The northern province of Phu Tho is preparing facilities and activities for this year’s commemoration of the nation’s legendary founders, the Hung Kings.

Twenty three bronze drums, called “Bronze Drums – Resounding of the Ancestral Land”, have been presented to the Hung Temple National Historical Relic in Phu Tho province, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and President Ho Chi Minh relic site at the Presidential Palace.

The fifth Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF) will be held in Santa Ana, California in the US from April 7-10 and April 14-17.

Fans of the late musician Trinh Cong Son gathered at a concert in Moscow on April 1 to sing his masterpieces to mark the 10th anniversary of his death.  

An international conference was held in Phu Yen province on April 2 to discuss the preservation of cultural heritage in the south-central region to develop tourism in the process of international integration.

An opening ceremony for the 2011 National Tourism Year was held on April 1 in Tuy Hoa City in the south central coastal province of Phu Yen.

An exhibition, entitled “Hanoi Portrait”, opened at 31A Van Mieu, Hanoi, on April 1 displaying 131 works by 58 Vietnamese and four American artists.

Japan’s Genki festival in Vietnam 2011, an entertainment and arts event, will take place in Hanoi on April 16-17, aiming at bringing Japanese culture closer to Vietnamese and enhancing the friendship between the two countries.

The Week of Ha Long Tourism 2011 will be the biggest ever, with a series of festivities in support of the superb bay’s bid for the New7Wonders title this year.

The Official Korea Tourism Organization inaugurated a tourism and cultural branch in Hanoi on April 1 under the management of the Republic of Korea’s embassy in Vietnam.

French TV5MONDE Asie channel will be broadcast in Vietnam with Vietnamese subtitles starting on April 2 from its third MeaSat-3 satellite feed for the Asia-Pacific Region.

Young documentary film-makers in Vietnam have been invited by the German cultural Goethe Institute Vietnam to submit short films on climate change for a competition named Vietdocs.

About 67 contemporary feature and short films by Vietnamese directors and overseas Vietnamese will be screened throughout the United States between April 7 and 17 as part of the Vietnam International Film Festival.

Vietnamese photographers have won three awards from the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) for works displayed at an international exhibition in Singapore.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has agreed to let the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism submit two dossiers on two of the country’s cultural practices to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

A delegation of 15 Indian artists will perform at the Hanoi Opera House from April 4-7, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Ethnic minority people in the Central Highlands possess a unique culture, which is highlighted by their springtime festivals and cuisine when people set aside their field work to enjoy the season.

Ken Burns, a famous US director, plans to cooperate with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) to produce a multi-episode documentary on the Vietnamese resistant war against the US aggressors.  

Canadian-based bubble artist Fan Yang will perform in HCM City on April 29 and Hanoi on May 28 after targeting his 17th Guinness record in the US with a bubble surrounding 150 people.

Vietnamese fans of the world renowned Backstreet Boys band were able to see their idols in person at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on the evening of March 26.

Some 120 enthusiasts from 25 nations and territories have registered to participate in an international kite festival in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province from April 8-10.

Paintings of northern Vietnam's beautiful natural landscapes by veteran artist Dang Tin Tuong are currently on exhibit at the Korean Cultural Centre in Hanoi.

The fourth Da nang International Fireworks Competition 2011 themed “Sparkling Han River” will officially take place in the central city of Da Nang from April 29-30.

A Vietnamese art troupe has made a performance tour of France, Germany and Denmark.

Vietnam National Opera and Ballet and young artists from the UK’s Concordia Foundation engaged in a music fest at Hanoi Opera House on March 22.

The fourth Vietnam Folk Song Festival of the Central Highlands and the southern province of Binh Phuoc will be held in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong from March 25-27.

The Vietnam National Academy of Music, Hue Academy of Music and Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music will join hands for the first time to bolster the country’s music industry.

After arriving at Tan Son Nhat international airport on March 23, A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys band, who was born in 1978, was quietly brought to his hotel.

Vietnam and its people are being introduced at an international week and film festival in Malaysia from March 21-25.

1,000 young people will play guitar in Hoang Van Thu park, Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City on March 26.