Mud festival korea

Lionbooks Children's Bookstore has organized a Tet program in Hanoi to bring children and their families to an attractive playground of 20 folk games and activities. Joining in the event "Open the door to see Tet", the children enthusiastically played bamboo dance, throwing cans, and mandarin square capturing. “I played the game of throwing a cloth ball. I was very happy. I hit three balls.” Children participate in the bamboo dance. “My children can play the games that I used to play in the past, which I find very meaningful. Children can also experience throwing balls, bamboo dance, and doing fun activities with friends. The bamboo dance and mandarin square capturing remind me of my childhood. As for the games played in mountainous areas, I have never seen them before. Today I came to play with my children, and I feel very happy.” “Children often use phones, televisions, and video games... There’s little opportunity for them to play folk games. That’s why … [Read more...] about Festival of folk games for children

An art performance at the festival (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - A festival was held at the Dong Da Culture Park in Hanoi on January 26 (the fifth day of the first lunar month) to mark the 234th anniversary of the Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da victory over Chinese invaders. In 1789, under the leadership of Emperor Quang Trung (also known as national hero Nguyen Hue), Tay Son troops defeated 290,000 Qing invaders, liberating the imperial city of Thang Long and regaining national independence and freedom. Since then, the fifth day of the first lunar month has become the traditional day marking the historic victory. The Ngoc Hoi–Dong Da victory has also gone down in Vietnamese history as an immortal and epic struggle for national construction and defence. Dong Da Mound reportedly witnessed fierce battles between Emperor Quang Trung’s soldiers and the Chinese invaders 234 years ago. The festival is designed to uphold the country’s cultural values, while educating young … [Read more...] about Festival marks 234th anniversary of Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da victory

A performance at the opening ceremony of the 4th International Conference Promoting Vietnamese Literature and the 3rd International Poetry Festival in Hanoi on February 16 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The 4th International Conference Promoting Vietnamese Literature and the 3rd International Poetry Festival wrapped up in Hanoi on February 20. Poet Huu Thinh, Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations and the Vietnam Writers’ Association, said workshops and discussions during the events created chances for participants to share their views on the necessity to seek more solutions to introducing outstanding works of the country to the world. They also pointed to problems that need to be addressed, including the language difference and the modest updating of international friends on Vietnam’s literature development. He thanked foreign guests for contributing to the success of the international conference and festival, noting that these events … [Read more...] about Events promoting Vietnamese literature, poetry conclude

According to Director of the Hue Relics Preservation Center Hoang Viet Trung, under the Nguyen Dynasty, the rituals marked the end of the lunar New Year holiday and the start of work and normal activities. The Neu pole was erected on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, marking the beginning of Tet. It coincides with the day when the Kitchen Gods are believed to ride a carp to Heaven to report on events from the past year. During 143 years of its reign (1802 – 1945), the Nguyen Dynasty held an annual ceremony to plant the Neu at the Imperial Citadel. The pole carried ritual items on its top, like a royal seal, a paper scroll and pen, which implied that the royal court stopped working during Tet. After the royal ceremony, ordinary people would erect their own Neu and start celebrating Tet. The Neu was intended to ward off ghosts and demons from entering the community during Tet, and guide the spirits of ancestors on the way home for the lunar New Year festival. The custom is also … [Read more...] about Neu pole lowering, seal opening ceremony celebrates new year

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, the official noted that Vietnam has focused on including the cultural content into the activities of high-ranking leaders during their overseas trips and the country’s reception of foreign leaders; and on promoting deep and wide integration in the fields of culture, science and education at international forums. According to him, Vietnam hosted significant regional and international conferences and events last year, including the 31st SEA Games and the Vietnam day program in the Republic of Korea, Austria and India. The country was elected to the Intergovernmental Committee of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2026 term with the highest number of votes. The first official visit to Vietnam by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay was a highlight, putting the country, its culture and people on the radar of international media, Ngoc said. The guest said she was impressed by … [Read more...] about Cultural diplomacy raises Vietnam’s position worldwide

PANO - The Hue Monuments Conservation Centre on February 11 th re-captured a ceremony to erect the “Neu” (bamboo) pole at the Hue Royal Palace in Hue city, Thua Thien Hue province, to welcome the 2015 Lunar New Year (Tet) festival. During the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), the ceremony was held on December 23 rd of the lunar calendar, starting the Tet holiday. A tall bamboo pole was erected with some ritual items, like a seal, pen brush and swords, which were guarded by soldiers, to be hung on its top. The pole is believed to help prevent evils, and to worship their ancestors and drive the past year's bad luck away and welcome good luck for the Lunar New Year. Soldiers in formal uniform prepare the “Neu” pole. A music troupe playing "nha nhac" (Hue royal court music) gets ahead of the procession. Preparing a gold-trimmed seal, which will be hung on the pole’s top. The ceremony conducted from Hien Nhon … [Read more...] about Ritual to erect “Neu” pole re-captured

The Republic of Korea (RoK) topped the list of countries and territories with most foreign visitors to Vietnam in January 2023, the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO) announced on January 29. Located in central Vietnam, UNESCO-recognised Hoi An is one of the major tourist attractions for Korean visitors. (Photo: travelelog.com) According to data released the GSO, Vietnam welcomed 258,000 Korean arrivals in January, representing a 13-fold increase month on month and a 72fold increase year on year. The RoK was followed by the United States (nearly 78,000 arrivals), Thailand (55,000), Australia (44,225) and Malaysia (37,267). Besides, Japan, Cambodia, Singapore, Taiwan (China) and the United Kingdom were all countries and territories with large numbers of tourists to Vietnam in the first month of 2023. The GSO reported Vietnam attracted 871,200 foreign arrivals in January 2023, an increase of 23.2% over the previous month and 44.2 times higher than the … [Read more...] about RoK tops list of countries with most foreign visitors to Vietnam

Jiří Pos, Chairman of the Board of Prague Airport said that the airport is considering the launch of flights from Prague to Vietnam, by partnering with either Vietnam Airlines or Bamboo Airways. There could also be another round of talks with Qatar Airlines in February for a route to Doha, he added. The airport is negotiating the renewal of the route to Newark with United Airlines. Discussions are also taking place with American Airlines about restoring the route to Philadelphia. Pos said that the airport is talking to some US partners about a direct service connecting Prague and Chicago, adding that the airport also hopes to resume direct flights to Canada, specifically to Toronto and Montreal with potential partners being Air Canada or Air Transat. At the same time, Prague Airport is also interested in destinations in Asia, including China, India, Japan, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, and Mongolia, along with destinations in Europe, he revealed. Before the COVID-19 … [Read more...] about Prague Airport wants to open direct air routes to Vietnam

According to its latest report on Southeast Asia, HSBC said Thailand will benefit the most from China’s reopening. It said further that tourism in Vietnam was also expected to perform well as Chinese tourists account for some 30% of international arrivals to the country. This month Khanh Hoa Province is expected to have nine charter flights which will bring Chinese visitors to Vietnam after a 3-year suspension due to the pandemic. Hotels in Hoi An, in the central province of Quang Nam, have also received bookings from Chinese tourists. Regarding trade, since 2020 ASEAN has surpassed the E.U. to become China’s largest trading partner. Last year Vietnam was one of three Southeast Asian countries, along with Indonesia and Malaysia, reporting increases in exports to China. Vietnam is also benefiting from more favorable trade ties with China because exports no longer have to undergo strict Covid testing. Concerning FDI, Japan and South Korea are the leading countries in terms of … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s tourism, trade, FDI rosy amid China’s reopening: HSBC

Like so many others in Lam Dong Province and other rural areas of southern Vietnam, Toan saw the value of his agricultural land skyrocket in 2020-2021. He took it as an opportunity to start flipping properties for profit. But the market froze last year and short-term loans at high interest rates have now sunk him and many other farmers-turned-inexperienced-traders in impossible debt instead. The veteran coffee grower sold his land 7 km from the center of Di Linh District for several billions of dong in profit during a property price bubble in 2021. He then took out short-term, high-interest loans and used them plus money he made from his land sale to by several more plots he planned to resell for profit in what he thought would be at most 1-2 months. He said he thought he’d be able to sell some of the land back in even just a couple of weeks. But the properties still haven’t sold. In early 2022, Toan poured another VND15 billion ($635,600), including VND6 billion from another … [Read more...] about Debt buries farmers trying to flip property in frozen market