversary of the Cuban Committee for Solidarity with South Vietnam and the 50th anniversary of Fidel Castro Ruz’s visit to Vietnam and the newly liberated zone in Quang Tri province, VNA reported. Fidel was the first and the only foreign leader to visit the newly-liberated area in the south of Vietnam during the anti-US resistance war. He also took the initiative in the international movement to support Vietnam’s struggle for national independence and reunification, along with its process of national development and defence. The park named after him in Quang Tri was inaugurated in 2018 on the occasion of the 45 years since the Cuban leader’s visit to the liberated region i...

Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Cao Phong talks with Vietnamese expatriates in Canada about the meaning of worshiping Hung Vuong. Photo: Trung Dung, Ha Linh, Viet Tuan/VNA On the evening of April 21 in Maputo Capital, the Vietnamese Embassy in Mozambique in collaboration with the Vietnamese community organised the celebration of the Southern Liberation Day (April 30), the International Labor Day (May 1) and Hung Kings’ death anniversary (March 10), VNA reported. Attending the ceremony were a large number of people from the local Vietnamese community, the Board of Directors, officers and employees of Movitel Company (Viettel Group), businesses, medical and educational experts, and Vietnamese students studying in Mozambique and local friends. The Vietnamese Embassy in Canada on April 23 also hosted a ceremony to commemorate the death anniversary of Hung Kings, the legendary founders of the nations, contributing to maintaining the cultural identity and educating the Vi...

Thay Pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam, is a popular tourist destination.  Located on the stunning Sai Mountain in Sai Son Commune, Quoc Oai District, about 20 kilometers from downtown Hanoi, the special national relic appears tranquil in the hazy mist. Every year, from the fifth to the seventh day of the third Lunar month (from April 24-26), the lively Thay Pagoda Festival is held in honor of Tu Dao Hanh, a revered Vietnamese Buddhist monk who lived from 1010 to 1225.  The Thay Pagoda Festival this year falls from April 24 to 26. Photo: Duy Khanh/The Hanoi Times  The Thay Pagoda Festival consists of two parts: the ceremonies and the folk performances, featuring a wide range of ancient worship rituals passed down from generation to generation.  The Moc Duc or “statue bath” with fragrant water boiled from five kinds of leaves is considered the most important ritual performed by the respected elders of the area. ...

The exhibition titled “Vietnam Architecture Developing Together with the Country” runs through the end of April at the 120-year-old Dien Hong Flower Garden in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. The space of the architectural exhibition in Dien Hong Flower Garden, Hanoi. Photo: Kien Viet For a week, the famous flower garden was transformed into an impressive exhibition space to celebrate Vietnam Architecture Day (April 27) and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam Association of Architects. Organizers said that the exhibition aims to pay tribute to the special industry that contributes to developing the nation’s culture and society with its ceaseless creativity. The exhibition’s highlight is the main display area with a dome woven from red silk that simulates the water waves of Sword Lake. In addition, models, images, and documents related to the winning projects of the National Architecture Award 2022 – 2023 are harmoniously arranged in the green open space of ...

Nguyen Thuy Linh meticulously selects silk fabric scraps in complementary colors to complete her landscape collage. If painters paint with brushes, she paints with silk pieces, scissors and glue. The collage comes to life under her skilled hands”. Linh was a disabled and depressed woman before working at Vun Art, a cooperative for people with disabilities. Scraps revived While working as a kindergarten teacher, she suffered a bone ailment that rendered her unable to walk. Her marriage also ended at the same time. Becoming a disabled person and unable to continue with her old job, she felt bored. Her life was almost deadlocked as she had to raise a child alone while her parents were old and frail. She had locked herself at home for four years.  Members of Vun Art are people with disabilities.  Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times Linh learned about Vun Art while watching  Viec tu te (Good work) program on the VTV3 channel. Vun Art Cooperative was founded in...

Toronto conference spotlights Vietnam growth after 48 years of reunification. Photo: VNA About 45 Canadian scholars and experts gathered at an online conference in Toronto on April 24 to discuss the development of the Vietnamese nation and people after 48 years of national reunification. Philip Fernandez from the Canada-Vietnam Friendship Society (CVFS) said that the historical milestone of the victory on April 30, 1975 was a start of Vietnam’s success in various fields, especially economy, diplomacy and human development towards the UN targets. Vietnamese Consul General in Vancouver Nguyen Quang Trung recalled the difficulties that Vietnam burdened after the national reunification and affirmed its achievements in economy and external relations that have been recognised by the international community. The results show extraordinary efforts of Vietnamese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, he stated. The diplomat noted that Vietnam has posted ...