The first Japanese training centre in Hoi An city of the central province of Quang Nam has just been opened in the Old Quarter. 

Eight most talented U14 tennis players of Vietnam are attending a training course in Bangkok, Thailand, to sharpen their skills. 

Pham Hoai Nam has taken pictures of Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2012 contestants on the five-star Au Co cruise ship in Halong Bay.

Vietnam’s singer Duc Tuan and violinist Bui Cong Duy will join Asia’s famous opera singer Rachelle Gerodias at a concert held in Manila, the Philippines on August 28.

Violinist Anh Tu and his wife Viet Dung will give a classical music performance for charity at the French Cultural Centre in Hanoi, L’Espace, on August 30.

Lai Huong Thao will represent Vietnam in the Miss Supranational 2012 pageant to be held in Poland from August 28 to September 15.

Future Shorts Autumn 2012 will take place in Hanoi on August 31, featuring the most exciting short films from around the world.

Nguyen Huy Thanh brought Vietnam a third gold medal at the Asian Wushu Championships in Ho Chi Minh City on August 25.

Top Vietnamese badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh beat Japanese rival Takuma Ueda 21-14 and 21-19 in the men’s singles final of the Yonex Sunrise Vietnam Open in Ho Chi Minh City on August 26.

The Carnival, held at Indochina Plaza in Cau Giay district on August 25-26, has offered inspiring things for young Hanoians and foreigners, who want to know more about Vietnam.

Dang Thu Thao from the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho was named Miss Vietnam 2012 at the final round of the Miss Vietnam Beauty Contest, which took place in the central city of Danang on August 25.

Nearly 300 athletes from 30 provinces and cities across the country are taking part in the 2012 National Traditional Martial Arts (Vovinam) Championship, which officially opened in the central city of Hue on August 25.

Fifty-two pianists from nine countries have registered for the Hanoi 2012 International Piano Competition, scheduled for September 4-12, as announced at a press briefing on August 24.

Martial artist Nguyen Thanh Tung took home the second gold medal for Vietnam at the ongoing Asian Wushu Championships at Phu Tho Gymnasium in Ho Chi Minh City.

A series of seminars on preserving cultural heritage took place on August 25 in Hoi An ancient town, in the central province of Quang Nam.

Famous singer Monica Denise Brown will perform at the Hennessy Concert, scheduled to take place at My Dinh National Convention Centre in Hanoi on September 7.

The 10th Hoi An-Japan cultural exchange opened in Hoi An ancient city, the central province of Quang Nam, on August 24, as part of activities to celebrate the 39th anniversary of the Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties.

Top seed Nguyen Tien Minh moved to the semi-finals at the Vietnam badminton Open at Phan Dinh Phung Gymnasium, HCM City.

Coach Phan Thanh Hung will be in charge of training Vietnam’s national football team and U23 squad from September 1-December 31.

Nguyen Manh Quyen successfully completed his gunshu performance with 9.72 points to bag the first gold medal for host Vietnam at the Asian Wushu Championships in Ho Chi Minh City on August 23.

The HCM City Books Distributors Joint-stock Company (Fahasa) has been named one of the top 500 Asia-Pacific retailers in 2012 by Singapore-based Retail Asia magazine.

Following a 10 year period of creating works, young sculptor Pham Thai Binh recently presented his first public exhibition titled “Forgotten Moments” at the Museum of Fine Arts.

“Vietnam-Japan Meeting Programme 2012”, the ever largest of its kind, will be held in Tokyo, Japan from September 13-17.

An exhibition themed “Hanoi-corner of time” will be held at 45 Trang Tien street from August 30-September 4.

British TNT Theatre will perform “King Lear”-a tragedy by William Shakespeare during its tour of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Danang from October 24-November 2. 

Vietnamese badminton ace and No 1 seed Nguyen Tien Minh sailed through his third round against Malaysia’s Mohammad Arif Abdul Latif 21-14, 21-7 in just 25 minutes at the HCM City International Badminton Championships-Vietnam Open 2012 on August 23.

Miss Teen pageant organizers said they will conduct more reality shows in Vietnam and abroad this year, opening many challenges and opportunities for contestants to develop their talents and creativity.

Her World fashion magazine has launched a design contest for the Spring-Summer 2012-13 season, themed “The Game of Light”. 

The 2012 German Film Festival will start in Vietnam this September following its overwhelming success in 2010 and 2011 which attracted nearly 30,000 viewers.

Cabaret Music Night will be held at L’Espace in Hanoi on September 22 to promote cultural exchange between Vietnam and France.