Rural insights: Muoi Nen (left), a farmer in the southern province of Long An, made the top 10 of YouFarm, an international video competition for farmers. The culture ministry has launched a scriptwriting contest about farmers for amateur and professional writers. — Photo tuoitre.vn

HCM CITY— The Ministry of Culture has launched a script-writing contest on farmers and new rural areas for amateur and professional writers.  

The contest entitled Cả Nước Chung Sức Xây Dựng Nông Thôn Mới (We build new rural areas) encourages participants of any age and background to write about the life and work of farmers who play a role in building new rural areas and sustainable poverty reduction.

The writers can highlight the happiness, difficulties, challenges and other issues that have changed farmers’ lives.   

The work could be used for theatre, including tuồng (classical drama), chèo (traditional opera) and cải lương (reformed theatre).

Contestants can send no more two works, to be staged for no more than 40 minutes, to the organiser by email at nghethuatquanchung.vhcs@gmail or to 51-53 Ngô Quyền Street, Hoàn Kiếm District in Hà Nội before September 30.

The organiser will give one top prize, two second prizes and three third prizes. The best works will also be produced by drama troupes and film studios.  

Rural topics

According to theatre director Phan Hoàng of the HCM City Television, some State-owned and private filmmakers and theatres are now involved in making productions about countryside.

“The life and work of farmers, particularly those living in the Cửu Long (Mekong) River Delta region, are hot topics on TV shows in HCM City,” said Hoàng, adding that TV and theatre producers have invested money and staff to produce works on the development of new rural areas.   

Highlighted works such as Khát Vọng Đồng Quê (Countryside Ambition) and Ra Khơi (Sailing Forth) have attracted millions of viewers.  

These productions highlight the ambition of young farmers who use their knowledge and skills to help local villagers escape from poverty.

Việt Nam Television VTV has broadcast a new series, Gia Phả Của Đất (Source of Land), in hopes to attract viewers nationwide.

The 38-part work tells the stories of farmers living in northern provinces, who have to change to develop their business.

It is based on the novel  Đồng Sau Bão (Field after the Storm) written by Hoàng Minh Tường, which was awarded by the Vietnamese Writers Association in 1997. 

“Our producers need quality scripts, which feature the many challenges farmers face in the modern world, and changes in their culture and lifestyle,” Hoàng said.— VNS