Culture

The festival in Thanh Khe district is one of the traditional whale-worshiping celebrations of fishing communities in coastal localities. The festival's organizers receive the certificate recognizing the festival as the national intangible cultural heritage. Photo: laodong.vn The whale worship festival is part of the cultural identity of Vietnam’s Central and South Central coastal localities, which has been preserved and passed down through the generations. Participants pray for plenteous hauls of fish, safe voyages, and peace for the nation. The festival has been an indispensable part of life in fishing villages and is an important spiritual and cultural event, staged in the hope of winning favor with the sea god. Speaking at the ceremony, Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports Huynh Van Hung said the festival is designed to honor those who contribute to the country’s fisheries sector, as well as preserve traditional folk … [Read more...] about Whale worship festival in Da Nang recognized as intangible heritage

This information was announced at a press conference held by the Goethe Institut Hanoi on February 20. According to Director of Goethe Institute Vietnam, Wilfried Eckstein, in Vietnam, New Music has gained considerable importance in cultural life and enjoys growing interest among the young and old. Vietnamese composers and musicians perform new music for national and international audiences. Their musical spectrum is wide-ranging. For them, in addition to the European music of the 20th century as a reference for the art of composing, there is a multi-faceted Vietnamese music history ready to inspire and challenge them. “Acknowledging this musical wealth and the variety of musical paths, the Goethe-Institut promotes concerts that break new ground in terms of sound aesthetics. We also look at the beginnings of New Music in Europe and we promote innovation in Vietnam’s music.” he said. The series of events on New Music will open with a performance of Pierrot Lunaire by … [Read more...] about New Music show series to be held in Hanoi

Taking place from February 14 to March 31, the festival with theme "Land of Colourful Flowers" has turned the area into a little "Netherlands” with over 1 million bulbs, along with special art performances. More than 15 world-famous varieties of tulips are on display at the event. The flowers have been imported directly from the Netherlands and grown in the Central Highland city of Da Lat, which has ideal weather conditions for tulips. Some have also been planted and grown in Ba Na, dubbed as the second Da Lat in Vietnam. … [Read more...] about Tulip festival in Ba Na Hill sets Guinness Vietnam Record

In Ha Nam province, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh and visitors paid tribute to Tran Hung Dao at Tran Thuong Temple, which was chosen as a grain warehouse during the resistance wars against the Mongols in the 13th century. On the night before the first full moon of the year (February 18), a procession was held to carry grains from the warehouse into the temple, followed by torch lighting and incense offering rituals. The rituals re-enacted the distribution of rewards to soldiers of the Tran Dynasty after defeating the third Mongol invasion in 1288 and prayed for a year of favourable weather and abundant crops. The festival organisers and temple managers had prepared 180,000 pouches of grain to distribute to local residents and visitors. On the same night, a seal-opening ceremony was also held at Tran Temple in Nam Dinh province to commemorate Tran Hung Dao and other heroes of the Tran Dynasty. In the central province of Nghe An, a festival was opened and incense was offered to … [Read more...] about Spring festivals commemorate national heroes

Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh and Head of the Party Central Committee's Organization Commission Pham Minh Chinh attended the opening ceremony. Deputy PM Binh and Most Venerable Thich Thanh Nhieu, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Council, jointly beat the drum to open the festival, and joined the incense offering to pray for peace for the nation and happiness for the people. Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh beats the drum to open the festival. Source: laodong.vn The festival restores the story 1000 years ago on a pilgrimage route connecting the heritage sites of Golden Temple - Trang An - Hoa Lu Ancient Capital - Bai Dinh Pagoda - Van Long Pagoda (Ninh Binh) - Dong Tam Pagoda (Hoa Binh) - Tam Chuc Pagoda (Ha Nam) - Huong Son Pagoda - and Thang Long Citadel (Hanoi). The Tam Chuc Pagoda sits on a site of nearly 5,000ha, surrounding by lakes, mountains, forests and valleys. Excavated objects reveal … [Read more...] about Tam Chuc Pagoda festival opens in Ha Nam province