Life
A glimpse of Hà Giang during golden rice season
Every year, from the end of August to the beginning of September of the lunar calendar (which falls in October), the weather in the highlands starts to get cold and the yellow rays of the sun shine on the ripe golden rice fields, signalling a bountiful “golden season”. This is the time when ethnic minorities in the highlands of Hà Giang celebrate the New Rice festival.
Hoàng Su Phì is one of the two western border districts of Hà Giang Province, the residence area of 13 ethnic groups such as Dao, Tày, Nùng, Cờ Lao and La Chí. With distinct geographical features, Hoàng Su Phì District still preserves many unique and diverse traditional cultural values of the people of different ethnic groups, especially agricultural rituals.
Dao ethnic families in Hồ Thầu Commune, Hoàng Su Phì District, often hold a new rice festival when entering the harvest, around the 5th to 10th day of the 9th lunar month every year.
With the custom of worshipping polytheists, the Dao people of Hồ Thầu Commune believe that the rice plant also has a soul. So according to traditional rites, the most important thing is to bring the new rice soul home.
In the early morning, the woman of the family goes to the rice field to trim the rice plants laden with ripe seeds, tie them into small bundles to dry in front of the house. Then, select the largest rice grains tied in clusters and hang on the wall of the house. The rest will be used to make green rice, cook sticky rice to offer to ancestors, heaven and earth.
In the long-standing tradition of the La Chí people in Bản Phùng Commune, Hoàng Su Phì District, the new rice offering ceremony is a very important ritual.
Before the event, the host’s wife, who is considered the “Mother of rice”, will have to get up very early to prepare baskets and tweezers to pluck the first grains of rice and cook them to give thanks to the ancestors.
The picking of the first grains of rice also has a very sacred meaning, because this is also the ceremony of “receiving” the soul of the rice, with the desire to pray for the family’s new crop to be lucky and favourable.
Only after offering new rice can families bring the newly harvested rice into their home and eat. Before the new rice offering ceremony takes place, families are not allowed to burn rice straw because the rice spirit is still on the straw, if burned, next year, the crop will be lost.
Similarly, the new rice offering ceremony is one of the rituals bearing strong agricultural beliefs of the Nùng ethnic group in Pố Lồ Commune.
This ritual depends on the season of ripe rice, which is held by families in August or September of the lunar calendar every year.
To perform this ritual, in the early morning, the woman of the family goes to the rice field to prune the largest and newly ripened rice in the field, usually sticky rice. If the sticky rice has not yet ripened, they have to use plain rice. The rice is tied into bundles to carry home. From these rice grains, the largest seeds will continue to be selected and tied into two bundles and hung on the wall at both ends of the altar.
The rest is used to make green rice or cook into sticky rice to offer to ancestors, heaven and earth. If for some reason, the family does not have enough new rice, they can mix some old rice to cook or use a few new rice grains to put in a pot of sticky rice to get the essence of new rice and offer it to the ancestors.
Source: https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/1050357/a-glimpse-of-ha-giang-during-golden-rice-season.html
The Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2023 opened on Saturday evening in Nha Trang, a famous beach city in south-central Vietnam, with the theme of ‘Nha Trang – Aspiration for Development,’ attracting tens of thousands of local and foreign visitors.
The opening ceremony of the four-day event, which covers more than 70 cultural and sports activities, took place at April 2 Square in Nha Trang, the city capital of Khanh Hoa Province, given the organization of the provincial People’s Committee.
This biennial festival, which was first launched in 2003, reflects traditional and contemporary cultural values toward preserving and promoting the cultural quintessence of the nation in general and Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa in particular, Dinh Van Thieu, deputy chairman of the Khanh Hoa administration, said at the ceremony.
This is also one of the important events to celebrate the 370th anniversary of the construction and development of Khanh Hoa (1653 – 2023), the organizing board said, adding that the festival was suspended in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s festival commenced with the shows of motorized paragliding, LED kites and ten hot-air balloons lighting up the sky with 3D effects, bringing excitement and pleasure to thousands of viewers.
The main highlight of the ceremony was the brilliant light show by more than 1,600 drones that were arranged to form different words and spectacle structures including aircraft in the sky, attracting a lot of audiences.
Following the drone light show was a five-minute artistic fireworks display, combined with multi-layered sound and light effects.
A unique art and music program followed the opening ceremony, comprising two parts: ‘Love words of the sea’ and ‘Sea – development potential.’
The program began with a song that features the beauty of the country’s sea areas stretching from north to south, and of the two archipelagos of Hoang Sa – Truong Sa in the East Vietnam Sea.
During the festival that will last until Tuesday, there will be a lot of attractive sports and cultural items, including a fish-worshiping festival, a hip-hop club party, a fishing contest, a marathon race themed ‘Run to Future,’ art and music performances, and a fashion show, among others.
It is expected that Khanh Hoa will welcome about 100,000 visitors during the festival, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
This year, the province is set to receive four million visitors, including 1.5 million foreigners, and earn some VND21 trillion (US$894.4 million) in travel revenue, the news agency cited the province’s Department of Tourism as saying.
These targets are far higher than the total of 2.57 million travelers and the revenue of nearly VND14 trillion ($596.2 million) recorded in 2022.
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| This photo features numerous visitors gathering at the April 2 Square in Nha Trang City to attend the tenth sea festival in the beach city of Nha Trang. Photo: Cong Dinh / Tuoi Tre |
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| A drone light show features the theme of this year’s sea festival: ‘Khanh Hoa – Aspiration for Development.’ Photo: Cong Dinh / Tuoi Tre |
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| This image shows visitors using their smartphones to photograph one of the drone light performances at the opening ceremony of the tenth sea festival in Khanh Hoa Province’s Nha Trang City on June 3, 2023. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |
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| An art and music performance at the opening ceremony of the Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2023. Photo: Hoai Bao / Tuoi Tre |
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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/ttnewsstyle/20230604/sea-festival-kicks-off-in-nha-trang/73577.html
The People’s Committee of Cu Chi District, located some 37 kilometers from downtown Ho Chi Minh City, has started offering visitors a captivating opportunity to indulge in a rustic countryside experience that showcases the district’s rich cultural heritage, traditional lifestyle, and scenic beauty.
This initiative, taking place in Trung An Commune from Saturday to June 10, marks the district’s second year of hosting such an interesting countryside experience.
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| Nguyen Canh Toan (R) and his family harvest rambutans during a program offering visitors countryside experiences in Trung An Commune, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 3, 2023. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
Visitors can engage in a wide range of activities including shopping for products and culinary delights crafted from fruits at a space that replicates the ambiance of a countryside market.
They can also explore and buy fruits instantly at the gardens, as well as participate in several traditional folk games.
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| Visitors try riding bicycles during a program offering countryside experiences in Trung An Commune, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 3, 2023. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
Besides its reputation of being a historical destination, Cu Chi is famous for fruit-laden orchards, livestock farms, green vegetable gardens, and colorful flower routes.
Currently, the district is ablaze with rich colors from an assortment of local delicacies such as mangosteens, rambutans, and green Burmese grapes that are at their prime of beauty and juiciness.
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| Farmer Nguyen Thanh Long harvests rambutans during a program offering visitors countryside experiences in Trung An Commune, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 3, 2023. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
“In this year’s fruit season, Trung An Commune warmly welcomes visitors to explore 35 open gardens,” Nguyen Thi Hang, deputy chairwoman of Cu Chi District, said at the initiative’s opening ceremony on Saturday morning.
“With its refreshing and temperate climate, coupled with fertile soil, the commune showcases an abundance of fruit-filled gardens that will definitely offer a delightful sensory experience with their delectable flavors and enticing aromas.
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| Visitors harvest rambutans at a garden in Trung An Commune, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 3, 2023. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
“I hope that the gardeners treat tourists as esteemed guests, reflecting the hospitable nature of our community, so that our visitors find utmost satisfaction in the products and services we provide, experiencing the genuine warmth and friendliness of the rural people of Cu Chi.”
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| Mangosteens are displayed during a program offering countryside experiences in Trung An Commune, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 3, 2023. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
The program aims to showcase the essence of Cu Chi’s land, its people, and culinary delights to visitors, while also highlighting the district’s distinctive agricultural products and fruits.
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| Visitors play a folk game during a program offering countryside experiences in Trung An Commune, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 3, 2023. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
Hang stated that the organizers’ ultimate goal is to establish Cu Chi as a renowned destination for eco-tourism, fostering connections between farmers, businesses, and tourists, thereby making a significant contribution to the effective implementation of the district’s tourism development program.
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| Children try catching ducks during a program offering visitors countryside experiences in Trung An Commune, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 3, 2023. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Bottles of a vegetable pickle product are displayed during a program offering countryside experiences in Trung An Commune, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 3, 2023. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/ttnewsstyle/20230604/district-in-ho-chi-minh-city-welcomes-visitors-for-countryside-experiences/73558.html
The Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF) 2023 kicked off in Vietnam’s central coastal city of Danang on Friday evening, featuring a large fireworks and music party that lit up the night sky over the Han River.
The festival started with the performances by the Vietnamese and Finnish teams.
Le Trung Chinh, chairman of the Da Nang People’s Committee, said the success of the DIFF over the years has proved its attraction for local residents and international visitors.
This year’s festival, themed “The World Without Distance”, is expected to serve as a bridge bringing people closer together and removing all barriers, especially after a three-year hiatus induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinh said.
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| The performance of the Vietnamese team at the DIFF 2023 lasted over 20 minutes. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre |
The 20-minute performance by the host Vietnam highlighted the theme “Da Nang – The Sound of Peace”, telling stories, including a story about the recovery of Da Nang post pandemic, through the combination of light and sound and spreading a message of peace, stability, and happiness.
Tran Van Hung, in charge of the technical group of the Vietnamese team, said the performance by the host used close to 4,500 fireworks of various types and more than 128 different color effects, in addition to music.
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| The performance of the Vietnamese team at the DIFF 2023 in Da Nang, central Vietnam. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre |
The Finnish team, Joho Pyro Professional Fireworks, took the stage under the theme “Ignite the Heart”, dazzling the audiences with its perfect combination of music and fireworks.
Johan Hollander, the Finnish team leader, said his team wanted to bring to the DIFF 2023 a dynamic and emotional performance, which wrapped up with a call for unity and love for life.
The DIFF 2023, scheduled to last from June 2 to July 8 along the Han River, gathers eight teams including Danang-Vietnam, the UK, Italy, Poland, France, Australia, Canada, and Finland.
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| The performance of the Vietnamese team at the DIFF 2023 in Da Nang, central Vietnam. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre |
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| The performance of the Vietnamese team at the DIFF 2023 in Da Nang, central Vietnam. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre |
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| The performance of the Vietnamese team at the DIFF 2023 in Da Nang, central Vietnam. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre |
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| The performance of the Finnish team Joho Pyro Professional Fireworks at the DIFF 2023 in Da Nang, central Vietnam. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre |
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| The performance of the Finnish team Joho Pyro Professional Fireworks at the DIFF 2023 in Da Nang, central Vietnam. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre |
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| The performance of the Finnish team Joho Pyro Professional Fireworks at the DIFF 2023 in Da Nang, central Vietnam. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre |
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| The performance of the Finnish team Joho Pyro Professional Fireworks at the DIFF 2023 in Da Nang, central Vietnam. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre |
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| The performance of the Finnish team Joho Pyro Professional Fireworks at the DIFF 2023 in Da Nang, central Vietnam. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre |
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| The performance of the Finnish team Joho Pyro Professional Fireworks at the DIFF 2023 in Da Nang, central Vietnam. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre |
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| The performance of the Finnish team Joho Pyro Professional Fireworks at the DIFF 2023 in Da Nang, central Vietnam. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre |
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| The performance of the Finnish team Joho Pyro Professional Fireworks at the DIFF 2023 in Da Nang, central Vietnam. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre |
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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/ttnewsstyle/20230603/sparkling-fireworks-displays-delight-audiences-in-da-nang/73552.html
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