Sunday Show

“The Magic Stick” has debuted in Hanoi as the first-ever combination of circus and “cai luong”, a form of Vietnam’s folk opera using a signature melancholic song structure nostalgic for the past.

Vietnam is undeniably a country full of history and art; it’s also a country that’s changing at a hectic pace. But there are some young artists who are devoting their talent to keeping Vietnam’s history and folk art alive. Some typical examples are Dang Thanh Huyen, author of an illustrated book of Vietnamese history, and art students who are creating traditional woodcut paintings.

Sop Cop, a mountainous district in Son La province, is one of the poorest districts in Vietnam. Two thirds of its people, who are between the ages of 15 and 60, are illiterate, which is a sign of poverty and undevelopment. The local government points out that anti-illiteracy is one of the key solutions and is making illiteracy eradication efforts. Several literacy classes have opened, drawing the participation of many people from all age groups.

The joyful melody of the Tinh musical instrument from Vietnam’s northeastern region often accompanies a unique cultural tradition of the Tay and Nung ethnic people of Lang Son province: the lion-cat dance, performed by dancers wearing cat masks.

Each of Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups have particular customs to celebrate New Year Holiday (Tet). Each Tet custom shows the unique cultural characteristics of each group. Nowadays, although life has changed, the cultural identity and customs of the Dao people in Khe Ma village, Tan Huong commune, Yen Binh district, Yen Bai province are still preserved.

“I was over the moon to get this hospital checkout. I’ve been here with my babies for a year. This hospital is like our second home so we’re a bit sad to say farewell to the doctors and nurses that have been in close connection with us. But it’s time for us to return to our real home. They have taught me how to take care of my daughters and help them rehabilitate,” said Tran Thi Thuy, the twins’ mother, who couldn’t stop her tears at having her babies looking so normal after a year-long battle against deformity. The two girls have been separated successfully and now have a new life. We now take a trip back in time for their heart-wrenching story.

The Voice of Vietnam national radio station started broadcasting from Hanoi on September 7th, just 5 days after the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The English program was among the first foreign language programs broadcast overseas on that day. Since then, September 7 has always been a great occasion to recall VOV’s history and development.

100 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, Ta Thiet military base relic site in Binh Phuoc province once served as the headquarters for the Liberation Army of South Vietnam. The base was a strategic logistics reserve and the venue for the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign Command, which led the Vietnamese people to victories and national reunification in April, 1975. The Ta Thiet relic is now incorporated with eco-tourism stretching 3,200 hectares of forest and covering victory monuments, temples, traditional cottages for military officials, an underground meeting room where the Ho Chi Minh Campaign Command was assigned, and guest houses with100-bed capacity.

Traditional folk games have played an important role in Vietnamese culture. They still have been an almost magical attractions for Vietnamese children, and are played in every corner of the nation.

Thanh Hoa province in north-central Vietnam is famous for many tourist attractions. Mia village in Tho Xuan districtis famous for banh gai or thorn leaf cake.

Tra Dong village in Thanh Hoa province is known as the cradle of Dong Son culture from 1000 BC until the first century AD. The village has a long history of traditional bronze casting craft. Many sophisticated bronze products have been made by the skillful hands of generations of local artisans. Through many ups and downs, Tra Dong village still manages to preserve its traditional craft.

The northeastern mountain district of Bac Son in Lang Son province is home to many historical sites and charming landscapes. Local people are still practicing their age-old traditions that vividly reflect Vietnamese identities. This is also the location of the Bac Son uprising that took place in 1940 during the war against French colonialism. Bac Son district has many interesting tourist sites, ideal for developing community tourism.

The Van Kieu ethnic minority has been living along the Truong Sơn mountain range in central Vietnam for centuries. Because they rely heavily on the forest for their subsistence, the Van Kieu have developed a strong faith in supernatural forces. This helps to explain why they have maintained so many ancient customs and traditions despite their social evolution. Worshipping the souls of the living is one such tradition.

In response to the complicated developments of Covid-19, Vietnam is stepping up its measures to stop the virus from contaminating its communities. Individuals who have come into close contact with anyone carrying the virus and travelers from affected areas will be instructed to self-isolate or go to a quarantine camp run by soldiers and medical staff. The 2-week quarantine period is a time those citizens won’t forget. VOV reports.

The Kho Mu ethnic people in the northern and central parts of Vietnam have unique cultural traditions and customs. These are reflected in their wedding ceremony and farming practices. Let’s find out more on today’s show. Matrilocal residence is part of Kho Mu wedding customs. According to the Kho Mu people in the north central province of Nghe An, the custom of living with the bride’s family shows the young couple’s gratitude to the bride’s parents and at the same time gives them an opportunity to learn some life skills to prepare for a family life.

Long Coc commune in Phu Tho province has one of the most beautiful tea plantations in Vietnam. The tea hills, shaped as up-side-down bowls, have emerged as a new tourist destination. In VOV's Sunday Show, reporter Ngoc Huyen will join a one-day trip to Long Coc with pilots of the Hanoi Paragliding Club.

In recent years, “Street knights” have been referred to people who help fight crime, particularly robbery. The vigilantes are members of anti-crime clubs in many cities in Vietnam.

Nam Dinh, a rice-growing province in northern Vietnam, has more than 70 craft villages. Co Chat silk village in Truc Ninh district is one of the best known. Join us on a tour of the village to explore one of the most famous places raising silkworms, unraveling silkworm cocoons, and weaving silk thread in Vietnam.

The Giay ethnic group live mainly in the northern mountainous provinces of Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Lai Chau, and Cao Bang. The Giay are known to have many festivals during the year, including the Mid-autumn festival, new rice festival in the ninth lunar month, and the Day cake making festival in the tenth lunar month to finish their crops. Among them, the Lunar New Year festival or “Xieng lao,” as called by Giay people, is the most important one. Giay people’s New Year celebration has many unique rituals and special dishes.

The San Diu ethnic minority people, believed to have migrated from Guangdong, China in 1600, are now living in villages in Vietnam’s northern midlands and mountainous areas. The San Diu are also known as San Deo, Trai, Trai Dat and Man Quan Coc.

Kayaking can be a racing sport that uses kayaks, small, narrow boats propelled by a double-bladed paddle, but it is more commonly a recreational activity than a competitive one. Lately, kayaking is becoming more popular in Vietnam.

Phu Quoc island district in Kien Giang province, dubbed “the Pearl Island” or “Living Heaven”, is an ideal place for resorts, sightseeing, and exploring the diverse ecosystem. The world of coral reefs, colorful fish, endless sandy beaches, emerald sea water and hundreds of scenic spots have made Phu Quoc an attractive destination for tourists.

On today’s show, we will introduce you to some of the best wushu taolu artists in Vietnam and the wushu taolu team’s preparations for the upcoming 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 30) which will take place in the Philippines in November and December.

For the Pa Ko ethnic people, taking care of ancestral tombs is not a family’s private affair, but the responsibility of the whole village. Out of this belief is born the Arieu Ping, which means exhumation, a festival unique to the Pa Ko group. Let’s visit A Bung commune in the central province of Quang Tri to learn about the festival.

Plastic bags, bottles and other disposable items are among the most common littered objects polluting and destroying the environment and impacting people’s health. VOV has assembled stories about the effort to end plastic pollution, which we hope will change the way people think about plastic use and may be the impetus to stop using plastics altogether.

Expressing one’s love through music, running away to the beloved’s house, and scaling money on the wedding day are some of the unique wedding customs of the Ha Nhi ethnic people in Muong Te district, Lai Chau province.

Welcome to VOV’s Sunday Show, our biggest feature of the week, delving into the Vietnamese cultural landscape. On today’s show, we’ll delve into the funeral customs of the Brahmin Cham ethnic group in south- central province of Ninh Thuan.

Carving wooden sculptures is a special folk art of ethnic groups such as the Co Tu, Ede, Ba Na, and Jarai of the Central Highlands. They are not just folk artifacts but illustrations of a philosophy of life. These carved sculptures are a way for the ethnic people to express their perception of human life and nature.

Viet Nam is the home of the traditional hand-crafted bronze drum, aged 4000 years. It is said that tens of thousands of ancient bronze arrowheads were stuck dating back before Christ in the age of King An Duong Vuong. Located about 20km from Nam Dinh city, Yen Xa commune, Y Yen district, Nam Dinh province, is considered one of the homes of traditional bronze casting craft. For over 900 years, bronze casting in the commune has been preserved and strongly developed, enriching the life of the local people. Today, let’s take a tour of the locality to explore the bronze casting there.

The “Ba Pho Music House” is a special space to preserve traditional musical instruments which serves as a tourism destination for visitors to Hanoi and also helps introduce musician Ba Pho, the founder of the troupe, to the public.

Hanoi’s Old Quarter is a charming place that many want to explore. The area is made attractive by its culture, history, architecture, and especially its traditional crafts. The Old Quarter has 36 streets, each of which is associated with a handicraft. On today’s show, we’ll meet with craftsman Nguyen Chi Thanh and artist Nguyen Bao Nguyen to explore the silver craft and the art of portraiture in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

Coastal communities have been worshiping the sea genie and other water genies for thousands of years to express their gratitude for nature and their desire for a peaceful and prosperous life. Their faith encourages them to endure all difficulties and trust in the sea for their livelihood. Most villagers of Quang Lang village, Thụy Hải commune, Thái Bình province, earn their living by fishing and salt making. This village is the only place that has a temple that worships the Salt Genie.

Hanoi’s Tay Ho district has the capital city’s largest lake called Ho Tay or West Lake. This huge lake has a circumference of 17 kilometers. Just 15 minutes from Hanoi’s Old Quarter, many locals and tourists seeking respite from the busy city make their way to this district. Those who prefer modern pastimes will find lots of shops and restaurants, while those who prefer the more traditional can seek out historical relics and craft villages.

"Live on rocks and die buried in rocks". That is how people from the Mong Meo Vac ethnic group define their identity. If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Mong villages in Dong Van, Yen Minh, and Quan Ba districts in the northern mountain province of Ha Giang, you will truly understand that quote.

Vietnam’s northern region is the cradle of several genres of traditional theaters including Cheo or traditional theater. Cheo is a wonderful combination of dance and singing in the form of music theatre. The actors and actresses dance and sing to tell the play’s story. Set costumes, make-up, language, and behavior are associated with each character in a Cheo play. For years, driven by a passion for “cheo”, the residents in Thach That district on the outskirts of Hanoi have worked hard to preserve the Cheo theater.

Welcome to VOV’s Sunday Show, our biggest feature of the week, delving into the Vietnamese cultural landscape. I’m Kim Chi, your host. On today’s show, we’ll visit the Central Highlands to learn about the role of firewood in Gie Trieng’s marriage customs and the Et Rok wedding ceremony of the Bahnar.

The Hung Temple's bronze drum, the largest bronze drum in Vietnam and in Southeast Asia, is one of Vietnam’s renowned Dong Son bronze drums, a sacred symbol of the Vietnamese people.

La Phu village in Hanoi’s outlying district of Hoai Duc is one of the few ancient rural villages that well preserve its communal house and traditional festivals.

Lai Chau province in the Northwestern region of Vietnam is known for its magnificent landscapes, rich culture, and great tourist attractions, such as Sin Suoi Ho village, Hoang Lien National Park, the Tien Son Caves, and Ta Leng pine forest. It’s said that this is now the best time to come here and explore the province’s attractions.

Moc Chau is a wide, dreamy plateau in Vietnam’s northern mountains, 180 kilometers from Hanoi. Visitors can come on a motorbike or bus to Moc Chau, which entices visitors with its magnificent views, beautiful flowers, cool atmosphere, and rich ethnic minority cultures. The plateau is increasingly popular with tourists.

Vietnamese people believe that every creature has a soul and that mountain and sea genies really exist. Coastal communities have been worshiping the sea genie and other water genies for thousands of years to express their gratitude for nature and their desire for a peaceful and prosperous life. Their faith encourages people to endure all difficulties and rely on the sea for their livelihood. The whale worshiping ritual has been preserved by the people of Canh Duong fishing village in the central Vietnam province of Quang Binh for hundreds of years.

Murals and 3D pictures on old walls to create new looks in living spaces has become a trend in many residential areas in Hanoi. Some of these projects can be found in alleys at 39 Phao Dai Lang and 72 Nguyen Chi Thanh. They are not only enjoyed by residents, but also by the people who often travel along these alleys, which brighten their day as they make their way to their destination.

Welcome to VOV’s Sunday Show, our biggest feature of the week, delving into Vietnamese culture and landscape. Each country has its own traditional attire, such as Kimono of Japan, Hanbok of South Korea, or Qipao of China. Vietnamese are proud of their “ao dai”. As time goes by, fashion has changed dramatically, and “ao dai” has been modified to serve as a symbol of beauty of millions of Vietnamese people.

Welcome to VOV’s Sunday Show, our biggest feature of the week, delving into Vietnamese culture and landscape. In today’s show, we’ll introduce the signature dish and beverage to celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year of the H’Mong ethnic minority group in Ha Giang province and the Ede in Dak Lak central Highland’s province. First, let’s visit Ha Giang province to learn how the H’Mong make their traditional maize cake.

The Mong people are an important partof the community of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam, with a population of about one million people. They are often found the highland areas, mostly in northern mountain provinces of Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Son La and a few in the Central Highlands. The best time to visit the Mong is during the Lunar New Year in late January or early February, when they celebrate Tet festival.

Ca tru (ceremonial singing), also known as hat a dao, is an ancient genre of music featuring female vocalists. It originated in northern Vietnam and was, like many traditional music genres, a form of entertainment for the royal court. Hundreds of years ago, Dai Phu village in Thuong Mo commune, Dan Phuong district, Hanoi, was a cradle of ca tru singing. During long years of war, the genre faded, but in the last 20 years, local authorities and residents have worked to restore and preserve ca tru singing by opening a club and organizing free classes to teach ca tru to people of all ages.

The Bo Y have the smallest population of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam and live in the northern border province of Ha Giang. During the year, the Bo Y people in Quan Ba district, Ha Giang province have various agricultural rituals to express their gratitude to the deities and ancestors for bumper crop and prosperity.

Páo Dung is the traditional singing of the Dao ethnic minority people living in northern Vietnam. It was created to serve people’s spiritual and religious needs. Páo Dung has been handed down through generations and is still sung by the Dao people today, not only at festivals and traditional holidays but to accompany everyday activities. This genre has been honored as a national intangible cultural heritage of Vietnam.

The Northwest is a mountainous region with not only a poetic landscape, but is also home to 20 ethnic minorities and diverse cultural interests. Its topography is divided into many layers, so its climatic conditions vary by area. The local ethnic minorites live close to nature. Formerly, they often used wild plants in the forests as ingredients and seasoning for their meals in difficult times. Gradually, they took wild ingredients home to cook with meat, fish, and spices. They have turned simple ingredients into hearty dishes highlighting the soul of the local land and people. Let’s follow reporter Cẩm Chi to a Thai family in Moc Chau district, Son La province, to discover specialties from wild vegetables in the northwest.

Funerals customs vary between ethnic groups in Vietnam. For many ethnic minority groups, funeral activities include games, dancing, and dressing in special ritual costumes, which might be considered odd in other cultures

Ha Nhi ethnic people’s earthen-wall houses are warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Their unique houses help them deal with the harsh weather of the northern mountain Vietnam.

Travelers who come to Hanoi often think about exploring this city’s culture and history by visiting some famous sites like Hoan Kiem Lake, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Temple of Literature, or Water Puppet Theatre. Not many of them think to broaden their knowledge of Hanoi’s culture via a cooking class of traditional famous food. If you have at least 3 hours and are wondering what to do in Hanoi, “Cooking like a Hanoian” maybe not a bad choice. More than a cooking event, it is a culture exchange activity, where you can learn a dish while having an enjoyable time chatting with locals to know about local lifestyles and history.

Welcome to VOV’s Sunday Show, our biggest feature of the week, delving into Vietnamese culture and landscape. Today, we are going to learn about the mam hen sauce of the Thai in Son La province. After that, we will take you to Ha Nam island, Quang Ninh province to enjoy a local specialty made from a mollusk called ngan.

Bau Truc pottery village in Ninh Thuan Province is highly recommended by many travel guides. Here Cham ethnic people produce exotic pottery items. The village is located in Phuoc Dan town, Ninh Phuoc district, about 10 kilometers from Phan Rang city. It has existed since the reign of Cham King Po Klong Garai (1151-1205) and is considered one of the oldest pottery villages in Southeast Asia.

The knowledge of traditional therapeutic medicine was developed in Vietnam thousands of years ago, along with experience gained in using natural resources for survival. In spite of the progress of modern medicine, traditional treatments using traditional medicinal plants are often preferred in Vietnam. VOV’s Sunday show introduces medicinal herbs of ethnic people in Vietnam’s northern mountain region.

With hopes to become a visual storyteller instead of a photographer, amateur Tran Tuan Viet has done his best to capture moments of innocence, intimacy and freshness in Vietnam. He has also promulgated Vietnam’s people, landscape, and traditional culture to the world by virtue of his achievements. This year, he won in the Travel category at the 15th annual Smithsonian Photo Contest, one of world’s most prestigious contests for photographers.

The Tra Co communal house in Tra Co ward, Mong Cai City, Quang Ninh province, was built in the late Le Dynasty (1428 – 1788). The 600-year-old house in the Vietnamese architectural style at the center of the village is a border marker of culture and history affirming Vietnam’s territorial sovereignty.

There are approximately 80 thousand Nung people living in the northern province of Bac Giang, 45 km north of Hanoi. They earn a living from rice growing and gathering. Birthdays or longivity celebrations are among the most important events in Nung people’s lives. When children organize a birthday party, or “Tay Khoan”, for a parent, they not only wish them a healthy and joyful life but also commemorate their “death day” in advance as after the parent passes away, annual death anniversaries will not be held.

Getting married is a significant milestone in a person’s life. Wedding rituals of the Red Dao ethnic people embrace traditional cultural features that need to be promoted and preserved. Let’s explore a wedding ceremony of the Red Dao in Pu Quan village, Muong Lat district, in Thanh Hoa province.

In Vietnam, drums are a traditional instrument at festivals and weddings. They are also used to announce arrivals to the community, signal when school starts or ends, and accompany musical performances. Depending on the occasion, drums can either create an atmosphere of joyful union or sad separation. When festival drumbeats are played, farmers put on their most beautiful costumes and flock to the festival. Drums have become an indispensable part of Vietnamese community activities.

April is Autism Acceptance Month to raise awareness about autism, which is a complex brain disorder that often inhibits a person’s ability to communicate, respond to surroundings, and form relationships with others. On this occasion, the To He project held an exhibit titled “Iu Iu Iu”, showcasing the artwork of 7 autistic children at 8 Do Quang Street, Hanoi. The event aims to open a window on autistic children’s values and abilities through their artwork, inspire families with autistic kids, and change the community awareness of autism. The exhibit, part of the “Light It Up Blue 2018” campaign, run until April,30.

Music Professor Dang Ngoc Long has a long association with Vietnamese music. He is the person who popularized Vietnamese music including Nghe Tinh and Quan Ho folk songs in Europe.

Vietnam is a word that always haunts the minds of American war veterans, who fought during the war in the country shaped like the letter “S”. More than 40 years after the war ended, memories of what they had done and what they had witnessed still torment the hearts and minds of veterans, with many of them turning to psychological treatment to try and escape some of the emotions it stirs. But everything changes when veterans return to Vietnam, the place where they still survive. The image of a peaceful and beautiful Vietnam at present somehow helps ease their minds.

An exhibition called “Finding Memories” has opened at the Hoa Lo relic site in Hanoi, marking the 45th anniversary of the historic battle against US B-52 bombers in December, 1972 - “Dien Bien Phu in the Air". The exhibit’s 250 items recall the dramatic 12 days and nights of the fierce US bombing attacks, and the city’s defense by the Vietnamese people, and retells the stories of the American pilots imprisoned in Hoa Lo.

Improvisational Comedy or Improv, a form of live theater in which the plot, characters and dialogue are made up on the spot, first appeared in Hanoi in 2005. In 2015, with the establishment of the Rotten Grapes Club performing Improv in English, improv became popular among English learners and foreigners living in Vietnam. But improv has found a wider audience thanks to a recent show performing improv in Vietnamese, co-organized by The Rotten Grapes and the newly-established Hanoi Improvisation Club. In this week’s Sunday Show, we’ll talk to the two clubs’ comics to find out more about this exciting form of theater.

At a get-together of schoolmates earlier this year, I learned about Chi ceramics, a long-famous Hanoi brand.

Over years, the Vietnamese concepts of love and marriage have evolved. Nowadays, single mothers, cohabitation, same-sex marriage, and sex before marriage are becoming more accepted. Males and females are now free to find their own partners and marriages are built on love and respect. Attitudes toward these things were very different in the past.

Mother Goddess worship, or Đạo Mẫu”, is very popular belief in an agriculture-based country like Vietnam, where farmers strongly depend on nature. When people are happy and joyful, they come to the Mother; and when they feel sad, they seek comfort from Her. Even long before the UNESCO recognition as the world’s intangible cultural heritage last year, “Đạo Mẫu” has always been considered a unique part of Vietnamese culture.

Viet Nam is home to 54 ethnic groups, each with its own lifestyles, customs, traditions, and, of course, worship faiths. Ancestral and gods worship is central to the spiritual lives of the ethnic people living in Vietnam’s northern regions including Tay, Nung, Dao, Thai, and Muong. As the custom of hanging worship paintings in ritual ceremonies remained, a large number of worship paintings are preserved. In this week’s Sunday show, we will give you closer look at the worship paintings of Vietnam’s northern regions, which not only contain artistic and aesthetic values, but also reflect ethnic cultural origin and customs.

Vietnamese royal embroidery, the art of decorating fabric with a needle and thread, has a history of more than 700 years. As time passed, embroidery came and went in popularity, but it still connected closely to, and reflected the cultural values and beliefs, of the Vietnamese people. Nowadays, even though embroidery machines have become very sophisticated they still can not replace the meticulous imperial embroidery made by hand.

Each country and region has a typical architectural style based on its climate, economic conditions, technology, available materials, as well as other factors including local customs and beliefs. Throughout history, Vietnamese people, especially those in the northern region, have applied some distinctive rules to house building and decorating which they believe bring good fortune and chase away evil.

Every year in November, the Center for Handicraft Research, Linkage and Development (Craft Link) holds a bazaar to showcase the traditional handmade products of a range of ethnic groups to consumers in Hanoi. The event aims to help minority people preserve their culture and improve their livelihoods through production and marketing.

Vietnamese Teacher's Day is an annual celebration held on November 20 to honor the contribution of teachers nationwide. On such a special occasion, we want to tell you the story of traditional education in Vietnam with the hope of bringing you a backwards-looking but fresher understanding of those traditional values. The story of traditional education and the precious lessons it brings is still something that younger generations need to know about and treasure.

Incense has a special significance in the spiritual life in many Asian countries, including Vietnam. Burning incense is part of Vietnamese culture and beliefs. In today’s edition of Vietnam in close up, we’ll take you on a tour to the Xa Kieu traditional craft village to find out how incense sticks are made.

For centuries, the Vietnamese people have had a folk saying: “Móng Cái porcelain, Hương Canh jars”, to compliment two of the best-quality terracotta brands in the northern region. Ceramic products made by Hương Canh artisans are famous for their outstanding durability, and their ability to waterproof and block out light, which help fully preserve the food inside for years.

he exhibition titled “Twelve Typical Kinds of Vietnamese Folk Paintings”, co organized by the Hanoi Museum and the Hanoi Ceramic Museum, is continuing in Hanoi. Along side it is a thematic seminar with the participation of artisans, specialists, and researchers in the field of traditional fine art nationwide. The event is intended to give audiences a general understanding of the formation and development of folk painting in Vietnam and also suggested ways to protect and revive those traditional genres.

A collection of golden books of the Nguyen Dynasty was opened to the public in March. The Nguyen Dynasty was a powerful Vietnamese dynasty whose 13 Kings ruled for 143 years. This precious collection of golden books is considered the most special exhibition of the sacred heritages of the Nguyen Dynasty.

Bảo Hà village in Hai Phong province has a long history of creating and performing puppets. Here, two types of puppetry co-exist: water and non-water puppetry. Together with the popular water puppetry, non-water puppetry has gained increasing recognition from both domestic and international audiences.

“Xam” singing is a traditional art form which originated in Vietnam’s northern regions. As its deep lyrics narrate daily life stories, the art form has been considered to be the nation’s delicate cultural item, and has become an important part of the Vietnamese people’s spiritual life. For a long time, the art-form fell into oblivion and faced a great risk of being lost, but recently it has been revitalized and gradually proved its vital place in Vietnamese people’s minds. VOV’s Viet Anh finds out more about this traditional art form.

Ca Trù (Vietnamese ceremonial singing), Chau Van (Vietnamese ritual singing), Xam (a form of unique traditional folk singing), Luc Cung Hoa Dang (Lanterns Dance) and many other folk melodies from Vietnam’s Northern Delta Region have been restored, performed and introduced to audiences through a program called “Ha Thanh, 36 Old Quarters”.

30km from the center of Hanoi in the outskirt district of Thanh Oai lies Tri Lễ village, a famous hamlet that makes the iconic Vietnamese traditional palm leaf hats such as Nón or conical hats, Quai Thao or flat palm hats, and Thúng. The brilliant mid-summer sun these days provides the perfect condition to dry out the palm leaves that Tri Lễ residents hang along the road which leads to the village.

This year the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has launched a program promoting Vietnam as a paradise of sea and island for tourists. Besides traditional tourist destinations, travel agents have taken visitors to primitive places.

“Do” paper is made from the bark of the Do tree, which can be found in Vietnam’s northern region. Having first appeared in the 13th century, this type of paper has been used widely in Vietnamese folk art, especially in Dong Ho paintings. Because the techniques of making Do paper are on the verge of extinction, the Zó project, a social enterprise in Vietnam, held a workshop titled “ Behind the folds” to arouse public interest in the paper and inspire them to Vietnamese folk arts.

Vietnamese water puppetry is a unique folk art, believed to be more than 1000 years old. A guide book says “Not watching a performance of water puppetry means not visiting Vietnam yet.” A water puppetry performance provides great fun and excitement for their audiences. Puppeteers cleverly manipulate wooden puppets on a special stage covered in water. In today’s show, let’s take a closer look at the making of water puppets and discover how they are controlled. VOV’s Ha Ngan has the story.

Every Sunday afternoon, the Miracle Bus starts its trip around Hanoi to pick up students, who are residents of several charity houses and social protection centers for orphans and poor children, before delivering them to the Korean International School, where the miracle of music is about to happen.

Hello and welcome to the Sunday show on the Voice of Vietnam, where we talk about Vietnam, its land and culture. I’m your host for today's show, which I hope you’ll enjoy.

In woodblock carved paintings, a design or picture is carved into a block of wood, then printed onto a sheet of paper or other special materials. Tran Nguyen Dan is one of the very few woodblock painters who has remained dedicated to this art form for nearly half a century. On this week’s Sunday Show, we’ll tell you the story of this elderly passionate artist.

Stamp collecting is one of the world’s most popular hobbies thanks to its affordability, educational benefits, and historical value. For many collectors, philately is an art, a passion, a way to communicate, and more. Now when people communicate with each other via the Internet, are these stamps still attractive? Let's find out more with Thu Ly about the history of stamps and stamp collecting hobby in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese bamboo flute has long been one of the most popular wind instruments, containing the essence of Vietnamese music. The moody sound it produces has signified the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people since long ago. Currently, the bamboo flute remains a prominent musical instrument performed solo or together with other instruments in traditional Vietnamese orchestras as well as in modern music.

Hello and welcome to VOV’s Sunday Show, our biggest show of the week, featuring Vietnam’s traditional culture and beautiful landscapes. I’m Le Chi, your host for today’s show. In today’s show we will talk about a thousand-year-old kite-making village, Ba Duong Noi village, in Hong Ha commune, Dan Phuong district, Hanoi. For local people there, flying kites is a long-standing cultural value. The people have considered kite making and flying the pride of local culture for a thousand years. Generation after generation of villagers have maintained and preserved this feature of their homeland’s traditional culture.

Hello and welcome to the Special Music Show on Saturday. In tonight’s show, we will introduce you to winners of Bharat Ratna awards, the highest civilian award of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred "in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order", without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. The award was originally limited to achievements in the arts, literature, science and public services but the government expanded the criteria to include "any field of human endeavour" in December 2011. Recommendations for the Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister to the President, with a maximum of three nominees being awarded per year. Recipients receive a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a peapal-leaf–shaped medallion; there is no monetary grant associated with the award. Bharat Ratna recipients rank seventh in the Indian order of precedence, but are constitutionally prohibited from using the award name as a title.

Summer has finally arrived in Hanoi. The whole city shines bright under warm sunlight. Though Hanoi’s summer is pretty hot with the average temperature of 33 DC, locals and tourists could still feel the slight coolness from the breeze that sometimes sweeps through the trees. Summer might be the best time to visit Hanoi and Hoan Kiem Lake might be the best destination if one wants to explore Hanoi to the full.

Vietnamese Vi-Giam folk singing was officially recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity at the 9th session of its Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Paris on November 27. Recent changes in Vi-giam singing, ranging from performance to means of expression mean that local efforts to preserve it are intended to make it easier to access and be revived in the community.

As the oldest continuously developed area of Vietnam, Hanoi's Old Quarter has a history that spans 2,000 years and represents the eternal soul of the city. Located between Sword Lake, the Long Bien Bridge, a former city rampart, and a citadel wall, the Old Quarter is considered the heart of the capital city. Hanoi’s Old Quarter was recognized as a national relic in 2004, a great honor and also a challenge for the local residents and local authorities to preserve and promote its values.

Vietnam continues to be singled out as one of the world’s climate change hotspots. With its long coastline and low-lying deltas, researchers warn millions of people in the country are at risk from more frequent and severe storms, drought and sea level rise. Vietnam’s economy also stands to be badly affected. The Government is set this year to approve a National Target Plan to respond to climate change. But what can, and is being done, to protect Vietnam’s vulnerable communities and development?

A village festival in Vietnam is an opportunity for the locals to commemorate their ancestors and the village’s tutelary god and for visitors from all over the country to come and watch. A ritual, a procession, and folk games are the highlights of such a festival. The festival in Cao Trung hamlet, Đức Giang commune, in Hanoi’s outlying district of Hoài Đức features a popular folk game called ‘Bịt mắt bắt dê’ or “catching a goat while blindfolded”.

Hello and welcome to the Sunday show on the Voice of Vietnam, where we talk about Vietnam, its land and culture. I’m Ngoc Huyen, hosting the show for today and I hope you enjoy it.

In Vietnam, the custom of chewing betel dated back to the reign of the Hung Kings. It is associated with the “Legend of Betel and Areca” about a wife’s faithfulness to her husband and the love between two siblings. They are a symbol of love, brotherhood, family, and happiness.

For many centuries, Hanoians have been interested in cockfighting because of the cocks’ fighting skills, the game’s tactics, and its sporting spirit. The hobby has helped to create the cultural identity of the capital city’s citizens. Let’s visit Cao Trung village in Hanoi’s outlying district of Hoài Đức to explore this traditional sport and find out how it is being preserved there.

Đồng dao – children’s folk songs – are simple folk verses created long ago by unknown authors and passed orally from generation to generation. The lyrics are plain, often incoherent or illogical verses, which are rhymed to make them easy to sing and remember. Children sing the songs, which vividly and creatively describe familiar images and relations around them, while playing group games. VOV’s Sunday show looks at children’s folk songs and games in modern society.

Each region in Vietnam has its own typical folk songs. The land of Hồng Lam in Central Vietnam with its mountains and rivers, picturesque beauty, and brave, hardworking inhabitants has generated a folk culture rich in original national identity. On this week’s Sunday Show, we’ll introduce to you the beauty of Nghệ Tĩnh’s folk singing.

Worshipping the Mother Goddess – Mother of the Universe - has been a time-honoured spiritual practice in Vietnam since prehistoric times. The ancient Vietnam people initiated the practice of communicating with the universe in the “going into a trance” ritual. Researchers call it a “living museum of Vietnamese culture”. Stay tuned for some insights from reporter Thu Huong.