A Vietnamese entertainment and food centre named Kowloon International opened in Moscow on December 18.

Miss Vietnam Global Diem Huong has made her way into the 2010 world 50 most beautiful women list for the Miss Grand Slam title.

A playful exhibition by Finnish artist Maritta Nurmi entitled After the End of Art Anything Goes, has opened at Art Vietnam Gallery in Hanoi.

A charity chamber music concert will be held at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory on December 16 to raise funds for children in Vietnam who suffer from heart diseases.

A Japanese cartoon week in Vietnam, jointly held by the Vietnamese Cinema Department and the Japanese Culture Department, will be held at the National Cinema Centre in Hanoi from January 12-16.

American War veteran and poet Bruce Weigl is in Vietnam for the launch of his poetical memoir After the Rain Stopped Pounding.

The Xuan Que Huong (Homeland Spring) programme is scheduled to take place in Thang Long Royal Citadel, Hanoi on January 28, 2011 to welcome the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, said the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (SCOV) on December 14.

Eight ASEAN embassies in Egypt held a festival of ASEAN family day on December 11 with the participation of foreign diplomats from ASEAN countries and their families.

A pair of golden artichoke flowers, weighing more than 60 taels, was on display in the central city of Da Nang for two day starting from December 11.

A film about President Ho’s revolutionary activities in China – “Vuot qua ben Thuong Hai” (Across Shanghai) made by the Vietnam Writers’ Association Film Studio (VIVAFILM), premiered in Hanoi on December 12.

The winners at the Miss Earth beauty contest will take part in the First Christmas Fashion Show and musical gala at 7pm on December 10 in Vincom Centre, Ho Chi Minh City.

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union branch in Havana, Cuba in coordination with the Cuban Federation of University Students (FEU) organised a cultural exchange on December 9.

Vietnamese pianist Hoang Pham Tra Mi beat other 29 contestants in her age group to win gold at the International Chopin Piano Competition held in Singapore from December 1-5.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has agreed to organise the Duyen Dang Vietnam (Charming Vietnam) promotion in Indonesia on December 15.

Ngoc Dai and his group Dai Lam Linh will perform with Danish saxophonist Lotta Anker in a concert of contemporary music in Hanoi on December 10.

A fashion show was held in London, the UK on December 5 to introduce the latest Vietnamese fashion to the UK public.

The Binh Minh Trade and Technology Joint Stock Company will collaborate with Japan to set up a vocational training school for Ikebana flower arrangements in Hanoi to promote a city of peace and development.

A Vietnam-Denmark project on experimental modern music will hold a gala concert for the public at Kim Ma Theatre in Hanoi on December 10.

The Japanese Embassy in coordination with the Aikido Yukishudokan and Kendo Hanoi Clubs held a performance of Aikido and Kendo in Hanoi on December 4.

Nicole Faria, a 20-year-old girl from India, was crowned Miss Earth 2010 in the final round of the pageant in Vinpearl Land, Nha Trang City in the south central province of Khanh Hoa on December 4.

The final stage of the Mr Vietnam contest will take place in the southern city of Vung Tau on December 1.

The final night of the Miss Earth Pageant will take place at Vinpearl Resort, Nha Trang on December 4.

The first episode of a television documentary series by a Vietnamese film making team featuring a round-the-world trip in a caravan will be screened on December 5.

A seminar on popularising culture, sports and tourism in southern Vietnamese provinces was held on December 3 in HCM City by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

An exhibition of Vietnamese folk art opened on December 3 in Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province, introducing the nation’s unique types of traditional art.  

Thailand has won Miss Photogenic and Guatemala Miss Friendly 2010.

A Vietnamese cultural space was inaugurated in Havana, Cuba on December 2 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Cuba diplomatic ties.  

A Canadian novelist of Vietnamese origin, Ly Kim Thuy has won the Governor General’s Literary Awards – the most prestigious literary award of Canada – for her debut novel “Ru”.

The Miss Earth contestants were divided into groups to practise for the final night of the pageant on December 4 under the instruction of experts from Carousel Productions Inc.

The Indian Embassy in Hanoi held an Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Day in Hanoi on Dec. 1 to meet students who had received scholarships from the programme.