Authors of outstanding books were honoured at a ceremony held recently by the culture ministry in coordination with Bắc Giang Province. Photo courtesy of the ceremony organisers

BẮC GIANG - The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with the People's Committee of Bắc Giang province organised a ceremony to honour the outstanding artists and books in the field of performing arts and literature for 2023.

The ceremony took place in Bắc Giang Provincial Convention Centre attracting the participation of many government officials including Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Committee of the Việt Nam Fatherland Front Đỗ Văn Chiến and representatives from central and local authorities.

Many local people, artists, actors and writers from across the country also attended the event, which is annually held to honour those who have made great contributions to the national cultural development and at the same time introduced to the public the most outstanding books and musical products in performing arts and literature in 2023.

Last year, the culture ministry honoured a total of 87 artists in the performing sector who won first prizes at many popular national music and art festivals and contests such as the National Drama Actor Talent Contest 2023; National Cải Lương Talent Contest 2023; National Puppet Talent Contest 2022; National Tuống and Folk Drama Talent Contest 2023; National Chèo Talent Contest 2023; National Dance Talent Competition 2023; and Fall Music Competition 2023.

The winners of those contests included Meritorious Artist Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nhàn from Hải Phòng, actor Phan Quang Thắng from the Youth Theatre, Trần Phương Trang artist from the southern province of Đồng Nai and Ngô Doãn Thịnh from the Việt Nam Puppet Theatre.

This year, for the first time, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) praised authors of 10 outstanding books in the genres of poetry, prose, novels, short stories, and memoirs published in 2023.

Those books included Bất Chợt Mai Vàng (Golden Apricot Suddenly Bloom) by Nguyễn Trí Huân; Ngõ Chữ (Letter Alley) by Nguyễn Hoài Nam, Người Thầy (Teacher) by Nguyễn Chí Vịnh; Đồng Sen Tàn (The Fading Lotus Field) by Nguyễn Phúc Lộc Thành and others.

Also at the ceremony, the organising board approved a voting council including reputable journalists, musicians and directors to honour artists, actors, and live shows in six categories.

Among them, Đinh Y Nhung won the Outstanding Movie Actor of the Year category, Hoàng Hải got the Outstanding TV Actor of the Year award, Kiều Anh won Outstanding TV Actress of the Year, Đen Vâu won Community Artist of the Year, Hoàng Thùy Linh was named the Outstanding Singer of the Year and the live show of Do Bao & Friends won the title of Outstanding Music and Dance Live Show of the Year.

Speaking at the ceremony, MoCST Minister Nguyễn Văn Hùng emphasised: "Recognising the position and importance of writers and artists in the society, the Party and State have in recent years issued many guidelines and policies for cultural development. The culture sector has been proactive in implementing the resolutions and policies of the Party and State to promote capacity, improving writing quality, meeting integration and development trends, contributing to concretising the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress and the Party's resolutions on culture."

The MoCST has coordinated with relevant agencies and units to organise cultural and artistic events on a national and international scale, not only to fulfill its main political task, meet the people's cultural demands and serve in national celebrations, but also carry out its mission of consolidating the national solidarity, promoting the country's image and tourism, and developing culture as an important economic sector that contributes to the national socio-economic development.

Through contests and festivals, talented artists and writers in the field of culture, art and performance have been discovered and recognised, particularly young outstanding artists who boldly demonstrate their talents and bravery, and make great contributions to the development of the country's cultural and artistic sector. VNS