The closing ceremony  of the National Tourism Year programme. VNA/VNS Photo Phan Sáu

1. Nha Trang hosts National Tourism Year

With the theme 'Visit Việt Nam Year 2019', Nha Trang - Khánh Hòa, the national tourism year staged more than 100 festivals and cultural activities to promote sea and island tourism.

The year saw 18 million foreign arrivals, the highest figure so far and a year-on-year rise of 16.2 per cent, according to the General Statistics Office.

2. Việt Nam hosts international tourism events

The ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF 2019) took place on January 14-18 in Hạ Long City, the northern coastal province of Quảng Ninh.

Under the theme ‘ASEAN – The Power of One’, delegates discussed plans for tourism development. The forum also included TRAVEX – the world’s largest ASEAN destination, product and service showcase.

The Việt Nam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2019 took place on March 27-30 in Hà Nội focusing on green tourism. The mart comprised more than 500 booths and brought together travel companies from 25 countries and territories.

3. Việt Nam honoured with various tourism awards

At the 26th World Travel Awards (WTA), Việt Nam was honoured as the World’s Leading Heritage Destination 2019.

At the 26th World Travel Awards (WTA), Việt Nam was honoured as the World’s Leading Heritage Destination 2019. The country was also chosen as Asia’s Leading Culinary Destination at the WTA awards for Asia and Oceania in October and received the World’s Best Golf Destination 2019 award at the international World Golf Awards held in the UAE the same month.

Alongside, dozens of other international awards went to tourist attractions in Sapa, Phú Quốc and Đà Nẵng.

4. UN Day of Vesak 2019 held in Hà Nam Province

Monks, nuns and Buddhist followers attend a ceremony explaining the meaning of Buddha's birthday at Tam Chúc Pagoda at the opening of the UN Day of Vesak. VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

More than 1,650 international delegates from 112 countries and territories and more than 20,000 Vietnamese Buddhist dignitaries, monks, nuns and followers attended the 16th UN Day of Vesak from May 12-14 at Tam Chúc Pagoda in Kim Bảng District, northern Hà Nam Province.

This is the third time Việt Nam has hosted the UN Vesak celebrations.

5.  Then practice becomes part of intangible cultural heritages of humanity

The art form of Then singing has been recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. VNS Photo Quốc Trị

Then practice of Việt Nam’s Tày, Nùng and Thái ethnic groups was named on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity during the 14th session of the UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Bogota, Colombia. 

The art form reflects the relationship among people, the natural world and the universe, in addition to cultural characteristics of ethnic minority groups, from music to dancing and musical instruments. 

It combines a range of arts such as literature, music, painting and performance and has had an impact on local and national identities through its influence on literature, language, poetry, music, dance, rituals and spiritual practices. 

6. The 4th National Applied Arts Exhibition

It was held at the Hà Nội Museum between October 4 and 30 displaying notable works by artists from across Việt Nam.

A wooden set of gates carved by Trần Nam Tước won first prize in the Decorative Product category at the 4th National Applied Fine Arts Exhibition held in Hà Nội between October 4 and 30. Photo daidoanket.vn

Organised every five years, the 2019 edition gathered 568 works created from 2014-2019 by 299 artists from 25 provinces and cities, of which 280 were selected for exhibition.

The exhibition is divided into three sections dedicated to awarded works and works by members of the Arts Council, creative design products, and applied and decorative products.

The exhibition helps to connect designers, artisans, producers, distributors and consumers.

7. Hạ Long World Circus Festival

The first ever World Circus Festival, themed ‘New chapter for a wonder’, was held in Hạ Long City in the northern province of Quảng Ninh from November 11-17.

Acrobatic performance by Vietnamese artist at the opening ceremony of the Hạ Long World Circus Festival on November 15. VNA/VNS Photo Đức Hiếu

The festival gathered more than 100 artists from 20 countries and territories, including Mongolia, Cuba, Ethiopia, Canada, Moldova, Brazil, Germany, Russia, the US, Japan, Laos, Cambodia and Việt Nam.

A wide range of activities took place during the event, including a circus street parade, a circus performance competition, and a workshop on circus and tourism development.

The sidelines of the festival featured local trade promotion activities and a food festival.

Local authorities plan to host the event every year to lure more tourists to Quảng Ninh Province during the low season.

8. National treasure spoilt

A lacquer painting titled Vườn Xuân Trung Nam Bắc (Spring Garden of North, Central and South) by Nguyễn Gia Trí (1908-1993) stored at the HCM City’s Fine Arts Museum was damaged when staff tried to clean it.

Lacquer painting Vườn Xuân Trung Nam Bắc (Spring Garden of North, Central and South) by Nguyễn Gia Trí (1908-1993) displayed at the HCM City’s Fine Arts. Photo toquoc.vn

The painting, drawn between 1969 and 1989, features the spring atmosphere and images of young women representing the country's three regions in traditional long dresses on the way to the spring festival.

The painting had been damaged by humid conditions, so in late 2018, the museum hired workers to clean it up without the supervision of artists or those in the know.

The two-month cleaning process not only damaged the painting but also “destroyed its artistic intent", according to specialists.

The culture ministry and the museum have worked co-ordinated to restore the painting.

9. Watercolour & Peace exhibition

The event was held at HCM City’s Fine Arts Museum between April 19 and 30 featured 300 paintings by hundreds of artists from 62 countries and territories.

Artists paint on the giant water coloured painting at the Watercolour & Peace exhibition. Photo baovanhoa.vn

A workshop was held at the event where artists worked together to create a water colour 100m long.

The event created a chance for international painters to exchange their passion and experience.

10. New wooden stakes unearthed involving historic Bạch Đằng victory

Archaeologists have recently unearthed wooden stakes that are thought to have been planted in a river in the coastal city of Hải Phòng to repel Yuan-Mongol invaders' boats and secure the Bạch Đằng River victory in 1288 for Đại Việt (then Việt Nam).

Stakes found in Cao Quỳ field in Thủy Nguyên, Hải Phòng. Photo baonhandao.vn

Researchers said the stakes would have been deployed by Trần Dynasty (1226-1400) fighters as a trap to destroy enemy boats and divert the current.

The newly found stakes in Thủy Nguyên Commune, Hải Phòng City, were made between 1270 and 1430 AD.

The findings show that the Bạch Đằng naval battle between the Đại Việt and Yuan-Mongol invader was a huge military campaign, not just a single battle. The Trần army set a system of traps along the Bạch Đằng River.

Scientist have suggested local authorities submit an application for recognition of the site as a national relic site. VNS