HA NOI — A display at My Dinh National Convention Centre in Ha Noi will offer a glimpse of the culture and people from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The event will be a sideline activity at the ASEAN Summit 16. The display will present photos about people and the country, as well as traditional female costumes from each country.
The images from Viet Nam are of Hoan Kiem (Returned Sword) Lake in Ha Noi and Ha Long Bay. Delegates also have a chance to observe a Vietnamese traditional ao dai, which is a pink dress with an embroidered lotus.
The ASEAN Summit 16 will take place in Ha Noi from April 8-9.
Play to honour traditional art forms
HUE CITY — A play combining different Vietnamese traditional and contemporary art forms will debut in Hue in June.
The play will be debut during the Hue Festival 2010. The drama, Hoi Tho Cua Nuoc (The Water's Breath), will honour traditional art forms, which have been recognised as World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. The art forms will include nha nhac (court music), ca tru (ceremonial music) and quan ho (love duets).
The play will also feature modern art elements, such as world music, contemporary dance and fireworks performances in order to supplement the play.
The play will be performed on a floating stage in Tinh Tam Lake on June 6, 9 and 11, and will be broadcast on VTV3 channel.
Buddhist altar renovation project begins
HA NOI — A ground breaking ceremony marking a construction project to renovate the Buddhist altar at the Dau Pagoda in the city's Thuong Tin District was held on Sunday.
The project, worth VND12 billion (US$600,000), is expected to be completed by the end of January 2011.
The pagoda, which is home to two famous mummified statues of Zen Masters Vu Khac Minh and Vu Khac Truong, was damaged seriously during the first Indochina War.
The State spent around VND3 billion on six renovation projects at the pagoda since 1987.
Built in the 17th century under the Ly dynasty, the pagoda was formerly known as De Nhat Danh Lam (Number One Landscape).
Vietnamese music aims for global ears
HA NOI — Vietnamese communities all over the world may have the chance to enjoy "Made in Viet Nam" music productions.
People's Artist Thanh Hoa has started the new project to popularise Vietnamese music abroad.
After helping produce Ton That Son's first album, Doc Thoai (Monologue), the veteran singer said she hoped the album would reach Vietnamese people living abroad through online distribution networks.
After finishing Son's album, Hoa will continue to work on producing tracks for Viet Ha and Bui Le Man.
Annual robot competition kicks off
HCM CITY — The Southern qualifying round for the annual robot competition (Robocon) began in HCM City on Monday, featuring 86 teams from 19 universities and colleges.
This year's contest theme is robo-pharaohs, who build pyramids. Within three minutes, two teams will compete to build one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
The competition will be held in two rounds to choose 12 teams that will proceed to the final round of Robocon Viet Nam 2010 to be held in the Central Highlands' Buon Ma Thuot City on May 11.
The winner of the final round will represent Viet Nam at the Asia-Pacific Robot Contest in Cairo, Egypt, in August.
Viet Nam Robocon 2010 is organised by Viet Nam Television. First held in 2003, the contest is open to students in the field of technology. Viet Nam has often placed first in the contest. — VNS