Image of a page from the Culture & Life newspaper.

In its introduction, the Culture and Tourism publication stated: “Thừa Thiên Huế has deeply rooted cultural values, which, over the years, have retained their unique characteristics while continuing to embrace, absorb, spread, and attract people like an invitation. Contributing to the efforts to preserve, build, and promote cultural values ​​during the country's broad and profound period of Renovation… The Thừa Thiên Huế Department of Culture and Information boldly launches the Culture and Tourism publication as a heartfelt experiment by those working in culture and information in this land. We hope that Culture and Tourism will be received by readers as a gift of encounter, and from here, it will become a meeting point and convergence point for cultural, literary, and artistic forces.” Unfortunately, after 1990, the Culture and Tourism publication had to cease operations due to legal restrictions.

Ten years later, as Director of the Department, in October 2002, after the two successful Hue Festivals in 2000 and 2002, we decided to create a publication to promote Hue's culture and tourism. Taking advantage of this favorable opportunity, the weekly newspaper "Culture & Life" was continuously published from 2002 to 2007, with 220 issues released regularly every week.

Issue No. 1, published on October 6, 2002, was titled "Culture and Information," with a format of 30cm x 40cm, comprising 8 pages. It conveyed information about cultural activities, interspersed with articles about Hue culture and creative works by several authors from Hue. All issues were beautifully presented, accompanied by high-quality illustrations and photographs, reflecting a cultural and artistic journalistic style.

From issue number 11, Culture and Information was renamed Culture & Life, with the number of pages increased to 16, adopting a weekly newspaper style, regularly reflecting cultural and social activities, with many diverse sections.

The "Cultural News" section reflects the diverse cultural activities of Hue, promotes the policy of building an advanced Vietnamese culture rich in national identity, and outlines the strategy for developing Vietnamese culture, aiming to build Thua Thien Hue into a unique cultural and tourism center of the country.

The sections "Cultural Diplomacy" and "Towards the Hue Festival" focus on providing detailed information about the preparations for the Hue Festival, and news about representatives from various countries visiting the festival. Particularly noteworthy are the reports on Hue's lion dance at the Ethnic Culture Festival in Tottori, Japan; Hue's kites at the Dieffe Kite Festival in France; Hue's folk songs at the "Great Earth Flying Song" Festival in China; Hue's ceremonial music at the Luxembourg Cultural Week; Hue's court art at the Vietnamese Culture Day in Russia; Hue's participation in the Loy Krathong Festival in Thailand; the Hue Festival 2006 exhibition at the World Expo 2005 in Japan; and the promotion of the Hue Festival at the East Asia-Latin America Forum in Seoul...

The "Hue Past and Present" column, written by Phan Thuan An, introduces over 200 historical and cultural sites, including imperial architectural heritage and French colonial architecture in Hue. It features rare archival photographs, comparing past and present images from the same perspective, and includes engaging, concise, and academically valuable research. While not diverse in imagery, the "Introduction to Historical Sites" column presents historical and cultural relics in a journalistic style, describing the appearance and distinctive values ​​of each site, helping cultural officials and readers better understand the heritage of the ancient capital.

The "World Music" column, initially written by Hoang Trong Buu, regularly updates readers on the diverse musical activities of the world, a field rarely covered in Vietnamese journalism. In later years, Chu Manh Cuong, a writer from Hanoi, also joined the column, writing about unique festivals and cultural events in several countries, providing new insights into the essence of world culture.

The works of poetry, essays, and short stories bring together many prominent writers and a considerable number of young writers from Hue. Besides familiar authors such as Nguyen Khoa Diem, Nguyen Khac Phe, Lam Thi My Da, Nguyen Dac Xuan, Buu Y, Nguyen Khac Thach, Ngo Minh, Mai Van Hoan, Tran Thuy Mai, Nhat Lam, Ho The Ha, Le Thi May, Nguyen Tan Dan, Pham Phu Phong... there are also many new writers such as Van Cam Hai, Nguyen Xuan Hoang, Le Viet Xuan, Nguyen Thi Anh Dao, Duc Son, Le Nga Le, Tran Tinh Yen, Nguyen Thien Nghi, Do Van Khoai, Nguyen Van Vinh, Tran Ba ​​Dai Duong...

For nearly five years, Culture & Life has transcended the boundaries of a specialized information publication to become a cultural and artistic forum, adding a vibrant dimension to the cultural life of Hue. To achieve this without a dedicated editorial office and funding, the Department of Culture and Information has flexibly employed various methods. In particular, some members have considered themselves semi-professional journalists; Lê Viết Xuân, Nguyễn Đình Sáng, Nguyễn Duy Hiền, Dương Hồng Lam, Trịnh Nam Hải, and others have contributed articles quite regularly. I also wrote many articles, but without using my real name, mostly under pseudonyms such as HNX, VH&ĐS, VH, PV, and sometimes even signing with the pseudonym Thiếu Quân!

Although not distributed to the market, Culture & Life regularly sends copies to provincial, city, and district leaders, distributes them to units within the industry and departments in the province, and central agencies in the area. The newspaper is also sent as a gift to leaders of the Ministry of Culture and Information and its departments, bureaus, and institutes, as well as provincial Departments of Culture and Information nationwide. Notably, it is frequently sent to embassies of foreign countries and international organizations such as the Ford Foundation and the British Council.

In early 2007, before leaving the culture and information sector, I focused on working with my colleagues on the final, substantial issue of "Culture & Life" for the Spring of 2007, as a farewell tribute. It could be said that the 220 issues of "Culture & Life" constituted a diary of cultural activities in Hue during the period 2002-2007, but due to limited distribution methods, its impact on society was not widespread. However, it served as a fairly effective bridge, contributing to Thua Thien Hue province (now Hue City) affirming its position as a cultural and tourism center, a distinctive festival city of Vietnam.

Text and photos: NGUYEN XUAN HOA

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/mot-thoi-lam-bao-van-hoa-doi-song-154923.html