Int’l workshop featuring Bai choi singing to be held

An international workshop featuring Vietnam’s Bai choi singing and similar arts in the world will be held in Quy Nhon city, the central province of Binh Dinh, on January 13-14.
An international workshop featuring Vietnam’s Bai choi singing andsimilar arts in the world will be held in Quy Nhon city, the centralprovince of Binh Dinh, on January 13-14.

Over 20 reports on thefolk singing and world similar arts will be presented at the event bycultural researchers from France, Germany, Sweden, the Republic ofKorea, Laos and Vietnam, Nguyen Binh Dinh, Director of the VietnamNational Academy of Music, told a press conference on the workshop inQuy Nhon on January 6.

Participants will also hear opinions fromleaders and managers of the nine central coastal provinces, namely QuangBinh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, BinhDinh, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa.

They will focus on the history andculture of the central coastal localities, the performance art andmusic, as well as measures to preserve and promote the values of the BaiChoi singing with a view to completing a dossier to seek therecognition of the folk singing as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritagein 2016.

Unique to the central coastal region, Bai choi is oftenseen at local spring festivals and resembles a game, using playingcards and village huts.

The stage for Bai choi performancesencompasses nine cottages, each containing five or six ‘players’. One ofthe cottages, the central house, contains a troupe of musicians andinstruments. A deck of playing cards is split in half, with one stackdistributed amongst the players, and the other placed in the centralhouse. The cards are stuck onto bamboo poles and erected outside thecottages.

The game singer delivers a flag to each cottage,all the while singing Bai choi, and then draws a card from the centralhouse. Whoever holds the card closest in value to the game singer’s cardwins.

The Bai choi songs are about festivals, daily life and work, and are accompanied by musical instruments.

Thegame and songs were developed by Mandarin Dao Duy Tu (1572-1634) tohelp locals protect their crops, according to Hoang Chuong, Director ofthe Centre for Preservation and Promotion of National Culture.-VNA

See more

Vietnamese football players try to put pressure on their opponents but spurned chances to break the duck. (Photo: VNA)

Football: Vietnam held to goalless home draw by Kyrgyzstan

Vietnamese could not make home ground advantage count as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Kyrgyzstan at the Group I of the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2025 Qualifiers held in the northern province of Phu Tho on October 23.

The excavation covers an area of over 6,000sq.m with 60 research pits, each measuring 100sq.m. (Photo courtesy of the Institute of Archaeology)

Over 100 burials from 4000 years ago discovered in Hanoi

Archaeologists from the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology, the Hanoi Museum and the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities have announced the discovery of over 70 graves from the pre-Dong Son period and 40 graves from Dong Son period at the Vuon Chuoi archaeological relic in Kim Chung commune, Hoai Duc district.

Pho bo (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) and nem ran (fried spring rolls) attract the attention of many Korean and foreign visitors at a festival in the Republic of Korea. (Photo: VNA)

Festival promotes Vietnam-RoK cultural exchange

A cultural festival has been held in Uijeongbu city of the Republic of Korea (RoK)'s Gyeonggi province to mark the 10th anniversary of the Vietnam Women’s Association (VWA) in the country.

The women dance to the tunes of the “Nguoi Ha Noi (Hanoi people)”, “Tien ve Ha Noi” (Marching to Hanoi), and “Ha Noi nhung cong trinh” (Hanoi’s construction works)” songs. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi Ao dai dance marks Vietnamese women’s day

More than 70,000 women from across the capital city of Hanoi dressed up in Ao dai (traditional long dress) and participated in a folk dance ensemble on October 20 to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Hanoi and the 94th founding anniversary of the Vietnam Women’s Union.

Runners compete in the Vietnam Jungle Marathon last year. This year, the event will welcome around 1,500 runners from almost 40 nations. (Photos courtesy of the organising board)

Vietnam Jungle Marathon welcomes runners from around the world

The Vietnam Jungle Marathon (VJM) returns for its seventh edition, welcoming around 1,500 runners from almost 40 nations to the stunning trails of Pu Luong Nature Reserve in Thanh Hoa province on October 19, featuring picturesque 10km to 70km routes.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Ha Kim Ngoc speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam attends UNESCO Executive Board’s 220th session in France

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Ha Kim Ngoc led a Vietnamese delegation to attend the 220th session of the UNESCO Executive Board on October 14-16 in Paris, which saw the participation of representatives from 58 member countries and over 100 observer countries.

Vietnamese men's football is set to enter the top eight in Asia and qualify for World Cup. (Photo: VNA)

Sports development strategy approved

Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long has signed a decision approving the sports development strategy until 2030 with a vision to 2050, with an aim to promote the sector in a sustainable and professional direction.

An exhibition held during the annual international ArtTech Fusion event last year (Photo courtesy of UEH)

HCM City to host international ArtTech event

New technological applications in the ArtTech field will be showcased at the annual international ArtTech Fusion event that will take place in Ho Chi Minh City from October 22-24.

The reenactment of a royal procession in the late 19 century at the National Museum of Asian Art. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam Week in US helps promote Vietnamese cultural heritage

The Vietnam Week 2024 has been held in Washington D.C, the US, from October 4-12, aiming to honour the country’s rich cultural heritage, enrich Vietnamese-American people's identity and commend the achievements of the Vietnamese-American community.