HCM CITY — The restoration of the tomb of Le Van Duyet, a high-ranking mandarin in the Nguyen dynasty, that dates back to early 19th century, has been completed in HCM City.
Work on the VND13.8 billion (US$730,000) restoration project funded by the Government had begun in March 2008.
The restoration work included the interiors of the worship hall, the wood and tiled roof, the western and eastern sides of the tomb, the tomb's entrance and front yard.
The restoration of the seriously degraded monument was a crucial and timely action taken to preserve the city's historical monuments, said Tran Tuan Anh, deputy director of the city's department of culture.
Located in Binh Thanh District, the tomb was built in 1841 and recognised as a national architectural relic in 1988.
Coffee-making contest set for next month
HCM CITY — The sixth International Barista Competition will take place in HCM City early next month with the participation of 15 Asian and Middle Eastern countries.
Each country will have its own Coffee Bean representative to compete for the championship title on August 4 at the New World Hotel Saigon.
The barista competition encourages and recognises the professional achievements in the art and skill of espresso beverage preparation and service.
Jay Isais, the Coffee Bean's master coffee buyer and senior director of coffee, roasting and manufacturing, will arrive in HCM City on August 2 to talk about the best coffees from around the world at The Coffee Bean&Tea Leaf store located on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street in District 1.
The Coffee Bean&Tea Leaf is the oldest and largest specialty coffee retailer in the US. Founded by Herbert Hyman in 1963, the company now has 180 stores worldwide where it serves over 100 million coffee and tea beverages every year.
Library presented to rural secondary school
HA NOI — The Viet-Korea Co-operation Centre (VKCC) on Wednesday presented a library worth over VND130 million to the My Hung Secondary School in Ha Noi's outlying Thanh Oai District.
Being equipped with about 2,000 books of all kinds, management software system, computers and furniture, the library is the second under VKCC's programme which will help teachers and pupils at schools in disadvantaged rural area widen their knowledge.
The first library worth over US$5,000 was donated to the Dong Do Secondary School in Ha Noi early this year.
VKCC operates under Global Civic Sharing (GCS), a non-profit, development NGO founded in 1998 and supported by the Republic of Korea. — VNS