My Son Sanctuary artefacts digitalised

February 02,2018 10:04 AM

More than 1,000 artefacts uncovered during the excavation and restoration of towers at the world heritage site of My Son Sanctuary in the central province of Quang Nam have been digitalised, thanks to the assistance of experts from Italy and India. The digitisation makes preservation and restoration easier. My Son Sanctuary is located about 70 km southwest of Danang city 40 km from Hoi An ancient town, another UNESCO heritage site in Quang Nam. It comprises eight groups of 71 monuments built throughout the 4th-13th centuries, showing the unique culture, architecture, arts and religion of the Cham people in what was the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom for most of its existence.

Ethnic Minority Festival

February 06,2018 04:29 AM

In a collaborative effort between Anantara Hoi An, the Quang Nam Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum, Anatara Hoi An Resort will hold monthly Vietnamese Ethnic Minority Festivals to showcase the richness and diversity of local ethnic minority groups, alongside the Hoi An Lantern Festival on the 14th day of every lunar month, when the moon is at its brightest.

The festival will present the culture and traditions of local minorities in six mountainous districts of Quang Nam: Nam Giang, Tay Giang, Dong Giang, Phuoc Son, Nam Tra My, and Bac Tra My. Guests can visit stalls showcasing arts and crafts from local artisans, such as hand-embroidered batik, original art, all-natural organic honey, and locally-grown Robusta coffee, as well as watch traditional dances from minorities. Guests will also be able to purchase original photography by Réhahn - a renowned French photographer who has spent years documenting Vietnam’s ethnic minorities and who is one of the festival’s main sponsors. His poignant work offers an insight into the daily life of local communities and celebrates the richness and diversity of Vietnam’s ethnic minority cultures.

New zip-line opens in Quang Nam

April 08,2018 11:56 AM

A new zip-line has been opened at the Phu Ninh Lake ecotourism zone in Phu Ninh district, central Quang Nam province. The zip-line is a 750-metre-long double-cable line, connecting Da Den (Black Stone) Hill with isle 61 in the lake. The cable is made of steel imported from Russia and can bear a weight of 13 tons. Other facilities were imported from Germany. The double-cable zip-line is considered safer than a uni-cable line. Riding a zip-line is a thrilling activity around the world. Some 7 km from Tam Ky town, the artificial Phu Ninh Lake is fast becoming a popular tourism destination. It is one of the largest irrigation works in the country, with a surface area of 3,433 ha and surrounded by 16,000 ha of protected forests, mostly pine trees, which have diverse flora and fauna such as birds and reptiles as well as rare animals such as red-faced monkey, red wolf, horse bear, antelope dapple deer, and pheasant, making it ideal for studies and ecological tourism.

My Son Sanctuary’s Sanskrit texts to be translated

May 04,2018 09:02 AM

Sanskrit texts inscribed on relics at My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Quang Nam province, will be translated into Vietnamese and English with the assistance of Indian experts. The move is expected to reveal more about the cultural, historical, religious and architectural values of the towers within the complex. There are currently 31 steles with Sanskrit texts carved into bricks and stones, the main materials used in the architecture at My Son. The biggest challenge in the translation work is that many of the steles are broken and some fragments have been lost. In addition to translating the inscribed texts, the Indian experts are also helping Vietnam restore the relics as part of a project funded by the Indian Government from 2016 to 2021.