Necessity for wildlife conservation

First built by the Ly Dynasty in 1010, the Hanoi Citadel, also known as the Thang Long Imperial Palace, was later expanded by the Le-Tran dynasties and the Nguyen Dynasty. The Nguyen rulers rebuilt the Hanoi Citadel on the former foundation of the palace built by the Le kings with Vauban fortified architecture. Though it no longer held a central position under the Nguyens, the citadel still played an important political role. Kinh Thien Palace (seen in the center of the map) was a place to stop over for the Nguyen kings during trips to the north. Besides, rituals such as welcome parties for foreign emissaries and discussions of state affairs also took place here. The Hanoi Citadel’s North Gate seen from the outside in the 19th century.  The citadel’s East Gate circa 1890. A view from the inside of the Southeastern Gate circa 1890. The West Gate seen from outside in 1870. Aerial view of the Hanoi Citadel from the East Gate in 1873. The French … [Read more...] about Exhibition looks back at Hanoi in the 19th century

The museum, opened in early December at 374 Nguyen Son Street in Tan Phu District, includes some Ngoc Linh ginseng tubers that are worth billions of Vietnamese dong each (VND1 billion = $43,000). "Ngoc Linh ginseng not only has medicinal properties but also history and culture," said Nguyen Tan Viet, its director.  "Having researched for years, I had a strong desire to build a museum so that others too could appreciate and learn more about this precious ginseng species," he added. Viet had earlier spent 15 year curating the collection. On entering the 250-square-meter museum, visitors are greeted by written works, pictures and a national map depicting the distributions of the scores of varieties of Ngoc Linh. This family of ginseng is mainly found at an altitude of 1,200-2,000 meters on Ngoc Linh Mountain straddling the provinces of Quang Nam and Kon Tum. The mountain is part of the mighty Truong Son mountain range. The ginseng is an endemic species in … [Read more...] about Getting to the root of ginseng at Saigon museum

For years, local performing artists and media have faced the dilemma of having no big, state-of-the-art theaters, juxtaposed with the difficulty of drawing audiences to existing venues.  With 71 existing theaters and performing arts venues nationwide, most seldom fully booked, it can’t be argued that Vietnam lacks theaters. As of 2018, Hanoi boasted 20 venues under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism management, most in decent conditions and centrally located.    However, many survive on government subsidies, additionally renting facilities to restaurants, coffee and karaoke shops. Such vulgar commercialism of vacant cultural space has for years devoured communal culture houses to national theaters alike. Artists like musician Nguyen Quoc Trung point out the lack of big venues as a major setback preventing local organizers reaching for the stars.       In Hanoi, with the exception of Youth Theater on Ngo Thi Nham Street, most venues are … [Read more...] about No curtain call for theatrical paradox

For hundreds of years, Khmerethnic minority people living near the Cambodian border have harvested grey sedge to make handicrafts for daily use. It is a common sight to see locals harvesting the plants in Phu My Commune, Kien Giang's Giang Thanh District. Before going to work in the fields, farmers wear knee-length socks to protect themselves from leeches. The grey sedge is harvested by holding the top and pulling up instead of using a sickle to cut as elsewhere in the Mekong Delta. The farmers also wear gloves to prevent scratching their hands when working with the plants. Thi Vay of Phu My Commune, who has been harvesting grey sedge for nearly 10 years, said people harvest the plant from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. every day after they finish working in rice plantation and animal husbandry. The plant is sorted immediately after being plucked out of the earth. Vay only keeps the green, hard plants, while the yellow, withering ones are discarded. … [Read more...] about Khmer people’s grey sedge handicraft village in the Mekong Delta

The bill's passing is part of a multistate effort to have the U.S. Supreme Court reconsider a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion. The country’s strictest abortion bill was previously approved by the Alabama House of Representatives and will now go to Republican Governor Kay Ivey, who has withheld comment on whether she would sign but is generally a strong opponent of abortion. The law, which passed 25-6, would take effect six months after being signed by the governor, but is certain to face legal challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups which have vowed to sue. Legislation to restrict abortion rights has been introduced this year in 16 states, four of whose governors have signed bills banning abortion if an embryonic heartbeat can be detected. The Alabama bill goes further, banning abortions at any time. Those performing abortions would be committing a felony, punishable by 10 to 99 years in prison, although a woman who receives an … [Read more...] about Alabama Senate bans nearly all abortions, including rape cases