Building upon the successes of previous seasons, the “Hue Jogging - Run For The Community” 2023 event kicked off on August 20 at Hue City’s Ngo Mon Square, drawing the enthusiastic participation of more than 13,500 individuals.

Offering routes spanning five and ten kilometers, the jogging paths wound through the picturesque streets of Hue City, commencing at Ngo Mon Square. This year’s theme, “Accompanying Children to Go to School,” underscores the event’s mission to promote philanthropy and provide assistance to underprivileged children in the city, as reported by Sai Gon Tiep Thi news site. For every adult participant, a fee of VND50,000 is collected. Out of this total, VND20,000 will be allocated to crafting medals for race finishers, while the remaining VND30,000 will be dedicated to furnishing gifts for less fortunate children as they gear up for the school season.

Two brothers donate blood over a hundred times

Dao Nhat Son, 35, who works at the Fatherland Front Committee of Quang Ngai Province, has donated blood more than 60 times over the past seven years. Son’s brother, Dao Nhat Khoa, 33, a teacher at Ba To High School in Quang Ngai, has also donated blood for some 40 times.

Son told thanhnien.vn that he took part in blood donation for the first time in 2016. Then he established Quang Ngai Blood Bank Club website on Facebook to call for the participation of voluntary blood donors and post the list of patients in need of blood. He said blood can be donated once every three months, whereas platelets can be donated 21 days after the previous one. To be able to donate blood and platelets regularly, Son tries to live a healthy life, going to bed early and restricting the use of alcoholic beverages. Meanwhile, Khoa began donating his blood in 2018 in response to the appeal on the Facebook website run by his elder brother. The teacher said he is willing to donate blood for those in need, especially children.

Photo contest to celebrate the 160th anniversary of Saigon Zoo

On August 21, Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens Co. and the HCMC Photography Association held a press briefing to launch the “Beauty of the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens” photo contest for amateur and professional photographers who are Vietnamese and foreigners working and living in the country.

The photo contest is part of a series of events to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens. According to plo.vn, the organizing board will receive photo entries from September 1 to October 31 this year. The judging panel will evaluate the entries from November 1 to December 31. The result announcement and award ceremony will take place in January next year. There will be one first prize worth VND10 million, two second prizes (VND7 million each), three third prizes (VND3 million each), and seven consolation prizes (VND1.5 million each). In addition, 87 more entries will be selected to be displayed at the exhibition (the royalty of each photo displayed is VND300,000).

Vietnam-South Korea Food and Culture Festival

The Vietnam-South Korea Food and Culture Festival was held from August 26 to 27 on Tran Nhan Tong Pedestrian Street, right in front of Thong Nhat Park in Hanoi, as reported by the Nhan Dan news site (nhandan.vn).

The festival boasted an array of activities, including the Vietnam-South Korea talent competition, a lively flash mob involving 300 participants, a charming children’s fashion show, and an engaging culinary showcase. Among the attendees were professors and students from six universities in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, as well as representatives from 14 prominent companies specializing in areas such as food, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and content production. Given the substantial turnout from both nations, the festival was anticipated to serve as a platform for fostering cultural interactions and furthering bilateral cooperation across various domains, including culture, economy, education, and tourism.