Art & Entertainment News 29/7 Replica of war painting to be made with gems, coral   The replica of a recently auctioned painting will soon be made with natural gems and corals, the Tri Viet (First News) Book Company said. The painting depicts the brave fight between Vietnamese naval soldiers and Chinese navymen who invaded Viet Nam's Gac Ma Island of the Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago in March 14, 1988. "We are looking for artisans who can work on the new version of the painting," Nguyen Van Phuoc, the director of the company, said. Earlier this month, the oil painting — entitled Gac Ma – Vong Tron Bat Tu (Gac Ma - Immortal Circle) by artist Bui Le Trang — fetched VND1.28 billion (US$61,000) at an auction held to raise funds for the families of the 64 naval personnel killed by the Chinese invaders. The oil painting (1.6m by 2.2m) depicts the bloody naval battle of 27 years ago, showing Vietnamese soldiers building and protecting the island, and the gun barrels of the Chinese invaders. The replica will be gifted to a monument dedicated to the Gac Ma martyrs, built in Cam Ranh in the central province of Khanh Hoa. On this occasion, the company will launch a book entitled Gac Ma – Vong Tron Bat Tu that has writings on the battle, with the introduction being written by noted historian Duong Trung Quoc and Major General Le Ma Luong. Japan, Vietnam discuss solutions to preserve Hanoi’s Old Quarter Vietnamese and Japanese architects have gathered in Hanoi to discuss solutions for the preservation and sustainable development of Hanoi’s Old Quarter till 2030, with a vision to 2050. The event was part of an international cooperative programme between Vietnam and Japan through the “House Vision Vietnam-Japan 2015” project. The programme aimed to assess factors related to housing space such as community, land, residents, and construction works in Hanoi’s Old Quarter and devise solutions to preserve its cultural heritage values. During the discussion, Japanese architect Sadao Tsuchiya, head of the co-ordinating board of the project House Vision in Asia presented housing models which are suitable to Hanoi’s ancient streets and have been successfully applied in Tokyo. The Japanese architect said the project trends towards building safe, healthy, people and environmently friendly, and multi-purpose houses. He added that the project was very successful in Japan, a country which has limited housing space. It has also been developed in many nations in Asia like China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Hanoi gears up for upcoming National Day Hanoi has planned a host of activities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2), with the highlight being a grand meeting and parade at Ba Dinh Square. At a press conference in Hanoi on July 28, To Van Dong, Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the city is working around the clock to prepare for the celebrations. About 10,000 local people will march in the parade at Ba Dinh Square on September 2 morning, he said, adding that large screens will be installed at various locations in the city for the public to watch the live broadcast of the parade. Concerts and sports activities will also be held at Ly Thai To Park, August Revolution Square and in front of My Dinh National Stadium to mark the day. Other events include a workshop on Hanoi, its tradition and prospects for development, a knowledge contest on the August Revolution and National Day, an exhibition on war items at the ancient Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, a bicycle race around Hoan Kiem Lake and free film screening for the public. Fireworks will be set off at 21:00pm on September 2 at five spots around the city, including Hoan Kiem Lake, Thong Nhat Park, Van Quan Lake, My Dinh National Stadium and West Lake, to celebrate the National Day. Activities to honour great tale of Kieu, poet Nguyen Du A number of activities and workshops will be held to honour the great poet Nguyen Du and his world-famous masterpiece ‘The Tale of Kieu’. Next November, Nguyen Du will become the third person after Nguyen Trai (1980) and late President Ho Chi Minh (1990) to be venerated as an Outstanding Man of Culture by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). On July 28, the Vietnam Kieu Study Association collaborated with the Vietnam National Library to organise a conference entitled “The Great Poet Nguyen Du and His Masterpiece ‘The Tale of Kieu’”. This will be the third workshop on Nguyen Du and is one of the events to mark Nguyen Du’s 250th birthday anniversary. About 30 reports revolving around Nguyen Du’s artistry and his masterpiece were presented at the conference. There will be an international conference on Nguyen Du and his masterpiece later on held by the Academy of Social Science and a commemoration ceremony conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the People’s Committee of the central province of Ha Tinh, Nguyen Du’s home province. The Tale of Kieu, which has 3,254 verses, has become part of Vietnamese daily life and the names of many characters in the story have become household names. The Tale of Kieu has been translated into some 20 different languages, including French, Chinese, English, Russian, Japanese, Korean and German.- Hue promotes relic complex preservation Comprehensive measures are being taken to preserve the integrity and authenticity of the natural and physical values of the Hue Relics Complex, a senior local official has said. The efforts are part of activities under the management plan of the complex from 2015-2020 launched by the People’s Committee of the central province of Thue Thien-Hue at a ceremony on July 28. The plan aims to prevent the toll of natural elements on the relic sites, thus protecting their outstanding global values in a systematic and long-term manner, said Vice Chairman of the Committee Nguyen Dung. Under the plan, a legal framework will be built and analysis and evaluation of potential impact factors will be conducted to ensure effective management and protection of the Complex. Programmes and projects will also be developed and implemented to realise the targets set forth in the period. The Hue Relics Preservation Centre will continue working with relevant bodies and localities to protect and maintain the relic sites in terms of their tangible and intangible cultural values, the beauty of the landscapes, the environment and the livelihoods of local residents. Currently, the centre is working with the Phu Vang and Phu Loc districts, among other wards and bodies, to relocate residents from relics sites and adjust the preservation coverage. The application of geographic information systems (GIS) has also been fostered in managing the complex.- VNS/SGT/ND