HCM CITY — The Viet Nam Guinness Book of Records (Vietbooks) and An Hao Design and Printing Company will introduce Viet Nam's largest block calendar in HCM City today.
The 800-kg Lich Su Viet Nam (History of Viet Nam) calendar is 2 m wide and 3.7m high. It features 365 silk paintings about Viet Nam's history from its beginnings to Reunification Day in 1975. An Hao Company spent more than 18 months and VND500 million (US$26.200) to make the calendar that has a wooden frame carved with dragons.
In September, to celebrate 1,000 years of Thang Long – Ha Noi, the company will also release 1,000 smaller 80kg versions of the calendar, 1.2m high and 1.7m wide, for sale. Twenty-one copies will be granted to governmental agencies and some Viet Nam embassies.
At today's calendar launch at Binh Quoi 2 Tourism Area, Vietbooks will present certificates and trophies to 32 record makers chosen from nearly 300 submissions from across the country last year.
Individuals established 20 of the records including largest colour painting of a flower, largest gem dragon and oldest apricot tree.
Records established by groups include largest dictionary written in Nom (Vietnamese script transformed from Han) and the most blood donors in one day. Le Tran Truong An, Vietbooks general director, said the 18th meeting in HCM City was in preparation for a meeting of 100 Vietnamese record makers in Ha Noi's Imperial Academy) on September to celebrate the millenium of Thang Long – Ha Noi. — VNS