 |
| A display space of Pham Thuy Quynh (Photo: VNA) |
The event, designed to bridge cultures and provide a platform for amateur artists within the diplomatic community, drew representatives of 10 embassies from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Vietnam, along with Yemen, Qatar, Oman, and Lebanon, proudly represented Asia at this cultural gathering.
Though Quynh is not a diplomat, she received a special invitation to join the event.
Project manager and honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts Grigory Bogomolny explained that while previous editions had been limited to diplomats and their families, Quynh's exceptional talent warranted an exception.
He expressed his admiration for her works, noting her previous solo exhibitions and artistic prowess.
The exhibition expanded beyond paintings to include decorative art, photos, books and original poems written by ambassadors and diplomats.
Visitors were treated to a diverse cultural feast, including performances of popular songs in Russian, French, Spanish, Italian and Vietnamese. The Vietnamese song “Xin Chao Viet Nam” (Hello Vietnam) added a touch of local flavor to the event.
Japanese Kento wins Trang An Marathon, setting new course record
Kabashima Kento won and set new course record in the fourth Trang An Marathon -- Footstrike From The Heritage on November 10 in Ninh Biinh province, reported VNA.
 |
| Kabashima Kento wins the men's 42km category of the Trang An Marathon -- Footstrike From The Heritage on November 10 in Ninh Binh province. (Photo: VRace) |
It was the second time in a row that Kento triumphed in this marathon.
The Japanese finished the men's full marathon 42km in a time of 2hr 38.22min, beating the targeted record of 2:58.12 by the organising board.
Vietnam’s Ha Van Duoc came second with nearly two minutes later and Nguyen Van Thuyet was third on 2:47.33.
In the women's race, Nguyen Thi Tra Giang topped the podium clocking 3:01.41. She was followed by Le Minh Tuan on 3:03.45 and Phung Thi Trang on 3:14.21.
In the half marathon 21km categories, it was Trinh Dinh An the male winner after he raced in 1:16.13 and Doan Oanh Oanh the female champion who finished in 1:24.10.
The organisers also presented awards to the top finishers of the men's and women's 10km, 5km and age groups.
Along with the prizes for the fastest runners, there were also bonuses for the best cosplay marathoner and best running image of this year race.
This year about 5,000 runners took part in the annual Trang An Marathon which was jointly organised by Vu Media (VRace) and Ninh Biinh province's Department of Culture and Sports.
"Trang An, the first and only dual world heritage site in Southeast Asia, provides green , beautiful and flat tracks. We believe that runners enjoy an exciting race under the traditional and historical values (in the ancient capital area)," said Vu Van Phong, VRace Director and member of the organising board.
"We also hope through running and other sidelined activities, our runners would be more proud of of the national traditions and history and at the same time promote the culture and beauty of Trang An to the world."
Meanwhile, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports Nguyen Manh Cuong said the marathon was one of the activities to celebrate the third Ninh Binh Festival 2024. It was expected to help connect and spread images of the national cultural heritage in the land of Hoa Lu Ancient Capital to the wider community and to the world.
It was not only an activity to promote people to practise healthy lifestyle but also one of events to celebrate the 10th anniversary that Trang An Landscape Complex was recognised as a dual UNESCO World heritage site.
Cultural and Tourism Week associated with Ok Om Bok Festival opens in Tra Vinh
According to NDO, the Cultural and Tourism Week associated with the Ok Om Bok Festival in Tra Vinh Province includes southern culinary space; tourism exhibition space entitled "Tra Vinh – Connection and Development"; trade promotion fair; Khmer amateur dance festival; display and demonstration of traditional Khmer crafts and costumes; water puppetry performance; boat racing; Ok Om Bok Festival night.
 |
| At the opening ceremony (Source: NDO) |
On the evening of November 9, the People's Committee of Tra Vinh Province opened the Cultural and Tourism Week associated with the Ok Om Bok Festival in 2024.
Ok Om Bok Festival, also known as the moon worshiping ceremony, takes place on the 15th day of the 10th lunar month every year. This is a major folk festival of the Khmer people, held at the end of the harvest season to express gratitude to the moon — which the Khmer people in the South consider as a god who helps protect crops, regulate the weather, and bring prosperity to people in villages.
As scheduled, the Cultural and Tourism Week associated with Ok Om Bok festival in Tra Vinh Province in 2024 will take place November 9-15, 2024.
 |
| Art performance at the opening ceremony (Source: https://baovanhoa.vn) |
This is an activity to preserve, promote and maintain the traditional festival of the Khmer ethnic group in Tra Vinh Province, which has been included in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. At the same time, it will introduce and promote the cultural values of ethnic groups and tourism potential to attract large numbers of domestic and foreign tourists.
Three gold medals presented to outstanding plays at Hanoi Open Theatre Festival
On the evening of November 9, the 2024 Hanoi Open Theatre Festival, organised by the Vietnam Stage Artists Association in coordination with the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, was brought to a close at Dai Nam Theatre, Hanoi, after more than a week of exciting performances, reported NDO.
 |
Three gold medals are presented to outstanding plays at the 2024 Hanoi Open Theatre Festival.
(Photo: Linh Tran) |
The 2024 Hanoi Open Theatre Festival is a competition of 12 art units: Hanoi Drama Theatre, Vietnam Cai Luong Theatre, Vietnam Tuong Theatre, Hai Phong Cheo Theatre, Bac Giang Cheo Theatre, Army Cheo Theatre, Thang Long Puppetry Theatre, Youth Theatre, Vietnam Puppetry Theatre, Hanoi Cai Luong Theatre, Hanoi Cheo Theatre, and Lucteam Stage. The festival featured 12 outstanding stage works.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports Pham Xuan Tai affirmed that the 12 stage works participating in the festival, including the art forms of Cheo, Tuong, Cai Luong, Drama, Puppetry, etc., have received serious investment by the theatres and art troupes in terms of scripts, elaborate staging with many unique creations, and high artistic quality.
At the ceremony, the organising committee awarded three gold medals and four silver medals to the most outstanding plays. In addition, 27 individual gold medals, and 35 individual silver medals were also presented to outstanding actors./.