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.

Vietnamese men’s futsal team will play in Group A with Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar and the Philippines at the 2012 AFF Futsal Championship, scheduled to take place in Bangkok, Thailand, from April 17-22.

The programme of football for society was launched in Hanoi on January 30, in the presence of Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) President Nguyen Trong Hy and Barcelona FC’s representative Marce Xavi. 

Vietnam expects to host the 2012 U19 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championships, according to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).

US Grandmaster Varuzhan Akobian held his Vietnamese rival GM Le Quang Liem to a draw at the ongoing 2012 Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, UK on January 29.  

The final round of Vietnamese youth talent competition 2012 has been held at Armande Bejart Theatre, 25km far from Paris, France.

The buffalo killing festival is very popular among ethnic minority people in the Central Highlands, and also regarded as a unique custom of the Cham in Lac Tanh district, in the southern province of Binh Thuan.

Hiromi Pham beat nine contestants to win the “Miss Vietnam in Japan” title in Kanagawa prefecture, south of Tokyo, on January 28.

Top Vietnamese chess player Le Quang Liem defeated his Brazilian rival Felgaer Ruben in the fourth game in the 2012 Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival taking place in the UK from January 24-February 2.

Twenty-four foreign art troupes from 14 countries will take part in the Hue Festival 2012.

The Huong (Perfume) pagoda in Hanoi’s suburban district of My Duc opened on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year (January 28), attracting tens of thousands of people from across the country.

2012 is the year of the dragon and all Vietnamese have high hopes for the best.

Vietnam will host the Asian football qualifying playoffs for the London 2012 Olympic Games, says the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Tens of thousands of people from across the country have flocked to the Quang Trung Museum in Phu Phong town, Tay Son district, central Binh Dinh province to join a festival marking the 223rd anniversary of the Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da victory. 

Giving money on the occasion of New Year, with the desire that better things will happen in the future, has become a central custom of the Vietnamese during the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

As usual, the pavement around Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (the Temple of Literature) in Hanoi, known as Vietnam’s first university, is where calligraphers gather to display their works about one week before Lunar New Year’s Eve.

The Dong Da festival is observed annually on the 5th day of the 1st lunar month at Dong Da Hill in Hanoi. It commemorates the triumphant victory of King Quang Trung over 290,000 Qing invaders 200 years ago.

An early spring boat race festival opened in the Ly Son island district in the central province of Quang Ngai on January 26.

The traditional Lunar New Year Festival (Tet) is the second biggest event for Kho Mu ethnic people to welcome the approach of Spring with a new crop.

The red Dao ethnic minority resides mainly in the northern mountainous provinces of Vietnam. One of the most typical features of the ethnic group is their impressive elaborate attire consisting of an intricate turban, tunic, trousers, belt, leggings and shoes.

Vietnam set notable records in both regional and world sports competitions in 2011. We now review the country’s major sports achievements of the past year.