Category: Entertainment

Son La: The first Son La Coffee Festival opened in Son La city of the northern mountainous province with the same name on October 20, with the presence of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

Nguyen Huu Dong, Secretary of the provincial Party’s Committee, said the festival is an important event designed for Son La and other northwestern provinces to introduce their Arabica coffee and honour coffee growers, processors and traders, contributing to promoting the value and the position of Son La Arabica coffee in domestic and foreign markets.

The cultivation of Arabica coffee in Son La began in the late 1980s, and the area under the plant expanded from 278ha in 1990 to over 20,000 ha in 2023, accounting for 41.2% of the country’s Arabia coffee cultivation area. Of which, 18,000 ha have obtained sustainable farming certification. Son La coffee has been exported to 20 countries in the European Union, North America, the Middle East and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Addressing the event, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan emphasised the importance of cooperation and linkage in developing a sustainable value chain for the coffee industry in Son La.

The festival with the theme of "Arabica, Son La Coffee - Taste of Tay Bac" will last until October 23.

It features a coffee gala, a farmers’ competition, a trade fair, the inauguration of investment projects in the coffee sector and Cascara tea production lines in Mai Son district, and a conference on coffee trade connections./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Various activities were held for Vietnamese children around the world on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a Vietnamese traditional festival that is celebrated annually on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, which falls on September 29 this year.

In Laos, the Nguyen Du Vietnam-Laos bilingual school held a programme on September 29 to celebrate the festival, gathering a large number of students and parents.

Along with enjoying lion dances and art performances, participants also joined many games and explored the meaning of the festival.

Also on September 29, the Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa held festive activities for Vietnamese children in the country and their local friends.

Ambassador Hoang Sy Cuong introduced the meaning of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnamese culture, especially for children.

In a fancy and cozy atmosphere, participants enjoyed Vietnamese mooncakes and joined folk games of Vietnam.

In Russia, the festival was held for children of officials working in the Vietnamese Embassy and other Vietnamese representative offices in Moscow.

At the event, winners of a drawing contest for children themed "Rusia in my eyes" were honoured.

Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi extended greetings to the children. He said that the prize-winning paintings will be printed in New Year postcards of the embassy to introduce the talent of Vietnamese children to international friends.

Festive activities were also organised for about 40 Vietnamese children at the Moscow trade centre which is hosting a large number of Vietnamese traders.

Meanwhile in Cambodia, children from Vietnamese-origin families in Sihanoukville gathered at the headquarters of the Khmer-Vietnamese Association in Preah Sihanouk province to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. The event was jointly organised by the association and the Vietnamese Consul General in Preah Sihanouk, with the sponsorship of many donors.

The organising board presented 50 gift packages to the children at the event.

Similar activities were also held in seven northwest provinces of Cambodia.

Earlier on September 28, the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia held a programme to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, with many festive festivals and folk games./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A Vietnam Pho Festival 2023 will be held in Keyaki Namiki, Tokyo, Japan from October 7-8 as part of activities to introduce and promote Vietnamese culinary culture to international friends.

The information was announced by representatives of Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper, the Saigontourist Group, and the Vietnam – Japan Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh City at a press conference on September 28 in the city.

The event, which marks the seventh edition of the ‘Day of Pho’ (December 12), initiated and annually held by Tuoi Tre, is aimed at promoting Vietnamese cuisine, particularly Pho, a Vietnamese soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat – usually beef or chicken.

It will feature many Pho brands across Vietnam namely Pho Dau, Pho Hai Thien, Pho Phu Gia, Pho 'S, Pho Sen SASCO, Pho Ta - Binh Tay Food, Pho Thin Bo Ho, along with Pho brands served at five-star hotels such as Majestic Saigon Hotel, Grand Saigon Hotel, and Thu Duc Golf Club, among others.

In the framework of the fest, a series of promotional activities will be organised, such as a talkshow “Love for Vietnam Pho”, a Pho cooking contest for Japanese people, an exhibition and a video screening programme featuring the history of the dish.

The programme will see the presence of culinary expert Matsuo Tomoyuki, Chairman of the Japan - Vietnam Cuisine Culture Association, who is the Ambassador of the festival.

The municipal Department of Industry and Trade will also arrange investment and trade promotion activities, and introduce products of enterprises operating in the food industry.

Le The Chu, Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper, co-head of the Steering Committee of Vietnam Pho Festival 2023, said that the agency is always interested in promoting the value of Vietnamese culture and cuisine.

The event is expected to introduce the unique cultural and culinary values of Vietnam to Japanese friends, contributing to promoting economic and tourism potential of Vietnam in general and HCM City in particular, Tru said.

Pham Huy Binh, Chairman of the Board of Members of Saigontourist Group, co-head of the Steering Committee said, through accompanying the fest - the first of its kind in this East Asian nation, the firm wants to realise its commitment to promoting Vietnamese culture and cuisine to the world and create a highlight to attract more Japanese tourists to Vietnam.

Japanese Consul General in HCM City Masuo Ono said the fest is part of practical activities to strengthen culture exchanges and economic connections between the two nations.

With around 40 booths, the Vietnam Pho Festival 2023 is expected to serve some 50,000 visitors./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Jambi (ANTARA) - Merangin Geopark in Jambi won the Best Practices Award 2023 of the UNESCO Global Geopark (UGG) Awards held in Morocco.eneral Manager of the Merangin Geopark Management Agency Agus Zainuddin, in a statement received here on Monday, stated that the Best Practices Award 2023 was an achievement and an award for the dedication of the entire Merangin Geopark team and the people of Jambi. "Merangin District in Jambi, Indonesia, really caught the world's attention at the event. Merangin's name, in particular, was raised at the international conference," he remarked. Zainuddin said that the team of the Merangin Geopark had struggled to make the Merangin Geopark known to the world. He also thanked the Serampas customary people, who have supported the development of Merangin Geopark. "Thank you, Serampas customary people," he stated. He believes the achievement is truly extraordinary. He recalled that in 2014, the attempt to propose Merangin as a geopark recognized by UNESCO had met with a roadblock. W ith the long journey, Merangin Geopark in Jambi is currently part of the UGG. Furthermore, Zainuddin also expressed his gratitude for the efforts and roles of related parties that have assisted Rantau Kermas Village, customary villages, renewable energy villages, and energy-independent villages in carrying out good practices. These villages are models of sustainable development conducted by the community, he highlighted. He affirmed that this achievement belongs to all Indonesian people, the people of Jambi Province, and especially all communities in Merangin District. For this reason, he invited the local community to continue to welcome and embrace all local wisdom. He expressed optimism that the Merangin Geopark, as a UNESCO-recognized geopark and local tourism asset, would provide economic benefits to the community.

Source: Antara News Agency

Vietnam always attaches importance to strengthening and enhancing friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Switzerland, Vietnamese Ambassador to Switzerland Phung The Long has said.

Speaking at a ceremony on September 10 hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in Switzerland to celebrate the 78th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day (September 2, 1945 – 2023), Long reviewed important milestones during Vietnam’s national construction and development process over the last 78 years, as well as in Vietnam-Switzerland relations since the two nations established diplomatic relations in 1971.

Vietnam's National Day celebrated in Switzerland hinh anh 2

Vietnamese Ambassador to Switzerland Phung The Long speaks at the ceremony (Photo: VNA)

Addressing the event on the occasion of his working trip to Switzerland, Vice Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hanoi Tran Sy Thanh briefed participants on the homeland’s socio-economic development achievements.

According to Nguyen Khac Thai, a Vietnamese living and working in Freibourg city, the event offered a chance for Vietnamese expats in Switzerland to join together in exchange activities.

“Vietnamese people, no matter where they go in the world, always look towards their homeland,” he stressed./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium participated in the annual Manifiesta (Solidarity) Festival of the Workers’ Party of Belgium held in Ostende city from September 9-10.

Deputy Ambassador Vu Thu Thuy said that the embassy brought a set of photos, books and publications to popularise to international friends about Vietnam and its people as well as life and career of President Ho Chi Minh.

The event is an opportunity to present to friends around the world about the cause of national liberation, construction and international integration of Vietnam, she added.

The Vietnamese stall attracted a great attention of international friends, from those who have been to Vietnam, supported the country in the national liberation movements, to those who only know it through books, newspapers, and documentary films.

Manifiesta is held annually to tighten solidarity among left-wing parties and workers’ movements from all over the world. The two-day event featured hundreds of pavilions, music performances, games, and debates related to global issues, including gender equality, vulnerable groups, racial discrimination, information and technology.

Launched for the first time in 2010, Manifiesta is shaped to address pressing topics such as workplace rights of health personnel and the climate crisis, while also emphasising the significance of feminism, peace advocacy, and solidarity./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A Vietnamese Festival was held in Yokohama, the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan on September 9, drawing a large number of visitors.

Addressing the event, Kanagawa Governor Kuroiwa Yuji highlighted the meaning of the event, marking the complete recovery of exchange and cooperation activities between the people of Vietnam and Japan in general and Kanagawa in particular after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu underlined that the festival is one of many activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan.

Themed "Connecting for future," the event aims to encourage people of the two countries to foster their connectivity under the motto of "Vietnam and Japan head to the future together and rise to the world".

The diplomat said he hopes the Kanagawa Festival in Vietnam slated for November will be a success

First held in 2015, the Vietnamese Festival in Kanagawa has become an annual event, contributing to strengthening solidarity and mutual understanding between people of the locality and Japan with Vietnam.

This year, the festival was held in the framework of the Vietnam Day in Kanagawa, which also includes various investment and tourism promotion activities.

More than 80 booths at the festival introduced the cuisine and traditional arts of Vietnam to Japanese. Intensive programmes on Vietnam tourism and culture exploration were also organised, along with a Japanese speech contest for international students in Kanagawa.

Located south of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture has an area of 2,415 sq.m2 and a population of more than 9.2 million people, the second most populous in Japan. In recent years, the number of Vietnamese people living and working in Kanagawa has continuously increased, making Vietnamese the second largest foreign community out of 30,000 people from more than 170 countries/territories living here.

The festival will last through September 10./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnamese Buddhist Culture Centre in the Republic of Korea (RoK) held a grand ceremony to mark the Vu Lan Festival in Incheon city on September 3.

Along with Vietnamese expatriates in RoK, the event was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador to RoK Nguyen Vu Tung; Vice Chairwoman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs Tran Thi Minh Nga; Mayor of Incheon city Yoo Jeong Bok, Korean officials and Buddhist followers in the RoK.

In his speech at the ceremony, Ambassador Nguyen Vu Tung thanked the RoK's officials as well as Korean religious dignitaries and clergymen for their attention and support to Vietnamese people in the fields of economy, culture, and religion.

He affirmed that the Vietnamese community in the RoK have contributed and integrated into the RoK society and considers the East Asian country their second homeland to participate in economic, political and religious activities.

Mayor of Incheon Yoo Jeong Bok said that as an international city of the RoK, Incheon is home to more than 70,000 foreigners, including about 15,000 Vietnamese people, adding that the foreigners are part of the city and have accompanied and developed with local residents.

For her part, Vice Chairwoman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs Tran Thi Minh Nga hoped that Vietnamese Buddhist followers in the RoK will continue to stay united and comply with the laws of the host country, contributing to the construction of the RoK and always looking towards the homeland.

Source: Vietnam News Agency