Sep
25
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Nam Dinh to celebrate royal heritage
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A number of events beginning later this month will celebrate the 750th anniversary of Thien Truong, the old capital of the Tran dynasty (1225-1400) in the northern province of Nam Dinh.
A ceremony will be held in Nam Dinh city on October 5, including a military march and public parade, followed by a ceremony in which the Ho Chi Minh Order will be conferred by the Prime Minister, recognising Nam Dinh as a Category One city.
The city's Tran Temple will also be officially recognised in the ceremony as an historical and architectural site, while Pho Minh Pagoda will be designated a special national relic.
A performance and fireworks show will take place that night, with the whole celebration throughout the day to be broadcast live on Vietnam Television's VTV1 channel.
As recorded by Ngo Sy Lien, in the Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu (Complete Annals of the Dai Viet), the Tran dynasty in 1225 took power from the Ly dynasty. In 1239, King Tran Thai Tong, whose birthplace was Tuc Mac village, Thien Truong district, now the city of Nam Dinh, ordered a royal complex built there, called Tuc Mac, and a temple to worship ancestors, all of which were upgraded into the Thien Truong Palace complex in 1262.
The complex, consisting of Trung Quang Palace and Trung Hoa Palace , served as a special administrative and political centre to the south of the kingdom's capital city of Thang Long (Hanoi).
During three wars against Mongol invaders in the 13th century, Tran kings stayed at the Thien Truong complex, where they stored provisions and trained the army.
Under succeeding dynasties, the area played a key role in broadening the plain near the sea, reclaiming the land that makes up today's fertile Hong (Red) River delta plain.
In addition to its important place in the country's political history, the area has also been famed for its talented people and learning traditions. At the royal exam in 1247, 13-year-old local Nguyen Hien won the highest score and became one of the youngest to receive the doctoral title in the feudal period.
In 1281, the Tran dynasty built an institute in the area to recruit and train intellectuals. Since then, the locality has maintained the tradition of learning, nurturing such talents as Kings Tran Thai Tong, Tran Thanh Tong and Tran Nhan Tong, General Tran Quoc Tuan, and 20th-century revolutionaries like Truong Chinh, Tran Van Lan, Le Duc Tho, Tong Van Tran and Nguyen Co Thach.
In the 20th century, Nam Dinh was a cradle for nationalist and workers' movements, and locals made considerable contributions to the war against the US and the cause of building socialism.
An exhibition on the socio-economic development of the area will open on Sept 25 at Vi Xuyen Park in the city. A handicrafts and tourism fair will also kick off that night at Hoa Binh Square , and a bonsai exhibition gathering decorative plants by artisans from all over the Hong (Red) River region will open near the Tran Temple.
A few days later, on Sept. 29, the city will host an international conference on the culture of Mother God worship in Vietnam and Asia . The next day, an antiques exhibition will be held at Nam Dinh Museum./.
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Sep
24
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Plans to preserve key heritage
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Extensive new measures have been introduced in a bid to preserve and develop the historical stone steles at Ha Noi's Temple of Literature.
The three-year project was announced by the Scientific and Cultural Centre of the Temple of Literature, who highlighted the great importance of protecting the invaluable steles which commemorate doctors and scholars from the Le to Nguyen dynasties (1442-1779).
Nguyen Van Tu, chief of the research unit at the centre, said that there would be an annual renovation of the steles to protect them against degradation and vandalism.
He highlighted the damage currently affecting the turtle statues, upon which commemorative stone slabs mounted. It has become a habit of Vietnamese visitors, in particular young people, to touch the heads of the turtles for good luck during the lunar new year or in examination periods. This causes long term damage to the memorials.
New restricted areas have been introduced to combat this problem and display panels have been placed to present information about the 82 steles, which were recognised as being part of the world's documentary heritage by UNESCO in 2010.
Tu said that as part of the project the beauty of the monuments would be enhanced by the introduction of ornamental plants and repairs to surrounding fences and doors. The centre is also set to improve the environmental sanitation of the temple to make it more welcoming for visitors.
The Temple of Literature, built during the reign King Ly Nhan Tong in 1070, is one of several temples in the country that honour Confucius, along with sages and scholars. It is also the location of the "Imperial Academy" (Quoc Tu Giam), Viet Nam's first national university.
Nowadays, the temple is a popular site with both locals and foreign visitors and is the site for many of Ha Noi's cultural and educational activities. It has welcomed over 700,000 tourists since the beginning of the year, 60 per cent of them hailing from abroad.
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Sep
24
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Ha Noi aims to craft better image for villages
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Te capital city's tourism authorities have unveiled a plan to make numerous craft villages in the city more attractive to tourists, building on successes like the Van Phuc Silk Village.
Deputy Director of the Ha Noi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mai Tien Dung, said the city has more than 1,000 traditional craft villages, but h craft village tours.
Dung blamed this on poorly developed infrastructure and tourist services at the craft villages and the lack of the awareness among local people about tourism development and its potential to boost their living standards.
He said the department would support travel firms and craft villages in attracting more tourists by promoting a model where visitors can learn more about the production processes, place orders and buy readymade products.
In related news, Thua Thien-Hue Province has announced that it would host a national handicraft festival in 2013, aiming to strengthen the role of craft villages in tourism development.
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Vietnam emerges as new favorite of British holidaymakers
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24/09/2012 11:36:18
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RoK-Vietnam cultural week kicks off
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24/09/2012 11:35:04
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Festival raises Vietnam profile in RoK
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24/09/2012 11:33:43
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Festival raises Vietnam profile in RoK
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24/09/2012 11:29:11
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Hue to provide free wi-fi service this year
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24/09/2012 11:17:53
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Viet Nam fastest-growing high-end holiday destination for Aussies
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24/09/2012 11:15:28
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Vietnam looks to one million Japanese tourists in 2015
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24/09/2012 11:13:20
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Luu Huynh’s much-hyped lay chong nguoi ta has arrived
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24/09/2012 10:54:31
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Vietnam-Korea exchange concert
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24/09/2012 10:49:36
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