Certificates of recognition for the records were awarded at the first Vietnam Ceramic Festival that concluded in Binh Duong province September 8.

The “Essence of Vietnamese Ceramics” exhibition was itself named the biggest collection of ancient ceramics in the country.

The six-day event featured 720 items made during different eras, from pre-historic times till today, going through successive feudal dynasties in between.

The Golden Lotus, which is 88cm tall and 63cm across at the mouth and weighing 45kg, was declared the biggest one-piece ceramic trophy.

The Vietnamese Soul, which is 99cm tall, was acknowledged as the tallest one-piece ceramic trophy.

The gold-plated Van Lang, measuring 75cm across, 80cm high and weighing 45kg was named the largest one-piece ceramic bowl. An unnamed lamp made at a workshop in Bac Ninh province became the tallest ceramic lamp at a height of 3.9m.

Called ‘Heaven and Earth,’ the largest ceramic jar weighs 200kg and has a mouth with a diameter of 3.5m.

Another jar, ‘Globe,’ was the tallest handmade one-piece jar at 1.86m. It weighed 165kg.

The ‘Thang Long Vase’, shaped like a bronze drum with a height of 73cm and a weight of almost 30kg, set the record for the biggest bronze drum-shaped vase.

An arrangement of 3,099 ceramic items covering 4,000sq.m that was displayed on the opening day of the festival under the theme ‘Vietnamese Ceramic – Identity and Development,’ was called the biggest exhibition of installation art.

The ceramic festival, which was held for the first time in Binh Duong province, cradle of the craft in the south, aimed to revitalise the craft that many experts have said is on the decline.

Nine stories of the lives, dreams and struggles of the people of three Mekong River countries - Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia - are featured at an exhibition in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang. “The Mekong’s story: Challenge and dream,” a mobile exhibition, was jointly opened at the provincial museum on March 30 by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Department of Heritage and Culture under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The stories focus on the traditional and contemporary customs, and the lives and culture of people in the three countries where generations have relied on the legendary river for their survival.

The stories are told via a collection of 200 artefacts and photos, providing visitors an insight into the lives of millions of Southeast Asian residents living along the river as well as their struggles against natural disasters and environmental pollution.

Visitors are enabled to experience and explore the diverse cultures of the three nations through each story, as well as share their own dreams with the local residents.

The exhibition aims to call upon people to contribute to reducing poverty, protecting the environment and ensuring sustainable development along the river. The three-month event is part of a cultural preservation project sponsored by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and carried out by 15 museums and agencies of the three countries over the past four years.

The exhibition will move on to Cambodia, Laos and Sweden from now until 2012.

The tourism year, dubbed “Paradise for Sea and Island Tourism”, will encompass a wide range of events throughout Vietnam’s central provinces and cities, including Phu Yen, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, and Da Nang.

Major activities will include International Mountaineering Prize for conquering Da Bia Mountain in March; cultural exchanges between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea in April; a special month for sea and island tourism in April; an ASEAN traditional music festival in June; and the 17th Vietnam Film Festival in November.