A ceramic mosaic mural along the Red River dike in Hanoi is scheduled to complete on September 25, on time for the anniversary on October 10.

Painter Nguyen Thu Thuy, the brains of the project, said the 3,950m mural has been recognised in the Guinness Book of the World Records as the world’s longest ceramic picture.

Experts of the Guinness World Record are scheduled to visit Vietnam from October 2-5 to present the certificate.

Working since 2008, domestic and foreign artists have completed 21 stretches of the ceramic road which features the history, beautiful sites and famous pottery villages of Vietnam.

As part of Hanoi ’s 1,000 th anniversary celebrations, the largest personal collection of Hang Trong folk paintings, with 149 painting, by Pham Duc Si opened in the VietArt Centre, Hanoi on September 9.

Si has spent almost 10 years to search for the paintings which are unique to Hanoi but are falling into obsolescence, including dozens of paintings based on Chinese legends and paintings for hanging on the altar.

On this occasion, the Ninh Binh provincial Business Association and Dong Thanh Craft Import and Export Company on September 9 coorganised an inauguration ceremony of an enormous embroidery.

The 35m × 3.5m embroidery, weighing 250kg, using Italian wool and around 180kg of thread, has been completed after one year.

The embroidery contains images of significant events in the history of Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh province), which was the capital under the reign of the Dinh, Le and Ly dynasties.

Also, in celebration of the capital’s anniversary, Dong Ngac commune, Tu Liem district, Hanoi on September 8 started the casting of a two-tonne incense burner, which is to be put in front of the monument of King Ly Thai To in central Hanoi.

The lotus-form bronze burner, measuring 1.2m high and with a circumference of 1.4 m, costs nearly one billion VND, funded by donations from members of the Thang Long Antiques Association.

It is expected to complet on September 25.

Its establishment aims to strengthen knowledge for young people about national good values and traditional products, supply information about cultural projects, high-quality service in tourism for tourists.

The centre is also a place to consult and encourage people to take part in protecting the capital’s heritage.

Its main activities consist of an exhibition of household utensils used by Hanoians, and the traditional dishes they prepare along with demonstrations to revive old industries such as silk weaving, lacquer painting and using ancient decorative arts to renovate old houses as well as a plentitude of other activities

HCMC’s Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism said that businesses from the city and two Mekong delta provinces of An Giang and Kieng Giang would travel to capital of Phnom Penh and Sihanouk Ville City to meet with Cambodian Ministry of Tourism officials and leaders from localities of Cambodia.

Their talks are to focus on tourism market and ways to promote Vietnam’s tourism in the neighbouring country.

Veterans and amateurs promise to enchant aficionados with their varied performance styles at the first Zither Festival which opened in HCMC on October 30.

More than 100 zitherists played traditional music while famous music teachers like Pham Thuy Hoan and Hai Phuong spoke about the instrument’s long history in Viet Nam.

The festival organisers, the HCM City Labour Cultural Palace and the Sound of the Homeland Club, hoped the performances will help young visitors understand why the zither or dan tranh, a traditional 16-stringed instrument, has remained popular for so long.

The opening ceremony saw Tra My of the Ha Noi National Music Institute and Hong Nga, Thu Ha, and Minh Phuong of the Hue Music Institute performing folk music eulogising love and peace.

Music teachers Hoan and Phuong, also two of HCM City’s leading zitherists - who played a role in the development of the instrument - also performed.

Artists from the central provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Khanh Hoa, and Quy Nhon played nha nhac (royal music).

The festival was held to mark the 35th anniversary of the city-based Sound of the Homeland Club.

“We should preserve, popularise, and develop our traditional culture and music, including the zither, among the young generation,” Hoan, who is also the club’s chief, said.

The zither is a traditional Asian stringed instrument and is known as dan tranh in Viet Nam, koto in Japan, kayagum and komungo in Korea, and guzheng in Singapore.

Kayagum and komungo are played with the fingertips while the others, including dan tranh, are played with plectrums.

To learn more about traditional Vietnamese music, visit the club at the Labour Cultural House, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, District 3.