The Vietnamese Cultural Days in the US kicked off in Washington DC on August 8 to mark the 20th founding anniversary of Vietnam-US diplomatic ties (1995-2015).

Titled “The Saigonese Tale,” the exhibit that has recently opened in Ho Chi Minh City showcases photos and recounts the stories behind them from a project launched by Humans of Saigon, a non-profit group of young people whose works are inspired by the famous photo blog Humans of New York.

(VOV) - Bananas and food made from bananas are popular among the Thai ethnic people of Yen Chau district, Son La province. They are an indispensable part of their major ceremonies and special occasions.

(VOV) - Raglai epics are a narrative genre passed down orally from generation to generation. Epics are retold during community events. To Tuan talks about epics and their position in the cultural life of Raglai people. 

In the framework of the Berlin International Beer Festival, a ceremony to mark 15 years of Vietnam’s participation in the festival was organised in Berlin on August 7.

Nearly 100 maps along with many documents, objects and publications proving Vietnam ’s sovereignty over Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos are on display at an exhibition that opened on August 7 in Phan Rang-Thap Cham city, the central province of Ninh Thuan.

An international workshop is to be held in Hanoi on August 8 to herald the 250 th birthday anniversary of great poet Nguyen Du (1765-2015).

(VOV) -A creative writing contest entitled Vietnam Aux 5 Saisons (Vietnam-the 5th Season) has launched in France with the aim of promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the two nations.

(VOV) - A fascinating photographic exhibition with 150 images capturing the essence of daily life for generations of Saigon residents entitled People of Saigon has opened at 61 Xuan Thuy Street in Ho Chi Minh City.

Forty outstanding fashion designs featuring Vietnam and New Zealand’s common identity were unveiled in Ho Chi Minh City on August 6, part of the first fashion collaboration project between the two countries. 

More than 50 village patriarchs and artisans of the 16 smallest ethnic groups in Vietnam gathered in Hanoi on August 6 to speak on ways to uphold their traditional cultural identities.

The programme “For an ASEAN Community of Solidarity and Development” took place in Hanoi on August 6, attracting diplomats and representatives from Vietnam’s friendship associations with ASEAN member states. 

(VOV) -Violist Hoang Rob has impressed many viewers in Vietnam with his video clip performing “Say You Do” song by violin.

(VOV) -The Vietnam bamboo convention centre in southern Long An province has been recognised by the Vietnam Book of Records (Vietkings) as the biggest bamboo house in Vietnam.

Traditional musical instruments and skills of ethnic groups in central Binh Dinh province are likely to gradually disappear without preservation efforts, particularly those within each community. 

(VOV) -The Russian ballet theatre Talarium et Lux (Ballet and Light) on August 1 staged a special performance of the classic ballet Swan Lake with 3D animated graphics at the My Dinh National Convention Hall in Hanoi.

(VOV) - The Korean Cultural Centre held a press conference on the morning of August 5 in Hanoi to launch a contest for young aspiring painters 35 years of age or younger from throughout Vietnam.

The central city of Da Nang hosts the central and north-central region qualifiers for the annual Golden Spoon Awards on August 4-5 at the Golden Phoenix Conference Centre. 

(VOV) - Two famous bands from the Republic of Korea, Hey Ya and Alice, will perform in Vinh, Phu Ly and Hai Phong cities on August 6-11. 

A number of artefacts have been discovered in the southern area of the Ho Dynasty Citadel’s Trench in the central province of Thanh Hoa, revealing the original structure and unique values of the Citadel. 

Christine Ha, the visually impaired winner of US competitive reality show MasterChef 2012, is set to serve as an official judge of the show’s Vietnamese version.

A concert featuring famous works of 20th century Russian composers Aram Khachaturian and Sergei Prokofiev will be held by the Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) on August 9.

(VOV) -An exhibition titled “Pause” has been organized to bring many different perspectives of Hanoi, as seen through the camera lens of Hanoi’s young people.

Los Angeles-based DJ Skrillex has announced on his Instagram that he will bring his Asian tour to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City this September.

After the first jointly produced TV drama Nguoi cong su (fellow worker), Vietnam Television (VTV) and Japan’s Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) Television will turn out the second drama “Khuc hat mat troi” (the sun’s song)

A documentary film about domestic violence won Best Documentary at the 2015 Golden Lotus Bud Awards.

Thousands of Buddhist monks, followers and tourists flocked to the Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) festival that opened in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on August 3, or the 19 th day of the sixth lunar month.

A Vietnam Film Week opened on August 2 in the Paraguayan capital city of Asuncion on the occasion of 20th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations (May 30, 1995). 

(VOV) - The London College for Design and Fashion Studies Hanoi (LCDF Hanoi) recently held a two-day fashion event at the Melia Hotel featuring fashionable collections of 17 young designers as models ‘strutted their stuff’ down the catwalk. 

(VOV) - Vietnamese singer and actress Miu Le attended a launching ceremony of blockbuster cartoon Inside Out in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 2.