Published:  02:09 Tuesday - January 08, 2013

The top ten events of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2012 were officially announced Saturday.<br><br>

1. “Hung King Veneration Ritual” in the Northern province of Phu Tho was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity at the 7th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Paris on December 6.

Director of the Hung Kings Temple historical site, Nguyen Tien Khoi, said that there are more than 600 places nationwide that worship the Hung Kings, their generals and their families but the largest number of them is found at the Nghia Linh Mountain historical site in Hy Cuong commune, Phu Tho province.

The Hung Kings Temple Festival has been held annually since 1460 under the reign of King Le Thanh Tong to commemorate the 18 Hung Kings who founded the country and started a golden age in Vietnamese history.

Since then, the Hung Kings Temple Festival has become a symbol of national unity and spirit and is a chance for Vietnamese people both at home and overseas to express their gratitude to their ancestors.

2. “Buddhist woodblocks” at Vinh Nghiem pagoda in the Northern province of Bac Giang was recognized as part of the world documentary heritage of Asia-Pacific.

3. The inaugural of a statue of President Ho Chi Minh in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai and related State-level commemorative activities.

4. Viet Nam’s winning the bid to host the 18th Asian Games (ASIAD) in 2019.

5. Activities marking the Friendship Year between Viet Nam and Laos, Cambodia, the Republic of Korea and India, and artistic and cultural exchanges between border provinces of Viet Nam and Laos, Viet Nam and Cambodia.

6. Ha Long Bay listed as one of the seven new world wonders.

7. Tourism sector’s handling of 6.847 million foreign arrivals and 32.5 domestic visitors and 2012 National Tourism Year in Hue-Northern Central coastal provinces

8. The 4th presentation of Ho Chi Minh Award on literature and arts, the 3rd presentation of State award on literature and arts, and the 7th presentation of the titles of People’s Artists and Meritorious Artist.

9. Viet Nam’s success in the international sports arena: 18 athletes win official tickets to the Olympic 2012, 11 athletes participated in the Paralympic 2012, a total of 271 gold medals, 234 silvers and 154 bzones gained at international sporting events.

10. The culture, sports and tourism festival of Cham ethnic group in the Central province of Ninh Thuan and the inauguration of the Cham towers at the Viet Nam Ethnic Tourism-Culture Village.

Source:VGP