Supporters of Pham Huong, the Vietnamese contender at the 2015 Miss Universe, started a new week with a piece of sad news: their beloved beauty bowed out of the pageant.

Architectural features of the more than 100-year-old Saigon Tax Trade Centre will be preserved when the centre is torn down to build a metro line and a 40-storey office and hotel complex.

A photo exhibition of the beauty and lifestyle of Ho Chi Minh City, taken by veteran photographer Phan Tam Thai, is opening at the city's Photography Association.

In discussions between filmmakers and tourism managers on December 19, Indian directors expressed interest in filming movies in Vietnam in the future.

The Dong Nai Province Radio and Television Station (DNTV) will broadcast a documentary series featuring friendship ties between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

The Irish Design Exhibition 2015 be held at Phan Chau Trinh private college, Hoi An ancient city, the central province of Quang Nam from December 21 to 25. 

A Vietnamese beauty queen has won a prize at this year’s edition of the world’s most prestigious pageant.

Vietnamese fans and celebrities are encouraging people in and out the country to vote for their brightest ever hope Pham Huong at the 2015 Miss Universe, as it is only one day away from the competition’s finale.

(VOV) - British Tea Culture, we all know it exists, we all know it’s important, but what exactly is it? Joshua Zukas of the UK will tell us about this special culture. 

(VOV) - Many visitors were awestruck by the artwork, knick knacks, song, dance, films, tea ceremonies, cuisine and games that were showcased on December 14-19 at a Japanese culture week at Hanoi University.

(VOV) - Miss Russia Valentina Rasulova was crowned Miss Intercontinental 2015 on December 19 at the at the Grand Ballroom of the Maritim Congress Hotel in Magdeburg, Germany, while Miss Vietnam Ha Thu was named Miss Popularity.

Ngo Bao Chau, a professor of mathematics who won the Fields medal in 2010, will release the first foreign novel he translated together with Nguyen Khieu Anh.

Countries must act beyond their borders and join together to stop the illicit trafficking of irreplaceable cultural heritage, said Edouard Planche, secretary of the UNESCO's Convention for the Fight Against Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property.

As Pham Huong, the Vietnamese representative at the 2015 Miss Universe, appears to be the biggest fan favorite in Vietnam’s history of sending its beauties to pageants around the world, take a closer look at the woman who steals millions of hearts inside and outside her country.

Three layers of architectural structures have been found at the Thanh Cha excavation site in central Binh Dinh province – home to vestiges of Vijaya, the political and cultural hub of Champa Kingdom. 

(VOV) - The 65th annual Miss World pageant final will take place on December 19 at the Beauty Crown Grand Theatre in Sanya, China.

(VOV) - A lantern festival starting at 8:30 pm will kick off the New Year’s Eve festivities on December 31 at the An Hoi Statute Park, municipal authorities have announced.

(VOV) - The Hanoi Old Quarter Management Board has announced it will hold an exhibition showcasing fashion in days of antiquity on December 23-27 at the Culture Exchange Centre located at 50 Dao Duy Tu Street in the Hoan Kiem District. 

(VOV) - Evening gowns, usually made of luxurious fabrics, show contestants’ subtle taste in choosing fashion to draw attention at beauty contests. Following are the evening gowns presented by Vietnamese contestants at international pageants:

(VOV) - The contestants wear an elaborate range of outfits linked to their home countries. Many costumes are very sophisticated and colourful.

Christine Ha (Ha Huyen Tran), a vision-impaired woman who won the 2012 US MasterChef contest, on December 17 motivated young Vietnamese, especially those with disabilities, to stand up and move ahead to achieve success in life when faced with problems and upheaval.

(VOV) -On December 17, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Vietnam Anar Imanov unveiled the first Vietnamese edition of his nation’s Heritage Magazine at a ceremony in Hanoi attended by a large gathering of distinguished guests.

(VOV) -Have a great Vietnam photo, or think you can capture one? It could show up on a poster or billboard as part of a contest entitled ‘Vietnam Today’ being sponsored by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

More than 60 art troupes from 47 countries worldwide will join 53 local ones in the 2016 Hue Festival, which will take place in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue from April 29 to May 4, 2016.

(VOV) - An annual tradition of the Miss World contest is the Charity Gala, where the contestants donate a special gift with ties to their home country and auction it for a good cause. 

Nearly 200 photos of Vietnam's sea and islands are on display at the Ho Chi Minh City War Remnants Museum to celebrate the 71st anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army, which falls on December 22.

(VOV) -Haiphong native and reigning Miss Universe Vietnam Pham Thi Huong confidentially flaunted her curvy body at a swimsuits competition at the semi-finals of the ongoing Miss Universe 2015 on December 16.

A Vietnamese teenager has won the first prize in a Russian competition for young pianists recently held in Moscow.

A photo collection featuring a festival in the northern province of Vinh Phuc by veteran photographer Pham Anh received the Special Award for Photo Collection – the highest prize of the Heritage Photo Awards.

Vietnamese graffiti artist Pham Minh Tuan and his assistant completed graffiti work on December 16 on the wall in front of the German Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.