Viet Nam News Historical plays staged by cải lương (reformed opera) artists are fueling love for the country and a new patriotic fervour among young and old audiences alike. By Thu Anh For her latest production, Thái Hậu Dương Vân Nga (Queen Mother Dương Vân Nga), theatre director and Meritorious Artist Hoa Hạ has retained the authentic language spoken by Vietnamese centuries ago, but has also imparted a contemporary twist through special costumes as well as sound and light effects. The inclusion of veteran actors instead of an entire cast of young faces, as is customary in many local productions, is also expected to be a welcome change. Meritorious Artists Phượng Loan and Kim Ngân, who have more than 30 years of experience in the industry, have both been cast in the role of Queen Mother Dương Vân Nga. “Theatre lovers of different generations remember Thái Hậu … [Read more...] about Youth learn about history through cải lương dramas
History
‘A new history starts now’ as leaders of two Koreas begin summit
Smiling and holding hands, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met at the heavily fortified demilitarised zone between the countries on Friday in the first summit for the two Koreas in over a decade. The meeting, aimed at ending their decades-long conflict and easing tensions over the North's nuclear weapons programme, comes weeks before Kim is due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump. Moon greeted Kim at the military demarcation line at 9:30 a.m. (0030 GMT), making Kim the first North Korean leader to set foot in the South since the 1950-53 Korean War. In an unplanned move, Kim invited Moon to step briefly across the demarcation line into North Korea, before the two leaders crossed back into South Korea holding hands. The two were handed flowers by a South Korean boy and girl, residents of a village situated in the demilitarised zone. Walking on a red carpet rolled out for the two heads of state, the pair were met by a South Korean honour guard in … [Read more...] about ‘A new history starts now’ as leaders of two Koreas begin summit
The ancient Hien Town is alive with history
VietNamNet Bridge – We left Hanoi, travelling along the right bank of the Hong (Red) River to visit historical relics in a special complex bearing remarks of the once famous area. Spirituality: Locals at a worship ceremony at Hien Pagoda. It had the old saying “Thu nhat Kinh ky, thu nhi Pho Hien” (The most important area is the Imperial capital city [Thang Long], the second is Hien Town). The famed town hosts more than 100 relic sites including Xich Dang Literature Temple, Bell Pagoda and Hien Pagoda. It also hosts Tran Temple, May Temple and Mother Temple. Visiting the old town, one may share the same regret with me as the leading trading centre in the north of the country in the 17th century, a small bustling Trang An is now found only in traces. In the middle of the 17th century, with the advantage of an entry way to Thang Long Capital, Hien Town had quickly developed from a residential area into a big economic hub. Traders from China, Japan, Thailand, … [Read more...] about The ancient Hien Town is alive with history
Chinese guide banned after distorting history
Chinese tour guide Wang Jihong (right) in a video clip in which she claimed Viet Nam was once a part of China in the city in February. — Photo courtesy Đà Nẵng tourism department Viet Nam News ĐÀ NẴNG — The central city’s tourism department has asked the Immigration Administration of Việt Nam under the Ministry of Public Security to ban Chinese tour guide Wang Jihong from entering Việt Nam due to her distortion of Vietnamese history and culture during a tour in the city in February. In a video clip on posted on Facebook, Wang Jihong told a group of four Chinese tourists that Việt Nam was once a part of China and that the national dress, the áo dài, originates from a Chinese style as she led them on a tour of the city’s museum on February 26th. Vice chairman of the city’s tourism department Trần Chí Cường said the department had investigated and concluded that … [Read more...] about Chinese guide banned after distorting history
Tour guide fined for letting Chinese visitor spread distorted truth of Vietnamese history
Authorities in Vietnam's coastal city of Da Nang have fined a local tour guide for allowing a Chinese tourist to take over and spread distorted information about Vietnam’s history and culture to other visitors. Tran A Hung was fined VND12.5 million ($548) for failing to manage his client in accordance with regulations outlined in his contract, the city's tourism department said on Tuesday. Hung was guiding four Chinese visitors to Da Nang Museum in the central city in late February. In a video posted on social media on February 28, a Chinese woman identified as Wang JiHong, 48, one of Hung’s clients, taking on the role of a tour guide herself at the museum. She said the Vietnamese traditional long dress ao dai came from cheongsam, a body-hugging one-piece dress for Chinese women, and although the ao dai is made in the Vietnamese style, it looks the same as the Chinese cheongsam. JiHong went on to say that: “Vietnam belonged to China in the past but fighting had … [Read more...] about Tour guide fined for letting Chinese visitor spread distorted truth of Vietnamese history