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| Artists play Vietnamese traditional musical instruments at Berliner Philharmonie, one of the world's most renowned concert halls, in Berlin on September 23 (local time) on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Schostakowitsch Music School Berlin-Lichtenberg. (Photo: VNA) |
The school is the only one in Germany that offers training in Vietnamese traditional music.
Nearly 30 Vietnamese instrumentalists from the Hanoi Ensemble joined 300 German peers to play “The Second Walts” by Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist Dmitri Schostakowitsch, after whom the school is named. This piece was re-arranged for traditional Vietnamese instruments to be played with a chamber orchestra.
Also at the celebration show, three Vietnamese folk songs "Trong Com" (Rice Drum), "Inh La Oi" (Oh Inh La), and “Ly Ngua O” (Song of the black horse) were played by Vietnamese and German musicians with nearly 30 Vietnamese traditional instruments.
At the end of the programme, about 350 musicians and singers stood together on the big stage of the Berliner Philharmonie to perform "Die Hymne der Schostakowitsch Musikschule" – the song of the Schostakowitsch music school, with the prelude played by the Hanoi Ensemble members with Vietnamese instruments.
The performances of the Vietnamese traditional orchestra with the choir and chamber symphony received resounding applause from an audience of nearly 2,500.
The Hanoi Ensemble was founded in 2000 and run by the folk music artist couple Le Manh Hung and Tran Phuong Hoa. It is specialised in performing famous traditional Vietnamese music works with Vietnamese instruments and in traditional Vietnamese costumes.
The orchestra brings an in-depth and fascinating look at Vietnamese music, helping international friends better understand the Vietnamese culture. With the motto "For common life in Berlin - a multicultural city", the Hanoi Ensemble always actively contributes to the cultural activities of Lichtenberg district in particular and of Berlin in general.
The Vietnamese folk music department at the Schostakowitsch now has about 60 students. Since its establishment 20 years ago, it has provided training to about 300-400 students including both Vietnamese and international ones.
Tourism sector in northern region speeds up post-typhoon recovery
Typhoon Yagi has caused severe damage in many provinces and cities in the northern region, including major tourist centres such as Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, and Sa Pa (Lao Cai). In an effort to overcome the damage, many localities have organised activities to welcome tourists back, reported VNA.
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| People clean up trash on the beach of Ha Long city in Quang Ninh province. (Photo: hanoimoi.vn) |
In Quang Ninh province which was directly hit by the typhoon on September 7, from September 13, the Management Board of Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, has welcomed visitors at places that meet safety standards.
The Ha Long and Tuan Chau International Passenger Ports have resumed operations and have welcomed thousands of visitors.
In the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, many areas experienced severe landslides, which caused damage to several roads and spillways. Despite this, Sa Pa resort township has quickly restored infrastructure and improved tourist sites and accommodation establishments. On September 13, the town People's Committee decided to reopen tourist attractions and required all tourist areas to ensure absolute safety for visitors. The Sun World Fansipan Legend tourist area has welcomed hundreds of visitors to explore the May hamlet and Fansipan flagpole. Additionally, other destinations in Sa Pa have gradually reopened since September 14.
Hai Phong city also started selling tickets for overnight stays on boats on Cat Ba Archipelago on September 12. Accommodation establishments that were less affected by the storm are now able to welcome tourists, while those heavily impacted are undergoing repairs and renovations to resume operations soon.
In Hanoi capital city, efforts to recover from the impacts of the storm and heavy rains have been carried out swiftly, with many tourist sites returning to normal operations.
Historical sites such as Hoa Lo Prison and the Temple of Literature – Quoc Tu Giam have seen increases in visitor numbers. From September 19 to 22, the Hanoi Autumn Festival is being held from September 19-22, after being postponed for a week due to the typhoon. This event is one of the key tourism promotion activities in the city to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the capital’s Liberation Day (October 10, 1954 - 2024).
Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ha Van Sieu urged travel businesses to proactively develop response plans for unusual events such as epidemics and natural disasters.
Given the severe impact of the recent typhoon, businesses need to stay updated to create suitable products and connect tours effectively, while also promoting safe and quality destinations to visitors, he added.
Malaysia Airlines launches first flight to Da Nang
According to VOV, Malaysia Airlines flight MH748 landed at Da Nang International Airport on September 24, bringing 160 passengers from Kuala Lumpur to Da Nang for a sightseeing trip.
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| Malaysia Airlines launches first flight to Da Nang (Source: VOV) |
Da Nang welcomes first passengers aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH748 on September 24
This is the first flight on the Kuala Lumpur – Da Nang route launched by Malaysia Airlines to leverage the tourism potential of the locality, a major tourist destination in central Vietnam.
The airline has planned to operate the Kuala Lumpur-Da Nang route with a frequency of 7 flights per week using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. This new route increases the total number of flights between Kuala Lumpur and Da Nang to 28 a week.
Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Tourism Tan Van Vuong noted that Malaysia consistently ranks among the top 10 international markets for Da Nang. In August 2024, a Da Nang delegation visited Malaysia to meet with Malaysia Airlines to promote tourism in the city and the Kuala Lumpur-Da Nang route specifically.
In the future, the tourism sector will continue to collaborate with Malaysia Airlines to organize Famtrip and Presstrip delegations and support promotional activities to attract Malaysian tourists, he said.
According to Vuong, the new flight route has increased the total number of flights from Kuala Lumpur to Vietnam to 34 per week. With a wide network covering Asia, Europe, and Oceania, reaching nearly 1,000 destinations in over 170 countries and territories, the Da Nang tourism sector hopes that Malaysia Airlines will serve as a bridge to expand its tourism market to attractive destinations worldwide.
Google continues to assist Vietnam in elevating culture and tourism
Google will continue to implement projects aimed at helping Vietnam to promote its tourism and culture, as well as providing support in digital transformation and digital content creation in fields such as culture, sports, and tourism, according to a representative of Google.
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| An overview of the meeting |
VOV reported that the Google representative unveiled the plan during a meeting on September 23 with a delegation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism led by its Deputy Minister Ho An Phong as part of their working trip to the United States.
At the function, Phong thanked Google for supporting Vietnam in introducing the country’s range of natural landscapes, culture, and its people to the public around the world through important projects.
Among them was the "Wonders of Vietnam" project launched in January, 2021, on the online platform Google Arts & Culture (GAC) which featured 35 online exhibitions and more than 1,300 photos of famous tourist attractions, heritages, natural landscapes, and Vietnamese culture.
Furthermore, the "Vibrant Vietnam" project was also officially released online on the GAC platform in July, with the aim of honouring and promoting the natural landscapes, cultural heritage, and diversity of the Vietnamese ethnic community to the global audience.
With regard to future prospects for cooperation with Google, Phong expressed his hope that Google will share its international experiences in the development of the cultural industry and a system of policies relating to culture and tourism moving forward.
He therefore proposed building a smart tourism ecosystem in association with digital transformation, green transformation, simplification of administrative procedures in the tourism industry, as well as developing human resources for the industry.
For his part, the Google representative stated that the tech giant will continue to implement projects which seek to support the introduction of Vietnamese tourism and culture, further accelerate digital transformation, and create digital contents.
Moreover, the search engine is currently working alongside the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism in support of tourism businesses by organising seminars and training courses which seek to introduce free Google tourism products, while also assisting local firms in devising their marketing plans for expanding into foreign markets.
Quang Nam promotes local tourism in China
Quang Nam Provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism is coordinating with various agencies and sectors to organise activities promoting tourism in Guangxi Province, China from September 21-28, reported VNA.
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| Quang Nam is showcasing the province’s cultural heritage, tourism, and local OCOP (One Commune One Product) items in Guangxi, China. (Source: VNA) |
Key activities of the delegation in Guangxi include meetings with leaders of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, attending the opening of the 21st China-ASEAN Expo 2024 (CAEXPO) and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, hosting exhibitions to introduce Quang Nam’s cultural and tourism spaces at the 21st China-ASEAN Expo and the Foreign Locality Promotion Forum with sister cities of Guangxi.
They are also hosting exhibitions to introduce Quang Nam’s cultural and tourism spaces at the 21st China-ASEAN Expo and the Foreign Locality Promotion Forum with sister cities of Guangxi. Additionally, the delegation will visit Guilin City to work on the preservation and promotion of cultural tourism values.
At these events, Quang Nam promotes its cultural image, tourism, and local OCOP products by screening promotional films, displaying publications, and presenting materials from various companies, such as Almanity Hoi An Resort & Spa, Bliss Hoi An Beach Resort & Wellness, Citadines Pearl Hoi An, Venus Travel, Hotel Royal Hoi An-Mgallery, and Wyndham Hoi An Royal Beachfront Resort & Villas.
On this occasion, the Quang Nam Provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism joined a delegation from the province, led by the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Ho Quang Buu, to visit Gansu Province. They attended meetings, signed cooperation agreements with senior officials from Gansu, and explored potential collaboration in the ginseng and herbal medicine sectors at a Gansu pharmaceutical company. Additionally, they participated in the 7th International Cultural Expo "Belt and Road" opening in Dunhuang, Gansu Province.
Director of the Quang Nam Provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Thanh Hong noted that this trip has opened up new cooperation opportunities with various provinces in China, attracting more tourists from this market to Quang Nam./.