The first Phuong Nam Cultural Center opened at 15 Le Loi Street in Hue on June 4. The 1,500m² complex is for entertainment, shopping and displaying traditional handicraft products of Hue’s trade villages.
100m² of the center sells books, magazines and compact discs for visitors to understand the country and its people, history and scenic spots.
Along the Huong River is a cafeteria for visitors to relax and meet local celebrities through friendly discussions regularly organized by Phuong Nam Cultural Corp.
On the opening day there was an exhibition of videos by Vietnamese artists telling about the spiritual life and cultural consciousness of Vietnamese people, over twenty paintings by Hue artists and sculptures of the K’tu ethnic minority and Hue artists.
On June 5 a seminar called Keeping the Soul of the Ancient Capital in Modern Times was held by researcher Nguyen Huu Thong and Hue craftsmen to help visitors understand Hue’s traditional trade villages and the methods to keep them valuable.
A poetry recital was held last night to introduce the book “A Thousand Contemporary Poets of Hue.†The first and second volumes were introduced to the public at the Hue Festival in 2006 and 2008 and the third will be published this month to mark the Hue Festival 2010.