The dance 'Ánh Sáng Tâm Hồn' by choreographer Tuyết Minh is among the works honoured by the Việt Nam Union of Literature and Art Associations. Photo nld.com.vn

HÀ NỘI -  Nine works of literature and art were honoured by the Việt Nam Union of Literature and Art Associations on January 15 in Hà Nội. 

The works are from different fields including music, dance, architecture, literature, fine arts and photography. 

The song Đẹp Nhất Bông Sen (Beautiful Lotus) by musician Trương Quang Lục also won the top prize at the Việt Nam Musicians Association Award 2021. The dance Ánh Sáng Tâm Hồn (Light of Soul) was made by choreographer Tuyết Minh to thank frontline workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Among the works, the Golden Bridge by Vũ Việt Anh and Nguyễn Quang Hữu is an architectural work at Sun World Bà Nà Hills Đà Nẵng and opened in 2018. It is designed to seem that a giant's hands are supporting the 150m path for pedestrians.

"These are national awards presented annually to outstanding works," said  musician Đỗ Hồng Quân, the new chairman of the union. 

"The awards draw attention to the artists and it is a chance for them to contribute to developing culture and national identity."

Other excellent works are theatre production Làng Song Sinh (Village of Twins) by Hà Nội Drama Theatre; the television documentary Thành Trì Cuối Cùng (The Last Stronghold) by HCM Television Studio; the book The Dao Tiền Ethnic Group in Việt Nam by author Lý Hành Sơn; the photo of border guards preventing COVID-19 by Huỳnh Văn Truyền; and the novel Rừng Có Tiếng Người (Forest with Human Voice) by Đinh Công Diệp. 

According to the organisation board, art and literature associations of 55 provinces and cities submitted nearly 380 works to the annual awards of the union. 

As a result, the organising board handed out 72 awards to the works including nine excellent works and 63 others in different categories by authors who are members of provincial or municipal literature and art associations.

Writer Lưu Vĩ Lân’s novel Nghiệp Chướng (Karma) claimed one of the three top prizes. It is considered the first novel series with a different perspective on the bourgeoisie and Sài Gòn (now Hồ Chí Minh City) in the 1970s, written by a true insider. 

The award council said Lân had an independent and objective view of the first years of national reunification in the 1975-1980 period, the purpose of the war, and efforts to govern the country, including both helplessness and mistakes.

The writing is coherent, with a multi-layered structure, so it only takes a few hundred pages in the book, but opens up many problems of philosophy, aesthetics and love and admiration.

Previously, the work was awarded the 2021 prize by the HCM City Writers’ Association.

Two other top prizes were for photographic works entitled Vụ Xuân Trên Núi (Spring Crop on the Mountain) by Phạm Pa Ri from Yên Bái Province, and ceramic work Tuổi Thơ 1 (Childhood 1) by Phạm Văn Hoà of Hà Nam Province.  VNS