Vietnamese cultural events

Vietnam musician association has released nearly 80 songs about the country seas and islands in the collection title “Day Song Bien Dong” or “Waves rising in East Sea”. Association chamber Do Hong Quan said the group single out of the songs from more than 100 entries submitted by musicians from across the country in the responding to a campaign to write works highlighting the nation over the seas and the islands. The first volume of the series feature songs about Vietnam marine polices, fishermen, submarine, naval and air forces. An exhibition of Vietnam sovereignty over the Parcel and Spartly archeology opened at Thuan An border. Many maps, books and official documents were displayed in the exhibition including bronze censual dating back to the early century Minh Mang dynasty; confirm the Vietnam sovereignty over the islands and water.  In addition, the flagstones over the sovereignty were displayed to remind young generation of patriotism and the spirit of solidarity in defending the country sacred sovereignty. Items on the display are collected by Vietnamese historians and researchers providing more historical evidences of Vietnam sovereignty over the Paracel and Spartly archipelago.

Hue is well known as a tourist attraction in Vietnam and a souvenir contest has been launched in the province to promote craft villages and the fine arts and handicraft products. It also praises the artists and artisans for researching and creating new souvenir based on the local cultural characteristics.  This is paper lanterns featuring a folk painting from Sinh village of two artisans Nguyen Thi Thanh Tra and Nguyen Van Du. These table lamps are made from paper and wood. They feature the eight different times in musical instruments in Sinh village folk painting. The paper lantern awarded one the top prize in the contest.  The design is very sophisticated. The lantern is fold-able so it is easy to remove and package. It has high aesthetic value and it’s made from green materials. Two third prizes granted to the 5 types of Hue kites made by Nguyen Van Hoang and a bamboo cannon by Nguyen Dinh Hung. Other unique products as a dragon dishes made of wood and pottery dishes featuring the local landscape.  The gifts in souvenir in Hue are very diverse in quality and prices. There is lack of the local unique products.  The contest helps the artists and artisans to create new gifts the success demonstrate characteristic of Hue and this landscape to visitors all over the world. 

There are many embroidery craft villages of Vietnam but only Dong Cuu preserve and develop royal embroider design. Skill craftsmen in Dong Cuu are renowned for the technique that revives the ancient dedicated costumes which seem to be disappearing over across of time. The patterns of the dragon and the phoenix were embroidered under the Nguyen Dynasty. Through the sophisticated and balanced threading show clearly craftsmen are meticulous and skillful. According to Nguyen The Du, head of the Dong Cuu village embroider association to complete these complicated patterns, take three artisans over a month Of course these artisans mist ne skill and experience. Over the past three centuries, Dong Cuu has only just embroidered the clothes for King and caps for the mandarins. Royal design of consider pinnacle of traditional embroidery not only skill in experience, the embroidery costumes require the careful choose the material and fabric and threat is only the famous traditional quality such a Van Phuc village or even oversea. You can easily find the image of craftsmen sitting beside the embroidery frame in Dong Cuu. Nguyen Thi No is now 62 years old and studied in studied the embroidery when she was a small girl. She said she would preserve the ancestor’s craft until she is no longer able to hold the needle. Children in Dong Cuu also like this traditional craft. At present, Dong Cuu mainly creates ancient samples on the clothes using in festivals and art performances. The number of visitors visiting Dong Cuu is increasing, especially in festivals. In the hope, local people hope to receive more support from the local authorities. They want to build a gallery to exhibit our embroidery while promoting tourism in the region. This will gain our products recognition. Over the last hundred year, in royal embroider craft has gradually missed along with the feudal dynasty.   High products in the past including royal clothes are longer left so Dong Cuu traditional craft village in the gloomy. In the try of human factor, the villagers need more the support from local authorities to promote the craft village in the nationwide and around the world.  

Playing an instrument as a career as a rare thing to have. Achieving success in musical career it is even more difficult. But Hanoi born India base a Vietnamese female guitarist has many achievements when she is only 36 years old. She was being a mother of two children and a teacher at the same time. Born in 1978 in an artistic family, Le Thu can play guitar naturally as other children learn to speak. When she was 4 years old, Le Thu started learning guitar with father – the later guitarist and painter Le Hanh. And at the age of five, she had her first public performance. At the age of seven, she became the youngest student at the Vietnamese National Academy Music and studied there for 15 years before became a faculty member in 2002.

After nearly 30 years playing the guitar, Le Thu has earned many national and international prizes in guitar competitions. She won the prize “the most outstanding Asian guitarist” at Calcutta, India in November 2010 and two third prizes in the international guitar competition in Thailand & Rumania in June, 2014.

Reporter: As you mentioned, you has been participated in many international guitar competition, what did you learn from these competition?

Guitarist Le Thu: Nowadays, one of the ways to get the further is study, study never ending. Going places and joining in international competitions give me chances to get to know other musicians to learn knowledge and have more experience. Of course, winning prizes it is important but even if you do not win, you still will end of the day and you get to be there to see the world.

In 2010, Le Thu almost gave up her musical career when she moved to New Delhi, India with her husband and two children. But her fade with guitar, she came back to play and later she became a head of the guitar department of Bridge Music Academy in New Delhi.  Now as the mother of 2 children, Le Thu is balancing her role as a mother, a wife, a teacher and an artist all the same time. Her two children, 9-year-old Chiara and 6-year-old Stella has both been playing guitar since they were 4 years old. Returning to Vietnam this time, Le Thu brought Hanoi audients many interesting performances. Her most recent performance with guitarist Quang Vinh “Memory” turned audient back in time through ancient songs such as Alhambra by F.Tarrega, Serenata Espanola by J. Malats.

Source: VTV4 – VTV.vn