Ha giang

The festival began with a ritual worshipping the guardian deity at the local communal house. A palanquin procession took offerings from the communal house to the Au Co Temple to pray for peace, good weather, prosperity and happiness. The Au Co Temple festival marked the start of festive activities in Phu Tho in spring. The temple was built under the reign of King Le Thanh Tong (15th century) and named a national historical and cultural relic site in 1991. On January 23, 2017, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognised the worship of Mother Au Co at the temple as part of the national intangible cultural heritage. Legend has it that Au Co, who was a fairy, descended to earth on the seventh day of the first lunar month. She met with Lac Long Quan and gave birth to 100 sons. Fifty of them followed their father to the sea and the other half followed their mother to the mountains in the upstream Red River. When they arrived in the area which is now Hien Luong commune, Au Co … [Read more...] about Phu Tho: festival dedicated to nation’s legendary mother

The annual Hung Kings Temple festival hosted by the northern midland province of Phu Tho will be held from April 21-25. The events include a ceremony dedicated to the Hung Kings, a memorial to mark the death of great legendary father Lac Long Quan and incense offering to the great mother Au Co.  Communities in Phu Tho province will hold performances, including the Dao Xa elephant procession ceremony. Xoan singing will be performed at the Lai Len Temple and the Thet and Kim Dai communal houses in Kim Duc and Hung Lo communes of Viet Tri city. Dozens of exhibitions will take place to advertise local culture while cake making contests, sport tournaments and folk games will be featured throughout the festival. In addition, a night market and a food street will be arranged in a pedestrian zone to entertain tourists. Other festivities will be contributed by four provinces: Thai Nguyen, Quang Nam, Binh Duong and Kien Giang. According to Nguyen Dac Thuy, Director of the … [Read more...] about Hung Kings Temple festival a panoply of cultural activities

Social, health, and environmental issues are a constant struggle in Vietnam, where a rapidly expanding economy has led to a boom in consumerism.  The following are some opinions from expats living in Vietnam who responded to a request from Tuoi Tre News for comments on the trend. The difference between owning lots of things and liking beautiful things Though fashion design is an industry often maligned for rampant consumerism, I often find myself making changes with the hope of positively impacting consumers and redirecting my brand towards a more positive direction. Our business in Hanoi does not produce fast fashion.  Instead it focuses on quality, natural fibers, handcrafted garments that are made to last, and ensuring everyone involved in the production process is paid fairly and respected for the skills they bring to the table. Of course I love beautiful things, but I don't have to own a lot of them to make me happy. Hence, it is important to distinguish between gaining … [Read more...] about Expats in Vietnam chime in on smart consumption

Xoan singing of Phu Tho province includes singing, dancing, drumming and clapper beating. It is closely linked to the worship of the Hung Kings, a belief rooted in the ancestor worship practice of the Vietnamese people. These two heritages are closely attached, supporting the preservation and promotion of both. "These two heritages play a very important role in encouraging the local communities to better preserve their cultural heritages. They also help to boost the local economy through tourism development," said Nguyen Dac Thuy, Director of the Phu Tho provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. Phu Tho province has been accelerated measures to sustainably promoting its heritages, including boosting practices and teaching of Xoan singing, especially among the younger generations, and devising policies to offer Xoan singers favorable conditions to practice the art form. "I was lucky to have been born to a family specialized in Xoan singing. I started to sing Xoan songs … [Read more...] about Phu Tho preserves intangible cultural heritages

Phan Van Vinh Under the 235-page indictment, Vinh and Hoa are accused of abusing their positions and power as stated in Point A, Clause 2 of Article 356 of the Criminal Code 2015 (revised in 2017). The Procuracy has also decided to bring the two to court. If found guilty, the duo may face 5-10 years in prison. On July 18, the Phu Tho Department of Public Security proposed 92 persons be prosecuted for one or some of the charges of organising gambling, gambling, illegally trading invoices, money laundering, bribery, using the internet to appropriate assets and abusing position and power while performing duties. The investigation agency has seized more than 1.34 trillion VND (58.3 million USD) of money from the ring organisers and accomplices. The Procuracy held that Vinh’s acts have caused particularly serious consequences and badly affected the prestige of the police, while Hoa was accused of covering up the case. On April 6, President Tran Dai Quang signed a decision to … [Read more...] about Indictment completed for massive online gambling ring leaders