Vietnamese Ambassador to Norway, Ta Van Thong, has presented 54 Vietnamese books and many CDs with music and films provided by Vietnam Television to Deichmanske Library in Oslo City, Norway.    

Spanish embassy in Vietnam held a press conference in Hanoi on February 14 on the occasion of the Spanish-Vietnamese married couple, Guim Teruel and Nguyen Thuy Anh, beginning their journey around the world on bicycles to promote clean energy.

Russian journalist Boris Vinogradov has extolled Vietnam’s effective use of traditional medicine in curing illnesses.

The fourth Traditional Craft Villages Festival 2011, themed “Vietnamese kitchen in Hue’s garden”, will be held from April 30 - May 3 to highlight the culinary and beverage culture, and bonsai.

More than 400 rare antique items dating back to the Tay Son dynasty (1778-1802) are being displayed at an exhibition in HCM City.

Thousands of Vietnamese and foreign visitors gathered at the traditional Lim cultural festival taking place in Tien Du district, northern Bac Ninh province on February 13-14.  

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan beat the drum, opening the Yen Tu Pagoda Spring Festival in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh on February 12, the tenth day of the first lunar month.

An arts programme with the theme “Going to the Land of Folk Love Duets” will be held in the northern province of Bac Ninh on February 13. 

The annual Poetry Day will take place on February 17 in Ha Noi, Nghe An and HCM City.

A “Vietnam’s lifestyle” photograph exhibition has been held in Virginia, USA.

Thousands of locals and tourists have attended a culture-tourism festival in Vung Tau city of the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, which began on the evening of February 10.

The first ever International Choir Competition will be held in the central city of Hoi An from March 15-18, according to Le Van Giang, Chairman of the city’s People’s Committee.

The central city of Da Nang calls on its people to together continue to build a “peace bird garden” in the East Sea Park on Pham Van Dong street.

Photos feature different perspectives on the war in Vietnam.

A computer graphics exhibition will open at the Korean Cultural Centre in Hanoi on February 12.

Amateur and professional photographers will display their best images in a competition entitled Vietnamese World Heritage to be held in July.

The largest painting of Uncle Ho’s testament, written on palm leaf made by artisan Vo Van Tang from Nui Sap town, Thoai Son district in the southern province of An Giang, has entered the Vietnam Guinness Book of Records (Vietbooks).

The first Vietnam international choir festival and competition (VICC1) will be held in Hoi An city in the central province of Quang Nam from March 16-19.

The Saint Giong festival, which was recognized by UNESCO as world intangible cultural heritage, started in Soc Son and Dong Anh districts in the outskirts of Hanoi on February 8 or the 6th day of the first month of the Lunar New Year.

Thanh Hoa province has prepared the dossier on the Ho dynasty citadel to submit to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for consideration and recognition as a world heritage site.

Thousands of visitors gathered for the Dong Da festival (Dong Da district, Hanoi) to mark the 222nd anniversary of the Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da victory on February 7.

Nowadays, yellow apricot trees are planted not only in Dien Hoa commune, but also in Dien Huong, Dien Hai and Dien Loc communes, and Phong Dien district in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue has become famous thanks to apricot cultivation.  

For ethnic groups in the northern province of Lang Son, lion dance has great meaning as it is expected to bring them good luck and wealth. It often makes village festivals more joyful.

Leaders of the central province of Binh Dinh on February 6 offered incenses and flowers at the monument dedicated to Emperor Quang Trung to mark the 222nd anniversary of the Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da victory over Chinese Qing invaders.

Phu Yen people often sing Bai Choi (singing while playing cards) during the traditional Lunar New Year festival (Tet). It is a unique feature of this region’s culture.  

Last year, Vietnam introduced many of its cultural heritage sites which are not known to the world and need to be recognised and preserved at any cost.

Chinese journalist Zhang Jiaxiang still clearly remembers his experience of Vietnamese Lunar New Year festivals (Tet) when he worked as chief of the Hanoi bureau of the official Chinese News Agency (Xinhua) many years ago.

More and more foreigners have come to live, work, or study in Vietnam, whose traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) festival is considered a special cultural feature. All international friends interviewed by VOV showed eagerness about Tet.

The Nguyen Hue flower road to mark the Lunar New Year Festival will be open to the public from 28 December- 4 January of the lunar calendar.

The Orange Fleurs d’Espoir association (OFE) and the Association of Batik International (ABI) on January 31 opened an exhibition in Paris to introduce traditional brocade weaving products of the Vietnamese ethnic minority people of Mong.