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For Duong Xuan Thi, a 26-year-old resident of Ho Chi Minh City’s Go Vap District, Saturdays are a break from the usual. Instead of heading to work, she prepares for an urban camping trip, a unique hobby she enjoys. Thi starts her weekend with a quick grab of coffee and snacks from her refrigerator before meeting up with two friends. Their destination? Go Vap Cultural Park, located just three kilometers away. City camping offers a convenient escape from the daily grind. “It sounds ‘fancy’ to go camping, but it’s actually quite simple,” Thi adds. “We just needed to find a green space, and it took us just 10 minutes by motorbike.” Thi and her friends discovered a hidden gem—a park nestled among trees, with a tranquil lotus pond and the melody of birdsong. It’s a peaceful retreat, just a stone’s throw away from the bustling city. Thi is an experienced urban camper, often changing locations to explore new settings. From Gia Dinh Park to the beaches of Can Gio and the Sai Gon Riverside i...

The villa compound is located in the midst of a pine forest at the heart of the Tuyen Lam Lake tourist area, offering a picturesque location with mountains in the backdrop and a captivating view of the scenic lake.  The construction of the 15 villas began along a winding road in the tourist zone as part of a project that was approved over 15 years ago. An abandoned villa is situated amid a pine forest at the heart of the Tuyen Lam Lake tourist area in Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam, October 2023. Photo: M.V. / Tuoi Tre The construction project was started by HaCo JSC in 2007, but has been left unfinished for several years, according to the lake’s management board. The authorities have yet to determine the reason behind the halt in construction. An abandoned villa is situated amid a pine forest at the heart of the Tuyen Lam Lake tourist area in Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam, October 2023. Photo: M.V. / Tuoi Tre During a visit to the v...

An exhibition of nearly 50 artworks with a wildlife theme by comic artist Jeet Zdung is currently being showcased until November 20 at the Live Platform in Hue City, located in the central province of Vietnam. The organizer states that contemporary wildlife art has gradually lost its inclusivity and has succumbed to human narratives, as evidenced by the works of popular artists such as Damien Hirst and Kohei Nawa. Conversely, through various discussions on creativity in wildlife art, the bond between artists, scientists, and wildlife conservationists has grown stronger over time. This exhibition tells the story of artist Jeet Zdung and wildlife conservationist Trang Nguyen, as they collaborated in Cat Tien National Park and Yok Don National Park under the organization Free The Bears to create two comic books titled “Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear” and “Saving H’non: Chang and the Elephant.” Wildlife art not only reproduces the diverse forms and appearances of the natural world...

The Hanoi Art Connecting is happening at the Hanoi Architectural University from October 18 to 24. Vietnamese artist Vu Tuan Dat will be participating in Hanoi Art Connecting 2023. Hanoi Art Connecting (HAC) is now in its sixth edition, showcasing various artistic activities such as painting workshops, printmaking, sculpture, installation, and more. This year, the event brings together 80 international artists from 30 countries and 70 artists from Vietnam. Hanoi Art Connecting is an annual event held in Vietnam and other Asian countries. It was initiated by artist Trinh Tuan and Asia Art Link, an artist community in Asia. The event has attracted artists from the ASEAN region, Asia, Europe, and America. This year’s event features renowned artists like Le Huy Tiep, Phan Cam Thuong, Vu Dinh Tuan, Cong Kim Hoa, Trinh Minh Tien (Vietnam), Kamol Tassananchalee (Thailand), Fil Dela Cruz (Philippines), Edi Sunaryo (Indonesia), Carolyn Muskat, Don McKinney (USA), as well as professors and l...

These exclusive images are currently on display at the “Sword Lake: East-West Intersection” exhibition at the Hoan Kiem Lake Cultural Information Center until October 31. Over 100 documents, materials, photographs, design drawings, and planning maps offer a comprehensive view of Hanoi’s transformation from the early 19th century to the mid-20th century. The documentary photos capture the landscape and daily life of Hanoi, evoking nostalgic memories of the past days at Hoan Kiem or Sword Lake. Sword Lake , which is the remaining part of the ancient Nhi Ha River, is a renowned landmark of the capital. It is surrounded by Hang Khay – Le Thai To – Dinh Tien Hoang streets. Thanks to its prime location, this area served as a significant intersection connecting the architectural and cultural aspects of the East and the West. By the end of the 19th century, iconic French-style buildings such as the Post Office, City Hall, Embassy, Indochina Bank, and others were constructed. These majesti...

The capital city of Hanoi pledges to provide utmost support for the southern city of Can Tho in tourism development to boost local socio-economic growth, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen said on October 20. Officials of the Hanoi and Can Tho departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop tourism activities. Photo: The Hanoi Times Hanoi and Can Tho have long worked together in tourism development, and the two major cities have their specific tourism products with prominent features, Quyen told a conference that was held to boost Can Tho’s tourism in Hanoi. The Hanoi official said that the two cities need to connect their value chains to make the products more attractive to visitors. “Hanoi pledges to strengthen its tie with Can Tho in tourism development to boost the socio-economic development of the two cities and the country,” Quyen said. Vice Chairman of the Can Tho People’s Committee ...

Different stakeholders have shared many effective public library models in an effort to promote reading culture in Hanoi.  Towards a “learning society” Hanoi Library- a farmiliar for children and booklovers in Hanoi. Photo courtesy of the library It’s the main focus at the seminar entitled “Sharing the experience in building and developing the public library system in Hanoi” held recently which is aimed to build up a “learning society”, which is in line with Hanoi’s cultural industry strategy. “In the coming time, Hanoi will strengthen its public library system, support librarians, and honor those who contributed to encouraging and developing the reading movement in the community in particular and the library sector in general,” Tran Thi Van Anh, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, said at the event. Hanoi is now home to Hanoi Library, 29 district libraries, 54 commune libraries, and more than 1,000 mini libraries and reading-room cityw...

The outfit wins first prize in the national costume design contest during Miss Grand Vietnam 2022 held in September. Thien An, 22, from Long An province was crowned Miss Grand Vietnam 2022 on October 1 and departed for the global beauty pageant three days later. The Vietnamese beauty impresses both judges and audiences in the national costume segment, wearing an outfit weighing 14 kg designed by Tran Thanh Tam. The Facebook page sees organisers of Miss Grand International 2022 open the voting for Best National Costume. The winner of the sub-contest will make it through to the Top 20 finalists of the pageant and it will be part of the grand finale to be held on October 25. Let’s admire some of the unique traditional costumes worn by the contestants at Miss Grand International 2022. Photographed is the national costume of Mexico. Miss Grand Cambodia competes in the national costume segment. Miss Grand Honduras in the sub-contest ...

A salt field covering 230ha in Bach Long commune is widely considered the largest salt-making area in the northern region, that churns out tens of thousands tonnes of salt each year. Farmers begin their daily routine at 5 a.m. everyday. Making salt is a long and difficult process that requires great effort from workers, as well as favourable weather conditions, Sea water is first pumped into the large fields and then exposed to the sun until the water completely evaporates in the sunshine. The more sunlight the fields get, then the faster the process becomes. Despite harsh weather conditions, salt makers still work very hard because they understand that it creates the main source of their income.  Most workers in the fields are middle-age women. To protect themselves from the challenging conditions, they all don long-sleeve coats, gloves, facemasks, and conical hats. Farmers are busy from the early morning until la...