The Vietnamese Embassy together with other diplomatic agencies in Cuba took part in Bazaar 2012 in Havana on February 4.

A food-distributing festival will be held on February 5 night at the Tran Thuong Temple where 80,000 food parcels will be handed out, containing such staples as corn and rice.

The 13th Fun Cup international windsurfing slalom competition wrapped up at Mui Ne beach in the southern coastal province of Binh Thuan on February 4 after two days of competition. 

Pho Cao Market is a cultural meeting place for 17 ethnic minority groups in Pho Cao village, Dong Van district, of the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang.

Eight short documentaries about contemporary life in Vietnam will be presented free of charge at the Goethe Institute in Hanoi on February 5.

An unknown bird weighing 7.5kg and with a wingspan of 2.8m has been found near the Da River in the northern mountainous province of Son La.

Eighty-two poets from Vietnam and abroad are gathering for the first Asia Pacific Poetry Festival in Ha Long city, the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Vietnam’s top player Nguyen Hoang Thien and his Hong Kong partner Wong Chun Hun won the men’s doubles event at the U18 International Tennis Federation (ITF) Tournament (Grade 4) in New Zealand on February 3.

The German government has scaled back its support for athletics in Vietnam.

The biggest exhibition on Vietnamese ceramic products entitled “Dragon and lotus” is taking place at the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama, USA, from January 22 to April 8.

Vietnamese Chess Grandmaster Le Quang Liem completed the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival in the UK ranking 7th with 7 points after a draw in the final game with Indian rival Negi Parimarjanon on February 2.  

Vietnam’s Futsal champion club Thai Son Nam will join Maccabi from Australia and the champion club from China in group A of the 2012 AFC Futsal Club Championships’ qualifying round for the Southeast Asian and East Asian regions.  

The 5th Asian Beach Games (ABG 5) will be held in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa in June, 2016, according to the General Department of Sports and Physical Training.

This is the most unique traditional festival of ethnic minorities in Sapa district, Lao Cai province.

Vietnam’s top chess player, Le Quang Liem, defeated his Slovenian rival, Anna Muzychuk, in his ninth game at the ongoing Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival in the UK.

“Which Way to the Sea” is one of five Vietnamese movies to be shown at the second Lifescapes Southeast Asian (ASEAN) Film Festival, scheduled for Chiang Mai, Thailand, from February 2-5.

The 22nd Quan Ho folk singing contest has been held as part of the traditional Lim Festival in the northern province of Bac Ninh.

Vietnamese film “Bi, dung so !” (Bi! Don’t Be Afraid) directed by Phan Dang Di is being shown at the second Francophone Film Festival in Paris, France from January 31 to February 7.

Vietnam’s outstanding table tennis player Tran Tuan Quynh is hopeful of going to the 2012 London Olympics.

Vietnam’s number one chess player Le Quang Liem was defeated on February 1 by China’s defending women’s chess champion Hou Yifan at the 8th round of the Gibraltar Chess Championship 2012, held in the UK.

Thirty-three Vietnamese military officers took part in the 10th Brunei International Skills-At-Arms Meet 2012 (BISAM) from January 19-28.  

Three Japanese artists playing drum, three-string musical instrument and cymbals will perform at Tuoi Tre (Youth) Theatre in Hanoi on February 14.

French pianist Marie Vermeulin will perform at the French Cultural Centre L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street, Hanoi, at 8pm on February 9.

The Yen Tu Pagoda Spring Festival in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh opens on February 1 (the tenth day of the first lunar month).

The 19th English Premier League cup won by Manchester United will tour parts of Asia this year.  

An exhibition by photographer Nguyen Duy Phuong entitled “One Corner of France” will be on show at the French Cultural Centre L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street, Hanoi, from February 1-28.

A spelling mistake earned Nguyen Song Anh from Ho Chi Minh City first place at an international drawing contest organized by the British Council.

A stone road dating back to the 14th century has been discovered at the remains of the Ho citadel complex in the central province of Thanh Hoa.

Mai Duc Chung is now the chief coach of Vietnam’s U19 football team in their first training for the 2012 international football tournament, which will be held in Brunei from February 25 to March 5.

Top Vietnamese chess player Le Quang Liem defeated his Israeli rival Tamir Nabaty (Elo 2563) on January 30 in the seventh round of the 2012 Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, which is taking place in the UK.