Culture in brief 2/4

      Festival welcomes Khmer New Year
Tri Ton District in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of An Giang will host a four-day festival beginning on April 10 to greet the traditional Khmer New Year, Chol Chnam Thmay.
Tran Quoc Thanh, deputy head of the Tri Ton District’s People’s Committee, said the festival would feature parades of carriages and a ox race.
Photo and art exhibitions depicting life and community activities of the Khmer in An Giang as well as a fair featuring specialties of the Khmer in Bay Nui (Seven Mountain) area will be held at the district’s Centre of Culture and Sports.
Photo contest to look at Freedom
The Viet Nam Artistic Photographers Association has launched the fifth International Artistic Photography Contest in Ha Noi with theme of Freedom.
All domestic and foreign photographers may submit a maximum of eight black-and-white or colour entries before August 8 to the Photography Department, 38 Cao Ba Quat, Ba Dinh District, Ha Noi.
Vietnamese contestants must pay a VND150,000 fee and foreigners a US$10 fee for each entry submitted.
Twelve prizes will be presented, including: two gold medals ($1,000 each), four silver medals ($700 each), six bronze medals ($500) and 20 certificates of merit ($100).
Results will be announced on August 22. An exhibition of the winning photos will be opened on October 9 in Ha Noi.
The contest is sponsored by the International Artistic Photography Federation (FIAP).
TV programme to share love stories
A new TV programme entitled Tinh Yeu Cua Toi (My Love) will be broadcast at 10pm every Friday on VTV3 until May 1.
In five episodes, the 50-minute programme expects to show audiences real love stories from around the world, and to help them discover sweet gifts or dates and lessons in love.
Celebrities will join the programme, share their own love stories and suggest loving activities.
Lac Long Quan Temple inaugurated
After two years of construction, the first phase of Lac Long Quan Temple, dedicated to the forefathers of Viet Nam, was inaugurated at Hung Kings Temple complex in Viet Tri City, northern province of Phu Tho.
Attendants saw the unveiling of the statue of Lac Long Quan and his two trusted servants.
The construction will continue on a total area of 13.9ha, with a total investment capital of VND139 billion (US$8.17 million).
Ha Noi street dictionary published
Ha Noi Publishing House has released a Dictionary of Ha Noi’s Streets by Giang Quan, a Ha Noi researcher.
The dictionary has nearly 800 listings including streets, roads, lanes, parks, lakes and squares in Ha Noi.
Quan also provides up-to-date information about Ha Noi in its development process.
The writer has previously printed two other books on Ha Noi.
City preps for annual tourism fest
The fifth HCM City Tourism Festival 2009 will be organised in Dam Sen Park in District 11 from April 3-5, with travel agencies showcasing their tour packages and deals, organisers told a press conference yesterday.
The annual festival organised by the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Tourism Association will involve the participation of more than 40 tourism companies, showcasing on 100 booths.
Travel companies from the provinces of Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, Long An, Tien Giang and Hau Giang are also participating in the annual event.
In addition to the exhibition, the festival will include a Southern Cuisine event with food prepared by high-end hotels and restaurants, a tourism photo exhibition and a performance of Vietnamese traditional folk songs.
Since its inception in 2004, the festival has served as a time to celebrate the anniversary of the liberation of South Viet Nam on April 30, 1975.