An exhibition of 99 ancient swords recently opened in Hanoi, offering visitors a chance to learn more about history’s most popular weapon.

The swords were selected from the private 300-sword collection owned by collector Duong Phu Hien.

Four generations of Hien’s family have maintained and added to the collection. “By collecting and preserving ancient Vietnamese artefacts, especially those relating to the defence of our nation, every member of my family has demonstrated their love for the country and its magnanimous history,” Hien said.

The exhibition features a large array of swords, including 37 that were made in Vietnam. The others came from different countries, including China, Japan, and the UK.

Each scabbard is decorated with unique and sophisticated patterns, including typical ancient royal Vietnamese designs like pine trees, daisies, bamboo, apricots and dragons.

Hien said almost all of the Vietnamese swords in his collection date from three centuries ago.

The collector was visibly filled with pride when he talked about one of his rare Samurai sword, which is considered as one of the “stars” of the exhibition. The 2.02m-long and 18kg sword is the biggest and longest in his collection.

According to Hien, the 18th century sword was made out of very special steel. “A very complicated refining technique was necessary to create such a long sword. For this reason, long swords were very rare,” he said.

The valuable collection also includes a bayonet with a solid golden handle, two 17th-century royal swords covered with Han Chinese characters, and a 1,500-year-old Cham sword.

Historian Duong Trung Quoc said: “The unique sword collection has a historical value which is much more significant than its material value.”

American visitor Brian Brousseau said the exhibition was “beautiful and interesting”. However, he added that the displays needed to be more organised because “it is difficult for people to know detailed information, such as which swords were made in Vietnam”.

A limited number of informational captions about the history of each sword disappointed another Vietnamese visitor.

“All I can do is look at the swords and admire them, but there are no stories to go alongside the experience,” said Thanh Ha.

However, she was still interested in taking the time to enjoy the exhibit.

“Before I only knew about swords from TV, movies and the theatre, which are usually all the same. Here I see that there are many differences in their shapes and decorations,” she said.

The exhibit also includes five bronze drums from the Dong Son civilisation which date back to 3,000 years ago.

The exhibition will last until the end of May at the Museum of Military History, 28A Dien Bien Phu Street, Hanoi.

About 23km from south Tuy Hoa City and standing over 700m above sea level, Da Bia Mountain is the highest peak of the Ca Pass Mountain Range. The mountain is also well-known as a historical relic. When King Le Thanh Ton ordered his soldiers to cross Cu Mong Pass and head to Ca Pass, the King made a stop here and carved some words on the rock.

A hike to the top of the mountain and back down again takes about three hours. The pain in the legs is compensated satisfactorily by the splendid surroundings, the amazing feeling of victory and the awesome view capturing everything below.

The stone steps are rather sinuous and some are shaky, so trekkers have to make a good preparation. Sturdy shoes, comfortable clothes, water, bread and tissues to clean up the sweat are essential. As the way is long and tortuous, trekkers should not step fast, but slowly and steadily in order to control heart beats. Long rests do not help as the next start will send the heart beats back to racing speed, so short frequent rests are better.

The path is also scattered with flat sections where tourists can have a seat and a little water to enjoy the surroundings and regain strength. There are many kinds of trees and large rocks that defeat the scorching summer heat of the central region. Wild flowers, butterflies, dragonflies and melodic birds round out this slice of wilderness.

Reaching the top and touching the “thumb” is followed by a heavenly view of Van Phong Bay and Dai Lanh Beach, Ca Pass, Nha Trang City glistening with its numerous islets and Hoa Tam Commune with its red-tiled roofs and waving rice fields.

President of the Hanoi Chapter of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Pham Xuan Hang expressed the hope to share the sincerity and friendship through friendly and peaceful activities, held regularly by the union and friendship associations, which will enhance mutual understanding and fasten the solidarity between the Hanoians and people of other ASEAN nations.

2010 is an important year for people of Hanoi and the whole nation as Vietnam will celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and Vietnam is the Chair of ASEAN to strive for a goal of a peaceful and prosperous ASEAN Community. To fulfil this task need the supports and assistance of people in ASEAN, Hang noted.

On behalf of the four embassies in Hanoi, Myanmar Ambassador to Vietnam Khin Maung Soe took the occasion to thank the solidarity and friendship of people of Hanoi and the whole country while he celebrated his traditional Lunar New Year abroad.

The Myanmar diplomat wished for the further development of the friendship and cooperation among the four countries’ people and Vietnam, friendship organisations and embassies, thus contributing to the cause of peace, friendship and cooperation in the region and the world at large.

The delegates attended special Lunar New Year festivals and special folk music performances and Vietnam.

This was revealed by Tran Van Tuy, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Bac Ninh, which has recently won the

The making of Dong Ho folk woodcut painting was originated from Dong Ho Village, Thuan Thanh District, Bac Ninh Province.

Traditionally, Dong Ho painting, which reflected a wide range of themes, especially good luck wishes, historical figures, and folk allegories, was part of the essentials in each Vietnamese family during the traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) Festival.

According to the villagers, the making of Dong Ho painting was dated back to the 11th century during the reign of the Ly Dynasty. However, researchers said the craft began under the rule of the Le Dynasty.

Making the painting, Dong Ho craftsmen used raw materials from nature, including making sheets of printing papers from bark of “do” tree and creating colours from earth, burnt bamboo leaves, sea shell.

Printing the picture, they used the woodblock which is applied with paint and pressed it on a sheet of paper like a stamp. The process was repeated with different colours until the craftsman felt satisfied with the painting.

The finished painting was later covered with a layer of rice paste to strengthen the durability of its illustration and colours and afterwards dried under the sun.

As the traditional craft has faded with time, efforts have been made to preserve it, with Nguyen Dang Che, one of the few remaining experienced craftsmen of the village establishing his own Dong Ho painting centre in 2008.