HCMC – UNESCO has officially designated Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park as a World Biosphere Reserve, marking a significant milestone in Vietnam’s efforts to combine biodiversity conservation with sustainable development and strengthening the country’s role in global heritage governance.
At the heart of the Goethe-Institut Ho Chi Minh City, Mailan Thai—director and head of the Cultural Program Department—has devoted her career to nurturing dialogue between Vietnam and Germany through language, culture, and shared human narratives. Born and raised in Germany to Vietnamese parents from Hue and Saigon, she grew up navigating two worlds that would ultimately shape her life’s mission.
HCMC - The third Banh Mi Festival officially opened on March 21 at Le Van Tam Park, welcoming thousands of local and international visitors eager to explore the country’s most famous street food.
My Thien Pottery Village in Chau O Town of the central province of Quang Ngai used to be busy with over 40 households earning a living from pottery. Going through ups and downs of life, only artisan Dang Van Trinh and his wife Pham Thi Thu Cuc still do the job to create pottery products meeting the demand of local consumers.
Artisan Trinh has been working as a potter for over 55 years. Since his childhood, he has made friends with clay, kilns and potter’s wheels.
He said the pottery village had been more than 200 years old and its most prosperous period was in 1982 with the establishment of the My Thien pottery cooperative. Its products were sold to neighboring provinces, such as Binh Dinh, Quang Nam, Danang and the Central Highlands, and even exported to other countries, including Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
In the first month of the lunar year, artisan Trinh holds a ceremony to commemorate Pham Cong Dac and Nguyen Cong At, who established the My Thien Pottery Village.
Artisan Dang Van Trinh and his wife Pham Thi Thu Cuc shape pottery productsCeramic vases are dried naturallyCeramic vases are dried naturallyCeramic vases are dried naturallyArtisan Trinh coasts a vase with ceramic glazePatterns on products are made manuallyAll of the steps are completed manuallyAll of the steps are completed manuallyPottery products have many sizes and are used for different purposesVases before being bakedInside the kilnNo modern machine is used
HCMC – UNESCO has officially designated Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park as a World Biosphere Reserve, marking a significant milestone in Vietnam’s efforts to combine biodiversity conservation with sustainable development and strengthening the country’s role in global heritage governance.
At the heart of the Goethe-Institut Ho Chi Minh City, Mailan Thai—director and head of the Cultural Program Department—has devoted her career to nurturing dialogue between Vietnam and Germany through language, culture, and shared human narratives. Born and raised in Germany to Vietnamese parents from Hue and Saigon, she grew up navigating two worlds that would ultimately shape her life’s mission.
HCMC - The third Banh Mi Festival officially opened on March 21 at Le Van Tam Park, welcoming thousands of local and international visitors eager to explore the country’s most famous street food.
