Videos

A ceremony was held in the southern province of Tay Ninh to announce the recognition of Linh Son Thanh Mau (or Mother Goddess of the Mountain) festival as national intangible cultural heritage. Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Ngoc said the festival is one of the outstanding symbols of mother goddess worshipping in the south. It is also considered a major folk festival in the southeast and Tay Ninh in particular. Earlier, southern amateur singing in Tay Ninh, Chhay-dam drum dancing, Trang Bang rice paper were also recognised as national intangible cultural heritage. On the occasion, seven local folk artists were also awarded with the title “Meritorious Artist”.-VNA … [Read more...] about Linh Son Thanh Mau festival recognised as national heritage

In recent weeks, the Fed’s interest cut and trade tensions between the US and China as well as Japan and the Republic of Korea have been grabbing headlines. The unpredictable accelerations have affected financial markets in many countries and Vietnam is no exception. Affected by the 5.5 percent decrease of Dow Jones Industrial Average in the recent two weeks, the VNIndex has reduced by 3.34 percent. This sudden decrease has a detrimental effect to many Vietnamese investors’ stock portfolio. Red has dominated the securities market for two weeks with low liquidity and foreign investors’ tendency of withdrawing capital. Besides the securities market, currency and remittance markets are also under pressure due to the Fed’s interest cut and Chinese Yuan devaluation. However, according to insiders, the volatiles are under control as Vietnam’s foreign currency reserves are still abundant and the valuation of VND upon a basket of different currencies. The impacts … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s financial market affected by external factors

Laughing yoga is gradually becoming popular in the world, attracting more people to practice. With the bustling laughter, practicing laughing yoga not only helps reduce fatigue and stress for the practitioners and bring them excitement to start a new day but also benefits cancer patients. Every morning, at 5 am at the Ly Thai To monument, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi, members of a laughing yoga club meet up. Laughing helps bring them a joyful atmosphere to the beginning of the day. Originating from India, laughing yoga is considered a way to relieve stress. This exercise attracts not only older people but also many young people or even foreign visitors who are curious about laughing yoga.  Laughing yoga doesn’t have to be as hard on your body as regular yoga exercises. It focuses on relieving stress to improve health; this is also the most fundamental difference to create interest for practitioners. The exercises start with clapping movements, because they increase blood … [Read more...] about Laughing yoga helps improve health for practitioners

DK1 platforms amid the sea have become a symbol of Vietnam’s sovereignty and Vietnamese naval soldiers and officers’ courage. In today report, let’s find out about the first builders of these proud landmarks. More than 30 years ago, Senior Colonel Pham Xuan Hoa, former head of Brigade 171, was among officers who laid the first stones of the DK1 platforms. Despite his age, Hoa can still recall every detail of the days when he and his comrades set sail on offshore voyages to survey and build the DK1 platforms. Despite immense hardships, Vietnamese officers and soldiers exerted their determined efforts and came up with many brilliant ideas to accomplish the mission ahead of schedule. Thanks to them, the DK1 platforms were constructed and stand still until today. Many soldiers laid down their lives in exchange of the proud DK1 platforms today. The platforms have been upgraded with modern equipment, affirming their role as marine fortresses of Vietnamese seas and islands. … [Read more...] about Guardians of Vietnam’s sovereignty over sea and islands

After four years of preparations and nine years of negotiations, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS 1982) was signed by 107 countries, including Vietnam in 1982 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. As a coastal country, Vietnam has always been determined to comply with the convention. Vietnam on July 27, 1994 submitted a legal deposit on approving the UNCLOS 1982 to the United Nations Secretariat. The convention lays a crucial legal framework for participating countries in using, exploiting and managing seas and oceans. It also sets out procedures for settling marine disputes among countries using peaceful measures. In case the measures come to a dead end, disputes would be resolved via international arbitration. According to the convention, Vietnam is entitled to territorial waters of 12 nautical miles, an Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 nautical miles and continental shelf of 200 nautical miles. As such, Vietnam is allowed to exercise its rights within an area of … [Read more...] about Vietnam: responsible member of UNCLOS