VietExplorer2023

Nguyen Thi Tuyen is the sole remaining artisan in her village dedicated to crafting traditional toys for the annual Mid-Autumn Festival. Despite only working for one month each year, she perseveres in this art form, considering it to be the essence of her existence and a means of preserving cultural heritage for the younger generation.  Nguyen Thi Tuyen is busy making Mid-Autumn toys for customers. Photo: Cong Phuong Every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the residents of Ai Hau Village in Van Canh Commune, Hoai Duc District, located approximately 10 kilometers from Hanoi, are engaged in the production of lanterns that are then distributed to the market. The village was filled with trucks, eagerly awaiting to load star lanterns, carp lanterns, and traditional toys for delivery to various destinations. Ai Hau Village proudly holds the title as the birthplace of lantern making in the historic capital city. In today’s world, the allure of industrially manufactured...

On September 23, in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy and delegates cut the ribbon to launch the 13th Europe-Vietnam Documentary Film Festival (Photo: Hoa Nguyen) The European Network of Independent Cultural Institutes in Hanoi (EUNIC), in collaboration with the Vietnam Central Studio of Documentary Scientific Film, will organize the 13th EUNIC European-Vietnamese Documentary Film Festival in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from September 22nd to 28th. The event is expected to feature 19 distinct documentaries from seven countries, including Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, England, Finland, Belgium, and Vietnam. Each European country will present one film, while Vietnam will showcase 12 films, including award-winning ones from international and Vietnamese film festivals. The films will cover social themes such as climate change, women’s empowerment, environmental protection, peaceful coexistence, and the risks of the digital age. Some of t...

The number of Muslims who have cleared the UPSC exams varies from year to year. In 2022, a total of 29 Muslim candidates cleared the exam, representing about 3% of the total number of successful candidates. This is a slight increase from the previous year, when 25 Muslim candidates cleared the exam. Muslim candidates have been performing exceptionally well in prestigious examinations since 2016. Before that, they made up only 2.5% of all successful candidates. Sources in the Minority Affairs Ministry have reported a “steady improvement” in the performance of Muslim candidates over the past four years. This is a clear indication that initiatives taken by the government to support the education of minority communities are having a positive impact. A member of the minority affairs described it as “a remarkable accomplishment” because the proportion of minorities had been hovering around 2.5% until recently. Notably, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government incre...