HCMC food and tourism festival under way

The Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival 2010 opened on April 8, featuring more than 150 pavilions from travel companies, hotels and airlines both in and outside the city.

The festival is the first in a series of planned cultural and tourism activities to celebrate 35 years of the South’s liberation and the national reunification (April 30) and the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

It is designed to promote tourism development by introducing visitors to a wide range of culinary specialities and attractive tourist destinations, as well as helping the participating businesses seek partners.

This year will mark the first time an art parade will be held within the framework of the festival, drawing the participation of 80 tourism units and over 1,000 amateur artists.

Visitors to the festival will have the opportunity to enjoy special dishes and performances from southern cities and provinces.

The annual festival is expected to attract 100,000 visitors.

(Source: VNA)

Cultural exchange celebrates Vietnam-China friendship

A Vietnam-China cultural exchange was held in Hanoi on June 12 to mark the friendship year between the two countries and the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Addressing the function, first lady of Chinese Ambassador, Wang Min, said the exchange provided a good chance for Chinese diplomats to have better understanding of Vietnam’s culture.

The event, jointly held by the Hanoi chapter of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, also helped cement the long-lasting solidarity between the two countries, she said.

According to Deputy Chairwoman of the Hanoi municipal People’s Committee Ngo Thi Thanh Hang, Vietnam and China have similarities in culture and exchanges held during the friendship year 2010, coinciding with the millennium anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, will help the two peoples know more about their cultures, and respect and promote those cultural identities in the international integration.

She wished that friendship between the two nations be a firm foundation for development, integration and prosperity.

(Source: VNA)

Global TV coverage of capital’s millennium day

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung has agreed on the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi being televised internationally, said the government office.

The Ministry of Information and Communications will instruct the country’s central and local television stations to cover the event.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will liaise with the People’s Committee of Hanoi City, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Information and Communications, the government committee for religious affairs, and VTC television to organise a cultural Buddhist week to mark the capital’s millennium day.

The government office added that, the Deputy Prime Minister has also agreed to special programmes of concerts by the Vietnam National Academy of Music as well as commissioning cartoons to mark the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

(Source: VOV)

Ceramics Festival to open in Binh Duong in September

The country’s first ceramics festival will take place in Thu Dau Mot Town, Binh Duong Province from September 2-8, and is themed Ceramics of Vietnam - Tradition, Character and Development. This event, named Ceramics Festival Vietnam-Binh Duong 2010, is also meant to mark the 65th August Revolution, the National Day on September 2 and the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The festival will honor craftsmen, and the traditional ceramic trade villages of Vietnam in general and of Binh Duong Province in particular, said Do Khac Diep, director of Binh Duong Province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The festival will be staged in different venues in the town, including Binh Duong Province Stadium, the provincial Cultural Center, Binh Duong Museum, Dai Nam Tourist, and Cultural and Historical Zone, featuring over 600 pavilions to display and sell ceramic products, Diep said at a press conference on the festival held on Wednesday in HCMC.

The country’s ceramic trade villages and those of regional countries such as China, Japan, Korea, Laos or Cambodia will showcase their typical ceramic products. At the event, collections of ancient ceramic items from Dinh, Le, Ly, and Tran dynasties will be on display. Moreover, many activities such as a competition on making handicraft ceramic products, a food fest, and a seminar on Vietnam’s ceramics will take place at the festival. It is a boon for tourists wanting to take a glimpse at the traditional trade as well, said Nguyen Van Tan from the HCMC representative office of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

“Domestic tour operators will be launching many tours to the festival as well as other tourists attractions in Binh Duong Province,” said Tan.

The organizer will prepare over 1,700 hotel rooms in Binh Duong to meet the demand of tourists during five days of the festival.

(Source: SGT)