In the 2016 calendar season, the producers have focused on producing beautiful calendar models which have unique highlights. Many of those calendars are the ones themed on the history, culture and landscapes of Vietnam.
In the 2016 calendar season, the producers have focused on producing beautiful calendar models which have unique highlights. Many of those calendars are the ones themed on the history, culture and landscapes of Vietnam.
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| A sheet of block calendar “365 portraits and images of General Vo Nguyen Giap” |
At present, there are an enormous number of 2016 New Year calendars being sold at some bookstores such as Tan Tien, Phuong Nam and Thong Nhat Book Issuing Center, and Fahasa Nha Trang. The producers have continued to improve the designs and quality of the calendars, especially the super-large and extremely super-large ones.
Many calendars feature notables and historical characteristics…
After the success of the block calendar about the life and career of General Vo Nguyen Giap produced in 2015, An Hao Company continued to make an extremely super-large-sized block calendar including 365 portraits and images of General Vo Nguyen Giap. Beside the images and notes, the 2016 block calendar also quotes General Vo Nguyen Giap’s sayings collected by PhD Quach Thu Nguyet, former Director of Tre Publishing House. Two thirds of 365 photos of General Vo Nguyen Giap used in this calendar are General’s portraits taken in different angles and periods; the others are photos of him meeting with foreign or domestic people. There is also a container behind the calendar so that people can store the calendar sheets there.
A part from calendars themed on notables, An Hao Company released a block calendar featured 365 drawings depicting Vietnam’s history from Hung Vuong period to the open-door period (6th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam). Reportedly, the illustrating pictures were drawn by painter Le Phi Hung in two years while the content was compiled and revised by historian Nguyen Khac Thuan. Through this calendar, the viewers can contemplate the architecture, costumes, production tools and utensils, etc. The battles were reflected basing on the existing historical basis. Especially, in this calendar, many main events are depicted in many consecutive sheets as a historical story, creating an attractive connection.
…and traditional culture
At present, most of the calendar models sold at the bookstores are the ones about landscape and traditional culture of Vietnam. In this year’s block calendars, Spring Calendar Phuong Nam Company used designs taken from ten graduation theses of students of Faculty of Fine Arts of Van Lang University. Accordingly, the company released many block calendars bearing traditional culture, such as water-puppet, folk games, traditional food, and landscapes. In addition, there are some other unique block calendars, including calendars with drawings of vehicles and paper kites; calendar themed on Saigon, etc.
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| 2016 calendars sold at Tan Tien Book Supermarket, Nha Trang. |
An Hao Company and Huong Trang Company issued extremely super-large-sized block calendars about landscape. In the 2016 calendar season, there is almost no model of calligraphy. Besides, many units produced 52-week calendars and wall calendars. In the section of wall calendar, Spring Calendar Phuong Nam Company produced the calendar about the beauty of Son Doong Cave. Reportedly, apart from the cover photo taken by a professional photographer, the other photos used in this calendar were taken by the director of Spring Calendar Phuong Nam Company in his recent visit to Quang Binh Province.
According to Tran Thai Nhan, Deputy Director of Khanh Hoa Book Publishing Joint Stock Company, when the live condition is improved, the calendar has not been simply a means showing the days, weeks, and months of a particular year but also become a cultural product bearing many meanings. The fact that the producers have not focused on number of works but on quality and designs bring advantages to the consumers.
“This year, the price of calendars is almost the same as last year. At present, there many companies have ordered calendars to offer to their customers. The peak period of calendar season is the end of November and early December,” said Nhan.
Xuan Thanh
Translated by H.N
