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| Nha Trang among eight best beach destinations to retirees. (Source: VNA) |
Located about 400km northeast of Ho Chi Minh City and over 1,200km south of Hanoi, Nha Trang boasts a beautiful beach and an established expat community of about 4,000 people.
There are wet and dry seasons, with the latter running from January through August and monsoon season spanning from September to December.
Travel Leisure said Betsy Burlingame, founder and president of Expat Exchange, described Nha Trang as a walkable city with reliable public transportation, vibrant nightlife, delicious cuisine, and abundant opportunities for recreation, from parks to hiking and boating.
Other destinations on the list are Carlsbad, Beaufort, Falmouth and Ponte Vedra in the US, Ambergris Caye in Belize, Quepos in Costa Rica and Mazatlán in Mexico.
Int'l cruise ship brings over 2,000 tourists to Vung Tau
Cruise ship Resorts World One with 1,138 crew members and 2,128 passengers of different nationalities aboard docked at Con Dao island in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on June 2, reported VNA.
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| Int'l cruise ship brings over 2,000 tourists to Vung Tau (Photo: VNA) |
This is the second international cruise ship that the popular tourist destination has received since the beginning of the year.
In about 10 hours of stay in Con Dao, passengers visited local ecological and spiritual tourist attractions where they explored the turtle egg hatchery and mangrove forests, and enjoyed corals and kayaking.
Michael Goh, President of the Singapore-based Resorts World Cruises, said that Con Dao is among a few places that still retains its poetic and rich natural beauty with museums, historical relic sites, and hospitable people. By choosing Con Dao as a new destination in Resorts World One's journey, the firm aims to bring to international tourists unique experiences and opportunities to explore the most pristine destinations in Vietnam, he said.
Nguyen Thanh Nam, General Director of Saigontourist which served passengers of the cruise ship in Con Dao, said that his firm is seeking to increase the exploitation of the international luxury cruise tourist market to Vietnam.
The successful hosting of cruise ship Resorts World One to Vietnam in general and Con Dao in particular opens up opportunities to promote the image and affirm the attractiveness of the destination and Vietnam's ability to attract international visitors, he held.
Resorts World One departed from Singapore on May 30 to start its five-day journey across Southeast Asia. On June 1, it arrived in Cai Mep-Thi Vai port and brought passengers to explore Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City. It will return to Singapore on June 4.
Vietnamese painting by renowned artist set to be auctioned in France
According to VOV, the masterpiece “Người hát dân ca” (Les Chanteuses de Campagne) created by renowned painter of Vietnam Nguyen Phan Chanh is set to be put on sale on June 14 in Paris, France, as part of Arts d'Asie: Sotheby's Auction.
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“Người hát dân ca” (Les Chanteuses de Campagne)
created by renowned painter Nguyen Phan Chanh |
The painting will go on display at the "Arts of Asia" exhibition run by Sotheby’s in Paris from June 8 to 13 that features a rich collection of paintings, ceramics, sculptures, and jade from across Asia.
The oil-on-canvas piece measuring 90.5 x 102.5cm was completed in 1930 when Chanh graduated from the first class of the Indochina Fine Arts School in Hanoi.
It portrays two women of modest means in a candid moment rooted in earthy tones. This composition, reflecting the painter’s focus on authentic action through aesthetic novelty, offers viewers a poignant glimpse into everyday life during the early 20th-century in Vietnam, according to Sotheby’s.
Chanh’s artwork is being offered by Sotheby's with an estimated high price of EUR900,000.
Nguyen Phan Chanh was born in 1892 in the central province of Ha Tinh. He began his study in Hue and then moved to study in Hanoi in 1925 as part of the first cohort of students at the newly established École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine, alongside other Vietnamese painters such as Mai Trung Thu and Le Pho.
Moving forward to 1929, his work was displayed at the Salon de l'art colonial exhibition in Paris, marking an important milestone in his career.
In total, he created over 170 pieces and some were auctioned at high prices. At Christie’s auction in 2020, his piece “Những cô thợ may” was valued at US$1.39 million.
Belgian stilt walkers to perform at Hue Festival 2024
Belgium’s Royal Merchtem Stiltwalkers group will present a grand performance on five-metre-high stilts, dazzling the Hue Festival 2024 slated for June 7-12 in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, reported VOV.
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| Belgian stilt walkers to perform at Hue Festival 2024 . (Source: VNA) |
This will be the group’s fifth appearance at Vietnam’s largest international cultural festival so far.
Head of the group Roger Daelemans expressed his delight to perform at the event, which, he said, will create an opportunity for the Belgian artists to promote cultural exchanges, make friends and discover the beauty of Hue city.
Besides stilt performances, the Merchtem team will have several field trips to teach young Vietnamese people how to walk on stilts through flood water, he added.
Over nearly eight decades, the group, with 150 members, has introduced the art of stilt walking, which was listed as an intangible cultural heritage of the Flanders region, to the world.
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| Belgium’s Royal Merchtem Stiltwalkers to perform at the Hue Festival 2024. |
The Hue Festival 2024, entitled "Cultural Heritage amid Integration and Development", will feature a wide range of activities which include performances of international and local art troupes, a food festival and shows of the world famous heritage of Hue royal court music and songs.
Along with Merchtem, other art troupes are heading to the festival, including contemporary artists, hip-hop dancers from Cergy (France), Flamenco Hispano (Spain), the Eisa Urakaji troupe (Japan), the Zhejiang theatre company (China), pianist Steve Barakatt (Canada), and two art groups from the Republic of Korea./.