Pho Nam Dinh (Nam Dinh-style pho), Pho Hanoi (Hanoi-style pho), and My Quang (Quang Nam-style noodle soup) have been added to the list of national intangible cultural heritages, categorized under the domain of folk knowledge.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, all three intangible cultural heritages fulfill the criteria of representing community identity, reflecting cultural diversity and generational creativity, and ensuring potential for revival and long-term preservation.
Pho, both in Hanoi and Nam Dinh, is a popular dish in Vietnamese cuisine, and it is loved by many both within the country and abroad. Meanwhile, the craft of making My Quang is acknowledged for encapsulating the distinctive culinary values of the area.
The recognition of national cultural heritage serves as a motivation to preserve and promote the value of these heritages. Local authorities have reported that they have plans to protect and enhance the value of the newly recognized heritages, as reported by the VnExpress news site.
Rescuing victims on Phu My Bridge crash
The local government on August 14 held a meeting to honor individuals for their courageous actions in rescuing people from a traffic accident on Phu My Bridge.
On the afternoon of August 8, a multiple-vehicle collision occurred when a truck crashed into seven cars on the bridge. Many people were trapped inside their vehicles as the truck and two other cars began to catch fire. Passers-by bravely broke car windows to rescue people, climbed in to pull victims out, and used fire extinguishers to prevent the fire from spreading, reported the Dan Tri news site.
Mai Le Duy Quang, born in 1980, climbed onto the hood of a Volvo, broke the windshield, and pulled the trapped person out. Nguyen Hoang Truong, born in 1983, used a fire extinguisher to spray the cabin and stop the flames. Vu Thanh Tung, born in 1997, along with another person, rescued the victim from the Volvo and, together with Quang, later saved the driver. Lee Geumho, born in 1980, a South Korean national, also directly pulled open the car door and rescued people. Dang Binh Quang, born in 1974, assisted in pushing the car door open and provided first aid to the victims.
All five individuals were honored and awarded certificates of merit by the HCMC government for their brave rescue efforts.
Traveling around with a cat
La Nhat Tan, 36, a zoological researcher and secretary of the Vietnam Bird Conservation Society, began to travel by car from his hometown of Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh Province to the southernmost province of Ca Mau in July of this year. During his southbound trip, he also brought his four-month-old cat named Gao.
Tan and his cat traveled to Ca Mau in his car within 30 days. He told thanhnien.vn that he had to train his cat to sleep in the daytime, play at night, eat on time every day, and urinate and defecate in the early morning and at night. He also prepared a small basin full of sand as an in-car toilet for the cat, and a bigger one for use in hotels. Where hotels did not allow him to bring his cat in, he had to let it stay in the car.
Gold shop owner offers free help for the poor
Dang Van Tuan, the owner of a gold shop in Binh Duong Province, has spent VND1 billion repairing a house in Binh Duong’s Lai Thieu Ward, Thuan An City, and VND10 million a day cooking free meals for the needy.
At 11 a.m. every day, this soup kitchen opens to serve free meals, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, for anyone in need. Tuan told dantri.com.vn that at first, he, his family members and some gold shop employees served 300 helpings a day. However, the number of diners increased day after day, so they had to cook 600 portions a day, and sometimes even up to 1,000 portions a day.
Tuan added that since the opening, the soup kitchen has received big support from the local authorities and residents. Many market traders have discounted prices of foods for the soup kitchen, or have donated vegetables, fruits, meat and spices to the food kitchen. Members of the local Red Cross Chapter also come over to lend a helping hand. Some offered to contribute to the meal center in cash, but Tuan refused.
Tuan said he would distribute free help to poor patients and their relatives at local hospitals by car to ease part of the burden for them.
