HCM CITY — Various cultural agencies, including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, are working to secure UNESCO recognition for tai tu music as an intangible world cultural heritage.
Tai tu, a traditional southern music genre, developed from court music after blending with local folk music forms, and for long has been seen as part of the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta's cultural identity.
It comprises of a set of original songs that are accompanied by an orchestra of traditional instruments based on strict rules.
Besides the ministry, the others involved in the task are the Agency of Cultural Heritage, the Institute of Music, and the Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism of HCM City and some southern provinces.
The task will top these agencies' agenda until the end of this year, the ministry told a review conference held in HCM City on Monday that gathered cultural officials from around the country.
Art meets technology at HCM City exhibition
HCM CITY — Members of the HCM City Digital Art Club have showcased 36 artworks created on computers at an exhibition that opened on Sunday.
Khong Gian Ao 2 (Virtual Space 2), held by the HCM City Fine Arts Association, has the works ranging from abstract, surreal to realist that are exhibited both in their printed form and on computers. Last year the exhibition featured only printed works.
The artists on display this year include Phan Phuong, Pham Do Dong, Nguyen Tri Minh Tuyet, Ho Hong Linh, and Le Kinh Tai.
Computers have been a legitimate medium for artists around the world. It appeared in Viet Nam around 10 years ago but has only become popular recently, with several such exhibitions being held in the last two years.
The exhibition is on until next Wednesday at the association, 218A Pasteur Street, District 3.
Demand rises for ancient ceramic pieces
THUA THIEN-HUE — The costs of antique pottery shards, which are in high demand in the central city of Hue, have increased substantially compared to last year.
The pieces are needed by builders to inlay the surface of structures like tombs and mansions, and by antique collectors who use them as specimens for comparison.
The costs range from VND200,000 (US$10) a kg for items dating back to the Ly and Tran Dynasties around 1,000 years ago, to VND600,000 for those recovered from the bottom of the Huong (Perfume) River.
Some items that can be restored to their original shapes are being sold separately for hundreds of thousands to millions of Vietnamese dong (equal to hundreds or thousands of US dollars).
However, due to high demand in both the north and south of the country, the prices are expected to continue to rise in the future, according to traders. — VNS