Prime Minister okays plan for capital’s 1,000th birthday

      The Prime Minister has approved a grand ceremony to mark the 1,000th anniversary of the founding of Thang Long-Hanoi, with the highlight being a ten-day festival from October 1 to 10, 2010.
The festival will start with an opening ceremony at the foot of King Ly Thai To monument and streets around Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake.
A series of activities will follow, including exhibitions, art performances and sports event.
To mark the event, a national press competition on Thang Long-Hanoi was launched on June 10.
Addressing the launching ceremony, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen The Thao stressed the significance of the competition, which aims to encourage not only journalists but also all Vietnamese people at home and abroad to write on the topic.
The organising board will receive entries in the forms of articles for printed and online newspaper, photo and programmes for television and broadcasting from January 2 to August 19, 2010.