The other side: Exhibit honors Vietnam"s wartime photojournalists

A French photo journalist working in Vietnam during the Vietnam War has launched a photo exhibition in Hanoi showing battle scenes through the eyes of his four Vietnamese colleagues.

Patrick Chauvel puts together 40 pictures of the North Vietnam’s photographers Chu Thi Thanh, Doan Cong Tinh, Hua Kiem and Mai Nam, to show his admiration for their work in difficult conditions.

The exhibition will open until May 10 at the French culture center L’Espace.

Crowds flock to the center as the event opened Tuesday.

Chauvel said after 40 years, he is still impressed by his North Vietnam’s colleagues. He said he and other journalists in the south were well equipped, well protected, and could get on a helicopter back to Saigon anytime they were injured. But the North Vietnam’s photographers spent months in the battlefield and while they exposed themselves to danger just like the soldiers, they still produced valuable photos.

Photographer Mai Nam, now in his 80s, look at the photos at the exhibition. “There’s a thin line between death and life, but when we saw the bravery of the soldiers, of the people, we were not afraid of anything any more,” he said, explaining for how they could take photos in the crossfire.

Photographer Doan Cong Tinh (L) meets veteran Do Chien Thang, one of the subjects in the photo at the back which he captured in 1970.

Tinh’s photo of soldiers resting in an almost dead jungle.

Two foreign visitors discuss about a photo of Mai Nam showing a US helicopter being shot down.

Nam’s photos of Vietnamese soldiers on the move.

This 1970 photo by Tinh has received special attention at the exhibition.

A photo by Chu Chi Thanh shows an old soldier aiming at a US fighter-bomber on November 16, 1967 in the central province of Quang Binh. He brought it down.

Vietnamese soldiers run in a photo by Tinh after land mines damaged their tank at a battlefield at Laos border in 1971.

Doctors of North Vietnam treat an injured soldier in a shelter in a photo taken by Kiem.

Nguồn: thanhniennews.com

The other side: Exhibit honors Vietnam"s wartime photojournalists

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Remember the ancestors: Millions flock to temples to honor Hung Kings

Nearly five million pilgrims have traveled to Phu Tho Province to pay tribute to Hung Kings, the country’s legendary founding fathers, during their death anniversary this week.

Temples in the province, not far from Hanoi, started the festival five days before the main event on Tuesday, but many people had come here days before that.

Local officials estimated that the number of visitors hit five million as of the end of Monday.

Phu Tho authorities have deployed hundreds of police and military officers to maintain security during the festival.

They said there has been hardly any case of street snatching and overcharging.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet Chinh, deputy director of the province’s culture and tourism department, told Tuoi Tre newspaper there were several pick-pocketing incidents but the officers have dealt with them.

“There have been no traffic jams. Some tourists were still littering though,” Chinh said.

According to Vietnamese legends, the first Hung King was a son of a dragon father and a fairy mother who set up the country’s first government thousands of years ago.

He passed down the throne to 17 other Hung Kings before the control shifted in around 250 BC to another ruler named An Duong Vuong.

A ritual to offer incense and other sacred items to the kings were held on Tuesday morning.

People travel to the Hung temples under the baking sun. Photo credit: Tuoi Tre

The path to Hung temples cuts through a jungle on Nghia Linh mountain. Photo credit: VnExpress

People burn incense in front of a Hung temple. Photo credit: VnExpress

Many people still throw small changes into a holy well at the temple for luck despite a sign that asks them not to. Photo credit: VnExpress

A police officer assigned to maintain security during the festival. Photo credit: VnExpress

Shops and stores are given an area separate from the sacred area. Photo credit: VnExpress

A truck comes to collect garbage. Photo credit: Tuoi Tre

The Hung Kings’ Square at the foot of the mountain where many cultural activities have been held during the time of the festival. Photo credit: VnExpress

Nguồn: thanhniennews.com

Remember the ancestors: Millions flock to temples to honor Hung Kings

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African rainbow, American waterfall light up Da Nang skies at fireworks show

The seventh Da Nang International Fireworks Competition opened Tuesday with some brilliant pyrotechnics from the US, South Africa, and Vietnam.

Fireworks for Africa, a 19-year-old team and the youngest among the contestants this year, brought a rainbow-themed show using music just from their country.

The six-member team surprised the world during their performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Pyrotecnico, the US team which won second prize at the competition in 2010, lit up the sky over the Han River with a fireworks ‘waterfall’.

The team, which has been in existence for more than 80 years, has said it is determined to win the championship this time. Their performance five years ago, when a French team was crowned, had been hit by heavy rains.

Da Nang Fireworks, which won third prize in 2010, 2011 and 2012, showed more experience in ensuring the fireworks and music matched.

One performance created the word “Vietnam” in fireworks and many others went up to national pride-themed music.

The other two teams, Howard and Son Fireworks from Australia which came third in 2009 and Surex Firma Rodzinna from Poland, will light up the sky Wednesday night.

This year’s competition, titled “Da Nang – Symphony of Colors,” has drawn hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Visitors Tuesday crowded the observation stand near the Han River and nearby buildings hours before the show started at 8:30 p.m.

The competition used to be held every year until the city government decided to give it a break last year and made it a biennial event.

A statement from the city’s tourism department said having one year off is one of the factors for the rise in visitor numbers this year.

It said around 450,000 visitors would be staying in the city during the event, 14 percent up from 2013.

Nguồn: thanhniennews.com

African rainbow, American waterfall light up Da Nang skies at fireworks show

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Millennia-old jewelry on display in Vietnam"s former imperial city

Some jewelry items, many dating back to the Bronze Age, are on display in the central town of Hue.

The exhibition, which opened Tuesday, includes earrings, necklaces, and bracelets from the Bronze Age Bau Tro civilization that flourished 5,000 years ago in central Vietnam and the Sa Huynh culture dating back 3,000-1,800 years along the central coast.

The highlight is a royal jewelry collection of the Nguyen Dynasty from the 18th to 20th centuries. It features golden tiaras, hairpins, and bracelets encrusted with gemstones.

The exhibition at the Hue Museum of Royal Artifacts, 3 Le Truc Street, will go on until June 28.

A bracelet made from shells 5,000 years ago. Photos: Tuoi Tre

A bronze glove with bells from the Dong Son culture that dates back to between 2,500 and 2,000 years ago.

A set of 12 hairpins from the Nguyen Lords era in the 18th century.

A set of beads made from stone some 4,000 years ago.

A silver bracelet from the 19^th-20th centuries.

A visitor looks at ancient jewelry at the exhibition. Photo: Bui Ngoc Long

Nguồn: thanhniennews.com

Millennia-old jewelry on display in Vietnam"s former imperial city

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Sspan Pspan tourist destinspantion spanttrspancts property developers

A view of Sa Pa. The tourist destination has become a magnet for property developers. — Photo nhadatonline.vn

LAO CAI (Biz Hub) — The Sa Pa tourist destination in the northern Lao Cai province has become a magnet for property developers, following projections that the number of tourists coming there would increase sharply.

The footfalls in the urban tourism area have increased particularly after the opening of the Ha Noi-Lao Cai expressway last September, which reduces the travel time from Ha Noi to Lao Cai from the current seven hours to 3.5 hours.

It was also backed up by Lao Cai’s recent investment in upgrading infrastructure to promote tourism development.

The number of tourists coming to Sa Pa is expected to increase, but hotels and villas in Sa Pa might fail to meet the demand. According to latest figures from the Lao Cai provincial tourism information centre, 126 businesses provide nearly 2,000 rooms and more than 3,600 beds to tourists.

However, more than half of them are small hotels run by private enterprises.

During the last Tet (Lunar New Year) festival alone, Sa Pa welcomed more than 5,000 visitors. Last year, it received 1.6 million tourists, proving that the tourism facilities in Sa Pa are being overloaded, thus opening up opportunities for property developers in this market.

Several giant firms have entered the tourist property market and are stepping up their projects’ progress to open them as early as possible.

Last year, some major projects became operational in Sa Pa, such as the five-star Aristo International Hotel and four-star U Sa Pa Hotel.

At present, about 30 investment projects are involved in the construction of residential areas and tourist facilities.

The Truong Giang Sapa joint stock company is investing VND1.2 trillion (US$55.8 million) in building Mercure Sapa Resort and Spa complex in Sa Pa. Its construction started in 2012 and is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of this year.

Another giant firm Contrexim Holdings also plans to open a five-star hotel in Sa Pa in July. Covering more than 7,000sq.m, the hotel comprises 58 rooms and provides a wide range of services such as bar, spa, indoor swimming pool and gym.

Sa Pa is expected to see several real estate projects in the coming time, such as a 27ha ecotourism project with an investment capital of nearly $20 million, and the Sapa Indochina International hotel project with an investment capital of VND170 billion ($7.9 million), the People’s Committee of Sa Pa town said.

Meanwhile, other giant firms such as Vincom, Bitexco and Sun Group also plan to invest in entertainment centres and resorts in this destination.

A highly acclaimed British website providing tourist information and guides, Rough Guides, has listed Sa Pa among the top nine new tourist attractions around the world. — VNS

Nguồn: bizhub

Sspan Pspan tourist destinspantion spanttrspancts property developers

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