The Lim Festival in the northern Vietnamese province of Bac Ninh, home to UNESCO-recognized ‘quan ho’ (love duet) singing, welcomed dozens of thousands of visitors during its two-day course on Thursday and Friday. The event is held annually in Bac Ninh’s Tien Du District, about 30km from downtown Hanoi, as a cultural spotlight of the province and one of the largest spring festivals in northern Vietnam on the 13th day of the first Lunar month (February 3 this year). Visitors flock to the Lim Festival in Tien Du District, Bac Ninh Province, Vietnam, February 3, 2023. Photo: Nguyen Bao / Tuoi Tre It features various activities, including incense offering at Hong Tan Temple on Lim Hill, a procession from Dinh Ca communal house to Lo Bao communal house, and a firework display in the Van Tuong Lake area. Visitors to the festival can enjoy the beautiful melodies of ‘quan ho,’ which was recognized in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage of humanity list in 2009. … [Read more...] about Thousands of visitors flock to Lim Festival in northern Vietnam
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Vietnam’s Dien Bien Province experiences hail
Dien Bien Phu City and some adjacent districts in Dien Bien Province, northern Vietnam on Saturday evening experienced hail accompanied by a thunderstorm for 20 minutes. A representative of the provincial committee for natural disaster prevention and control told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the province was assessing the damage of the hail and thunderstorm. Traffic light poles and a welcome gate collapse in Dien Bien Province, northern Vietnam, February 4, 2023. Photo: D.Bien / Tuoi Tre A resident of Dien Bien Phu City said the hail with hailstones as big as thumbs together with strong winds and a heavy rain started at about 6:00 pm, forcing many road users to seek shelter. Many trees were uprooted, crops were damaged, while traffic light poles and a welcome gate collapsed. In addition, some streets in Dien Bien Phu City, such as Vo Nguyen Giap and Hoang Van Thai, were inundated severely, causing difficulties in travel. The hail was heavy … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s Dien Bien Province experiences hail
Vietnam’s rice increasingly preferred in UK
Consumers in the UK have been increasingly keen on Vietnam’s rice, especially after ST25 was honored as the best rice variety in the world in 2019, Nguyen Canh Cuong, trade counselor at the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. UK companies have paid much attention to Vietnam’s rice due to a higher demand in their country and incentives in the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA). In particular, the UK has waived the import tariff on Vietnam’s fragrant rice instead of imposing a 17.4-percent tax rate as earlier. Vietnam’s rice value on the rise According to statistics from the Vietnam Trade Office in the UK, the European country’s rice imports from Vietnam rose in 2020 and 2021. In 2020, before the UKVFTA took effect, Vietnam’s rice exports to the UK surged to some 3,400 metric tons worth US$2.67 million from nearly 1,300 metric tons in the previous year. Vietnam’s rice exports to the UK fell 20 percent in volume but inched up four percent … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s rice increasingly preferred in UK
Vietnam introduces new beauty pageant
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports has approved the organization of the Miss National Vietnam 2023 beauty pageant, which is scheduled to take place until the end of the year. The organizer, Golden Lotus Advertising Commercial JSC, announced the inception of the annual contest at a press conference on Sunday evening. Luong Thuy Linh (L), Miss World Vietnam 2019, Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc (C), Miss Intercontinental 2022, and Nguyen Thu Thuy Tien, Miss Grand International 2021, are introduced as the ambassadors of the Miss National Vietnam 2023 beauty pageant, February 5, 2023. Photo: Hoai Phuong / Tuoi Tre The preliminary round began last month and will last until August. The semifinal will take place in September while the finale is slated for November and December with the participation of 63 contestants. Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, Miss Grand International 2021, attends the press conference for the Miss National Vietnam 2023 beauty pageant, … [Read more...] about Vietnam introduces new beauty pageant
Houses catch fire from burning gasoline tank truck in Ho Chi Minh City
A parked petrol tank truck suddenly caught fire before the blaze spread to several nearby houses in Nha Be District, Ho Chi Minh City on Friday. The fire broke out and engulfed the tank truck that was parked on Nguyen Huu Tho Street in the district at around 1:00 pm. A fire engulfs a petrol tank truck on Nguyen Huu Tho Street in Nha Be District, Ho Chi Minh City, February 3, 2023. Photo: M.H. / Tuoi Tre The truck driver and local people quickly tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, but to no avail. A fire from a petrol tank truck destroys houses on Nguyen Huu Tho Street in Nha Be District, Ho Chi Minh City, February 3, 2023. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre The fire then flared up, with a sound of an explosion, before fanning out over many houses along Nguyen Huu Tho Street, destroying a large number of properties. People gather at the site of a fire that burned a petrol tank truck on Nguyen Huu Tho Street in Nha Be District, Ho … [Read more...] about Houses catch fire from burning gasoline tank truck in Ho Chi Minh City
474 cancer patients in Ho Chi Minh City wait for surgeries
As of the end of last month, 474 cancer patients were waiting to undergo surgeries at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital in the namesake city, director of the hospital Pham Xuan Dung told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. He attributed the high number of patients waiting for surgeries to the degraded infrastructure and overload at the main campus of the infirmary, which is based in Binh Thanh District. The hospital’s director expected that when the second campus of the hospital, in Thu Duc City, is completely put into operation with the number of operating rooms increasing from 14 to 20, the waiting time will be shortened from four to three weeks. According to statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, the hospital performs 31,000-33,000 surgeries for cancer patients per year. The number fell to 18,000 and 29,000 in 2020 and 2021, respectively, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in Vietnam. Tang Chi Thuong, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of … [Read more...] about 474 cancer patients in Ho Chi Minh City wait for surgeries
Poetry in commotion: Young artists capture Hanoi’s spirit in electronic music
The vibrance of Hanoi culture is inspiring young musicians – locals and expats alike – to take on electronic music as a new medium to search for the ‘soul’ of the city. Ever since he set foot in Hanoi during a short exchange program six years ago, Robin Marty, a French student majoring in marine science, has been captivated by the robust life brimming in every corner of the Vietnamese capital city. “You always see bunches of young girls and boys driving around on their cheap electric bikes gagging and shouting. Most people smile first, then talk," Marty wrote in a release note for his 2021 EP Tra Da (Iced Tea). “And it is not uncommon to see people randomly singing in the street, in a shop, on their balcony. “I feel like that’s something we have forgotten back home [in France]." Limebócx members perform at a music event at Hanoi Rock City in December 2022. Photo : Hanoi Rock City Yet, in the meantime, the allure of modernism is gradually taking over the … [Read more...] about Poetry in commotion: Young artists capture Hanoi’s spirit in electronic music
Ho Chi Minh City renovates hundreds of bus stops
Hundreds of bus stops in Ho Chi Minh City have been renovated in a bid to improve service quality and contributes to improving the city's public transport system. Bus stops along many routes in the southern metropolis have been given a facelift, according to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters. Many of these facilities previously suffered serious deterioration, some of which were even turned into makeshift garbage dump. The new bus stops are equipped with information boards with details about bus routes, making it much more convenient for passengers. “I believe the renovation and replacement of bus stops in the city will help raise awareness about environmental protection and minimize littering,” Nguyen Hoang, a student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education. A renovated bus stop in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre “The information boards also make it easier for me and other students to travel.” … [Read more...] about Ho Chi Minh City renovates hundreds of bus stops
Pregnant woman dies after passenger boat overturns in Ho Chi Minh City
A pregnant woman was killed after a boat carrying 12 passengers capsized along a river in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday morning. A passenger boat was traveling along a section of Dong Nai River between Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai Province at around 9:30 am when it hit a barge and overturned, according to preliminary information. The location where the boat capsized was in the territory of Ho Chi Minh City. The location where the accident took place. Photo: A.B. / Tuoi Tre The boat was carrying 12 passengers from Chau Doc 3 Pagoda on Ba Xe Islet in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City to Xua Wharf in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province, a representative from the Dong Nai Department of Public Security stated. Meanwhile, the barge was carrying shipping containers in the opposite direction. Following the incident, the Dong Nai waterway police unit coordinated with their counterparts in Ho Chi Minh City to rescue the victims. Victims are brought ashore … [Read more...] about Pregnant woman dies after passenger boat overturns in Ho Chi Minh City
Work starts on $23.5mn bridge linking Hai Phong to Quang Ninh in northern Vietnam
Authorities in Hai Phong City, northern Vietnam began construction of a bridge to create the fourth linkage of its kind with neighboring Quang Ninh Province on Thursday. Investment in the project, which includes building the Lai Xuan Bridge across the Da Bach River and expanding Provincial Road 352 to connect Hai Phong’s Thuy Nguyen District with Dong Trieu Town in Quang Ninh, totals nearly VND1.33 trillion (US$56.93 million). Of the total, nearly VND550 billion ($23.45 million) is dedicated to the construction of the Lai Xuan Bridge, which will be 840 meters long and 12 meters wide upon completion. The remaining capital is for the renovation and expansion of the 14km-long Provincial Road 352. Delegates press symbolic buttons to start a project to build the Lai Xuan Bridge and renovate a provincial road to directly connect Hai Phong City and Quang Ninh Province in northern Vietnam, February 2, 2023. Photo: Tien Thang / Tuoi Tre The project is being funded by … [Read more...] about Work starts on $23.5mn bridge linking Hai Phong to Quang Ninh in northern Vietnam