The Ba Chua Xu (Holy Mother of the Realm) Festival on Mount Sam in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang has been recognized as UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage of humanity, according to the Baochinhphu news site.
The recognition was announced on December 4 during the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Paraguay.
The Ba Chua Xu Festival of Mount Sam is a traditional festival that has been passed down through generations in Chau Doc, An Giang. It takes place from the 22nd to the 27th of the 4th lunar month at the Ba Chua Xu Temple on Mount Sam. The festival is a quintessential expression of the southern region’s culture, influenced by interactions with the Khmer, Chinese, and Cham communities.
With this inscription, the Ba Chua Xu Festival of Mount Sam becomes the 16th intangible cultural heritage of Vietnam to be recognized by UNESCO.
Amazing 3D mapping performance at City Hall
On the evening of December 4, locals and tourists were captivated by an artistic light show and vibrant 3D mapping projections that illuminated the City Hall, known as the headquarters of the People’s Council and People’s Committee of HCMC.
Images of Dong Son drum patterns, the traditional dress of northern Vietnamese women, and other distinctive visuals reflecting the country’s cultural heritage were projected onto the facade of the City Hall.
“Although it was raining heavily, I still came with my daughter to watch the 3D technology performance. It was definitely worth it for both of us to brave the rain,” said Thanh Huyen, a resident of Binh Thanh District.
The display was part of the opening ceremony for the Teqball World Championship, which took place from December 3 to 8 on Nguyen Hue Walking Street, according to the Dan Tri news site.
Aussie woman spends 17 years rescuing dogs in town
Elizabeth Homfray, an Australian woman and an interior designer, went to HCMC with her husband to work in 2007. She fell in love with this city after many times enjoying street foods and visiting local markets.
Hanging around in small alleys in Saigon, Homfray often saw thin, mangy dogs searching for food from garbage bins. She began buying food, putting it in plastic boxes and placing these boxes along the streets in An Phu and Thao Dien in Thu Duc City for such abandoned dogs. However, scrap sellers collected all the boxes when she returned to these places.
Homfray then kept food bars with her to give them to the dogs she saw on the street. She also brought abandoned and many dogs to the villa she and her husband rented in Thu Duc City to take care of and find new owners for the dogs. She has created a dog lovers’ community on Facebook, attracting around 10,000 members.
After ending their working term in Vietnam, Homfray and her husband decided to settle down in this country. In 2019, she established Laws for Paws Vietnam, an animal rescue station in Thu Duc’s Thanh My Loi Ward. The station was later moved to Thao Dien Ward. Many local and foreign volunteers have come over to lend her a hand in taking care of abandoned dogs, vnexpress.net reported.
A couple drives throughout the country for 25 years
Nguyen Luong Ngoc, 63, is a retired teacher, and his wife, Thieu Thi Ngoc Dung, 62, is also a retired teacher. They live in Lam Ha District, Lam Dong Province. In 1999, Ngoc bought his first car, a Lada 1988 model, on a bank loan. With this used car, he drove his wife from Dalat City to Son La Province and back, completing a trip of some 3,600km despite some breakdowns along the road.
Ngoc told thanhnien.vn that he, his wife, two daughters, and three grandchildren love traveling. Initially, he traveled around by car with his wife. Later, they drove their car on long trips throughout the country with their daughters. Recently, their grandchildren have been added to their cross-country journeys.
Their trips often started from Lam Dong to northern mountainous provinces and back. In June 2022, Ngoc and his wife spent 18 days traveling some 4,600km by car from Lam Dong to all the northwestern provinces. In July this year, the couple made a 5,600km trip by car to the seven northern border provinces.
