HCM City — A writing competition entitled The Memory of Ha Noi has been launched as part of the celebrations for the capital's 1,000th anniversary.
Its sponsors are the Viet Nam Association of Photographic Artists, Nestle's Nescafe coffee and the website cungtrochuyen.com.
The contest has been combined with last month's photo contest of the same name.
"It's the first time two contests have been co-ordinated so that competitors can fully express their deep sentiments about the capital," say the sponsors on cungtrochuyen.com.
A link between the websites cungtrochuyen.com and www.vnphoto.net will be created so that photographers can share their views about the work.
The contests were a meaningful way to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of the capital, said Nestle Viet Nam marketing director Sakulborrirug Chaiyong.
The writing contest will close on October 30 with a first prize of a Sony camera worth VND6 million, a second prize of VND5 million, and a third prize of VND4 million.
Organisers say they have received more than 1,100 photos since the launch of the contest last month and these will be displayed at a four-day exhibition titled 1,000 Looks of Ha Noi in the city's Library, 47 Ba Trieu Street on October 2-5.
The photos will be auctioned to raise money to preserve and improve the cultural values of Ha Noi, says Chaiyong.
Bidders will also have the opportunity to buy a Nescafe lacquer box designed to symbolise the historical epochs of the capital.
Biggest lantern set to shine
THANH HOA — The largest lantern for the Mid-Autumn Festival beginning tonight will be completed in the province of Thanh Hoa and recorded in Viet Nam's Guinness Book of World Records, said Nguyen Viet Hung, director of provincial Culture and Information Department.
According to Hung, the lantern is about 10.5m high and 9.6m in diameter and although it is made of steel and canvas, it will function as a traditional lantern made of bamboo and wood.
Each of the lantern's six sides are decorated with images of animals and scenes relating to the country's history.
"The lantern will bring joy to the parents and children during the festival night. But more importantly, we aimed to educate children to respect and preserve national cultural values," said Hung.
The festival falls tonight on the 15th of the eighth lunar month.
Toyota presents scholarships
HA NOI — A group of students from the Viet Bac Culture and Arts College from Thai Nguyen Province yesterday opened a ceremony for the Toyota Scholarship for excellent students in Ha Noi.
The students played the dan tinh, a popular instrument of the Tay ethnic group, to commemorate the occasion.
One hundred excellent students, who study music, from across the country were given VND3 million in scholarship funds to support their educational development, said Toyota's general director in Viet Nam, Akito Tachibana.
These students have made massive achievements in their musical studies and have won awards inside and outside the country. Some of the students are from disadvantaged areas and others are ethnic students who have prospered despite having to face difficulties, said Akito.
"We hope that the scholarship will be significant and encourage the students to study and develop their musical talents," he said. — VNS