At the reception, Acting President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh expressed her delight that the guest’s visit to Vietnam was made at a time when Vietnam and Japan are celebrating their 45th anniversariy of diplomatic relations with a range of activities, stressing that the visit contributed to nurturing the close friendship between the two countries. She recalled the close bilateral links in history, culture and trade between the two countries, as during the 15th century Vietnam’s Hoi An port welcomed Japanese traders and became a trading centre for Japan with countries in Southeast Asia. She spoke highly of Sen Genshitsu Daisosho’s activities in promoting the art of the tea ceremony to the world and Vietnam in particular, which has contributed to connecting culture and people-to-people exchanges between Japanese and people around the world. For his part, the Urasenke grand tea master highly appreciated Vietnam’s achievements over recent years. He said that his visit to … [Read more...] about Acting President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh receives Japanese grand tea master
Dang
The beauty of Xo dang’s epics
The epics of the Xo Dang ethnic group’s T’dra branch, also known as ho mu’uan, were first discovered in the early 2000s by Vo Quang Trong, Director of Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. Dr. Trong and his colleagues have collected 106 versions of epic narratives in Kon Tum province’s Dac Ha and Dac To districts. The Xo Dang ethnic people's Kneang tea festival. Epics of the Xo Dang ethnic group include many independent stories closely related to each other. The stories all depict Dam Duong, a heroic character, who represents his community’s dreams and passions. "Dam Duong is a hero of Xo Dang people, with refined characteristics. He’s a strong young man who is very industrious and masters all skills such as weaving, hunting, and farming. He’s also brave, able to fight beasts and any enemies threatening his community", Vu Quang Trong told VOV. Metaphors, comparisons, and hyperbole are repeated by the artisans while singing epics, … [Read more...] about The beauty of Xo dang’s epics
Xo Dang epics add color to Central Highlands ethnic culture
Central Highlands epics, comprising hundreds of stories, some familiar and many unfamiliar to the public, are considered an important cultural treasure of Vietnam. In addition to independent epics of medium length like Dam San (2077 sentences) and Khinh Du (5880 sentences), there are epic series consisting of multiple works linked to each other by a set of characters and consistent narrative style. Some examples are the M’nong epic Ot Drong, the Bana epic Dong, and the Xo Dang epic Dam Duong. Each of these series comprises approximately 100 works telling a long, continuous story. They are among the longest epics in the world, comparable to the Indian epic Ramayana and the Finnish epic Kalevala, according to experts. These epics described the ups and downs of a community, providing a view of a society during a certain period. The heroic characters depicted in epics embody their community’s dreams and passions in different ways, according to A Jar of Kon Tum city. … [Read more...] about Xo Dang epics add color to Central Highlands ethnic culture
Xo dang epics preserved for future generations
Artisan A Ar of Xo dang ethnic group in Kon Tum province First introduced to the public in 2001, these epics have been published by the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences in a collection called “The Central Highlands’ epics”. 80 year-old A Ar of Kon Tun province’s Dac Ha district said the Xo dang epics mainly center around Dam Duong, a character that represents the Xo dang's lives and relationships. A Ar is the author of a chapter on Xo dang epics in the collection “The Central Highlands’ epics”. "I remember I was 12 when we first heard A Ar singing epics. We were all very interested as that was the only way for us to get to know our traditional culture," said villager A Kay. A Ar was taught the epics about Dam Duong by his uncle when he was only 8. There are many epics about Dam Chuong like “Dam Duong turned into a tiger”, “Dam Duong as an old man”, “Dam Duong forced to become a slave”, … [Read more...] about Xo dang epics preserved for future generations
Ha Long – Hai Phong Expressway and Bach Dang Bridge opens to traffic next month
Bach Dang Bridge will help reduce the Ha Noi – Quang Ninh distance from 175km to 125km.— VNA/VNS Photo Trung Nguyen After three years of construction, the Ha Long – Hai Phong Expressway and Bach Dang Bridge will open to traffic on Saturday. As some supporting facilities are still being built, Quang Ninh authorities have proposed reducing the maximum speed on the expressway to 80km per hour. Once the project has been fully approved, the speed limit will rise to the designed 100km per hour. Before the final project approval, only cars, buses and coaches can drive on the expressway. Expressway users will not have to pay toll fees as the project was funded by the State, but they will have to pay a bridge fee as it was constructed under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model. Built at a cost of VND13 trillion (US$557 million), the 24.6km long Ha Long – Hai Phong Expressway connects Highway 18 in Ha Long City’s Dai Yen Ward with the Ha Noi – Hai Phong … [Read more...] about Ha Long – Hai Phong Expressway and Bach Dang Bridge opens to traffic next month