Entertainment-Sports
Life and times of a Dong Ho artist
The only female artisan to have pursued Dong Hofolk painting in the northern province of Bac Ninh, Nguyen Thi Oanh was recently honoured with the title of “Meritorious Artisan” by President Nguyen Phu Trong.
Such titles are presented to artisans making significant contributions to preserving and promoting national traditional crafts and also acknowledge those developing Việt Nam’s handicraft brand and introducing products to the world.
The 60-year-old Oanh is also the daughter-in-law of late artist Nguyen Huu Sam, who was the first recognised artisan in Dong Ho Village.
“There used to be 17 families in my village making folk paintings, but then, gradually, there were only two clans, led by Nguyen Huu and Nguyen Dang, each of which has only one family still keeping the art,” Oanh said.
She was introduced to Dong Hopaintings when she was just 14 and has been charmed by their beauty ever since. She is the sixth generation in a family of seven generations creating the folk paintings.
“I used to practise painting when I came home from school, so the steps to take and tips on making a complete artwork are engraved on my memory,” she said. “It has been my main source of income throughout my life and, coincidentally, I became the daughter-in-law of late artisan Nguyen Huu Sam.”
Due to his old age, her father-in-law handed over the entire facility for making Dong Ho paintings to Oanh in 2010. She now manages efforts collecting the artworks and practising the unique style of painting.
As well as traditional subjects, she has modernised the art form by integrating new themes into images and diversifying products featuring Dong Ho folk paintings to attract more customers, for example replicating them on notebooks, calendars, and even wooden prints.
Prior to receiving the title of Meritorious Artisan, Oanh’s contribution to the traditional art was recognised with the titles “Artisan of the Vietnamese craft village” and “Artisan of Bac Ninh Province”, presented by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
“It is a great source of happiness and honour to have my efforts recognised,” she said.
Upholding the tradition
First created in the 16th-17th centuries in a small village in Bac Ninh’s Thuan Thanh District, Dong Ho paintings are one of the most famous art genres in Việt Nam, combining cultural beauty and values that represent the country’s national heritage.
Paintings depict subjects found in everyday life and reflect people’s dreams for a prosperous and happy life.
A special feature of this woodblock printing art is that all materials are natural and found locally. Black colour, for example, is taken from burned bamboo or straw, while white colour comes from ground shells of scallops.
The visual language used is simple and easy to understand and so tends to leave an everlasting impression on viewers.
According to Oanh, each colour in a painting has its own wood printing block. The painting Dam Cuoi Chuot (Mouse Wedding), for instance, has four colours and so four wood blocks.
“Colours need to be done in order,” she explained. “First is red, then blue, yellow, and finally black.”
It takes an artisan one or two days to complete one simple painting with little in the way of detail. More sophisticated works take longer, sometimes running into weeks.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has hit most businesses and Dong Hofolk paintings have not escaped the fallout. The village has scarcely welcomed any foreign tourists since the first outbreak.
“We still have plenty of calendars in stock, while normally they sell like hot cakes,” she said.
Oanh’s greatest aspiration, having dedicated more than half of her life to the traditional art, is passing on her passion to the next generation.
“I can only hope that Dong Ho folk paintings will always exist, because they reflect the cultural essence and unique values of Vietnamese people,” she said.
She is indeed passing on her expertise, to her son and daughter-in-law, and still introduces visitors to the folk art and explains how to make a complete work, in the hope that this will help spread an understanding and appreciation of Vietnamese folklore.
VNS
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/en/entertainment-sports/life-and-times-of-a-dong-ho-artist-706221.html
SEA Games
HÀ NỘI – Excitement filled the air as the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ParaGames torch made its way through the streets of Hà Nội on the morning of March 24 at the start of its ASEAN tour ahead of the highly anticipated regional sports event in May.
Brimming with symbolism, the torch was ceremoniously lit from a small lamp that had landed on Việt Nam’s soil two days prior, and had been carefully guarded at the Cambodian Embassy.
Witnessed by Cambodian and Vietnamese leaders, sports officials, as well as hundreds of athletes and local people, the lighting of the torch was a powerful reminder of the unity and spirit of the ASEAN community.
In a stirring speech, Cambodian ambassador Chea Kimtha expressed his gratitude to the Vietnamese Government, the Việt Nam Olympic Committee, and all other agencies involved for their support and tireless efforts in organising the torch relay.
She said the torch relay ceremony showed the good relationship between the two countries and the traditional friendship that had been built up and maintained for a long time.
“SEA Games is considered a major festival for Southeast Asian countries,” said Đặng Hà Việt, director of the Việt Nam Sports Administration. “Cambodia and other countries organised many activities to respond to and celebrate the SEA Games and ParaGames.”
“Việt Nam is the first leg of the 32nd SEA Games torch relay after the host country. I want to reaffirm that Việt Nam will always support with utmost effort for successfully organising the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia.”
Runner Nguyễn Thị Huyền carried the torch under the escort of 200 athletes, guests, and thousands of residents.
The relay started from the embassy office to the streets of Quang Trung, Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Đông Kinh Nghĩa Thục Square, to Hàng Trống, Bà Triệu, Lý Thường Kiệt and returns to the embassy.
The torch will leave Việt Nam tomorrow to visit Manila, the Philippines, before touring Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), Jakarta (Indonesia), Dili (Timor Leste), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Singapore, Bangkok (Thailand), Yangon and Naypyidaw (Myanmar) and Vientiane (Laos) on April 25.
It will arrive in Cambodia on April 27 and travel around the country until May 5.
The SEA Games will be held on May 5-17 in Phnom Penh and four other localities. The ParaGames will run from June 3-9, mainly in Phnom Penh. VNS
Source: http://ovietnam.vn/sports/sea-games-torch-carried-through-streets-of-ha-noi_342724.html
SEA Games
HÀ NỘI — The 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games torch will be carried around Hà Nội, the first stop in its tour of 10 ASEAN countries, on March 24.
The torch, escorted by nine members of the Cambodian delegation, arrived in the capital city on March 22, and was warmly welcomed by leaders of the Việt Nam Sports Administration.
The torch is 75cm tall and weighs 1kg. It is designed following the shape of the Romdoul, Cambodia’s national flower.
The torch relay stands for solidarity, friendship, and good cooperation among nations in the region.
Earlier, King Norodom Sihamoni presided over a torch lighting ceremony on March 21 at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, marking the start of the torch relay.
This year, the SEA Games flame was ignited by the rays of the sun on the roof of the sacred temple. The ceremony was timed to coincide with the equinox, when the sun crossed the plane of the earth’s equator and day and night are of equal length. At that time the sun rose exactly on the top of the main temple of Angkor Wat. And the flame was lit up and was considered a sacred fire.
King Sihamoni then passed the torch to nine well-known Cambodian athletes, including two SEA Games gold medalists, to run around the temple area before it travelled to Việt Nam the next day.
Speaking about the event, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Tourism and Special Envoy of the Cambodian SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games Organising Committees Hor Sarun said it was the first time that the kingdom hosted the regional sports meet. Apart from the competition, the torch relay was an indispensable part of the Games.
He said Cambodia especially cared about the torch relay organisation sending the torch to all 10 countries with a view to widely popularise the 32nd SEA Games to all people.
In Hà Nội, the relay will be kicked off at 9am. National runner Nguyễn Thị Huyền will take the honour to hold the torch, escorted by 10 other outstanding athletes and hundreds of other people and guests. The delegation will start from the Cambodian Embassy and go through different streets in Hà Nội before returning to the embassy.
The next stop of the torch will be the Philippines, followed by Brunei, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar and Laos, before returning to Cambodia on April 27.
The SEA Games will be held on May 5-17 in four localities with opening and closing ceremonies at the Morodok Techo Stadium in Phnom Penh. It will be followed by the 12th ASEAN Para Games on June 3-9. VNS
Source: http://ovietnam.vn/sports/sea-games-torch-to-tour-ha-noi_342709.html
The world of fantasy literature has seen amazing works such as Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and Twilight, but experts say very few Vietnamese writers are interested in the genre, which is relatively new to them.
Seeing the vast potential for sales that promise many opportunities for fantasy writing talent to develop, some young writers have moved into the field and had initial success, but more efforts are needed to attract more readers.
“This market has been built before thanks to many world-famous fantasy books imported, translated and published in Việt Nam. It is from this background that readers started to pay attention to Vietnamese fantasy works,” the Thanh Niên (Young People) newspaper quoted Khúc Thị Hoa Phượng, director of Women’s Publishing House, as saying.
“However, the number of writers interested in this genre of literature in the country is unable to meet demand. The number of authors of the nineties generation, including those for fantasy, is still too small, and their works sporadic,” she said.
“It is our desire that fantasy writing will not only be expanded, but also attract writers with in-depth works. It means that the writers not only invest in a methodical one or two books, or a series of stories, but stick their whole life to writing them. By doing that, this new types of books will develop in a professional direction.”
Fantasy is a literary genre that opens up endless fiction with stories about the supernatural, magic or things only in the imagination. For the past 10 years, a limited number of young Vietnamese authors have boldly experimented with the style.
Among such writers are Nguyễn Nhật Ánh with the series Chuyện xứ Lang Biang (The Story of Lang Biang) and Phan Hồn Nhiên with Những Đôi Mắt Lạnh (Cold Eyes) and Chuỗi hạt Azoth (Azoth Beads).
Some fantasy books have won prizes for young writers, such as UREM – Người đang mơ (UREM -The Dreamer) and Yagon – Những Kẻ Vô Cảm (Yagon – the Emotionless) by Phạm Bá Diệp, and Người Ngủ Thuê (The Sleeper) by Nhật Phi.
Recently, Nguyễn Đình Tú, a writer specialising in detective novels, has also tried his hand at the fantasy genre with the novel Bãi Săn (Hunting Ground).
Publishers claim young readers have a taste for fantasy, so they have launched several writing contests to stir up interest and encourage authors to try the genre. But lift-off has been limited.
According to Phạm Bá Diệp, part of the reason is that there are not many veteran writers interested in fantasy, while the younger ones do not have much experience, and their writing skills are not strong enough.
Moreover, some publishers do not dare to risk investing in fantasy works, preferring love stories, which are seen as a safe bet, Diệp said.
Some publishers claim that not even professional writers in the country can meet the standards of a fantasy series that needs to be written in a long-form imaginative way with a logical, tight and clearly built universe.
Vietnamese fantasy literature
Vietnamese literature in the early 20th century saw many outstanding achievements in which fantasy writing flourished with authors and works such as Thế Lữ with Vàng và Máu (Gold and Blood); TchyA with Thần Hổ (God of Tiger) and Lan Khai with Truyện Đường Rừng (The Tale of Forest), which are among the best and earliest written fantasy books in modern Vietnamese literature.
The period was a significant era for the country’s modern literature, and fantasy at that time attracted great attention from readers and critics. In newspapers, fantasy stories were in instalments and much-welcomed by the public.
Speaking on a talk show held recently by the Kim Đồng Publishing House to highlight the beauty of Vietnamese fantasy literature, Nguyễn Thị Năm Hoàng, a literary expert, said fantasy was a reflection of reality.
“Literature always has its own explanation, making people more mature. Each fantasy writer of each period of time offers a unique experience. Lan Khai offers a story within a story. TchyA is a source of highly philosophical material, while Thế Lữ brings out the poetic beauty of the mountains and taking journeys. Each brings their own atmosphere, customs and traditions,” Hoàng said.
“Through the works we see magic and mysterious scenes, but they are also very real. Each work is a vivid and rich picture of nature.”
Meanwhile, writer Di Li said these works could most accurately be described as horror fantasy literature. According to Li, contemporary literature has lost its atmosphere because we no longer have “forests” to store the legends.
“People have destroyed the very places where legends are kept. In fantasy works by Thế Lữ, Lan Khai and TchyA, the writing style is a bit old but still attractive and lures readers. Fantasy literature has always been popular because it opens the imagination for readers to travel through the pages of a book,” he said.
“Readers are still looking forward to welcoming Vietnamese fantasy series that are more elaborately invested and attractive. However, the journey for fantasy books to find a stand and to conquer readers is still arduous and challenging.” VNS
Source: http://ovietnam.vn/entertainment/fantasy-literature-struggles-to-findreaders_342679.html
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