A grand ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City on January 14 to honour artists who gave outstanding performances and made great contributions during the past year.

Brocade weaving retains the traditional characteristics of the Co Tu ethnic group of Quang Nam province.

A special comedy show by some of Vietnam's leading comedians was recently filmed at a convention center in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.

Nhu Thao and Doan Tuan will represent Vietnam in the Asian Model Festival 2012 in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (RoK), on January 15.

Artist Michelle Pontie is using her latest exhibition at Tu Do Gallery in HCM City to encourage people to discover a love for lacquer art, a famous ancient trade of Vietnam.

Tourists will have more opportunities to explore Hanoi's Old Quarter in a more environmentally friendly way with the launch of five new tours that use electric cars.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on January 12 provided direction to help settle disputes about TV broadcast rights between concerned parties to ensure football spectators will watch matches on television.

In 2012, Hanoi plans to win more than 1,840 medals, including 776 golds in domestic and foreign tournaments, according to its Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

A comic book festival is being held in Ho Chi Minh City on January 11-12.

Vietnam’s top badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh on January 11 defeated Wang Zhangming from China, passing the first qualifying round of Malaysia Open 2012.

The London Olympics 2012 Host Country Flag was hoisted in Hanoi on Jan. 9by British Ambassador Antony Stokes and Vietnamese Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan.

A spiritual and cultural space has opened at the Vietnamese Women's Museum to help people understand more about Mother Goddesses worship, a Vietnamese folk belief with a long history which has adapted to social changes.

Vietnam's first weapon museum recently has opened in the southern coastal city of Vung Tau.

A delegation of the World Vovinam Federation, including Vice Chairman Le Quoc An and General Secretary Vo Danh Hai, has left for Algeria to attend a conference on the establishment of the African Vovinam Federation.

Vietnam’s top badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh began competing in Malaysia Open 2012 on January 10.

Filmmakers are spending a lot on special effects in the hope of luring moviegoers to cinemas this coming Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays.

Filmmakers from the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Vietnam and Vietnamese students are participating in a seminar on developing cinematography in Vietnam and Asia which is taking place in Hanoi on January 9-10.

Photos and objects featuring “quan ho” (love duet singing), a unique folk music popular in Vietnam’s northern province of Bac Ninh, will be displayed at an exhibition at the Vietnam Cultural Centre in France from January 22.

Hoang Thuy, coming from Thanh Hoa province, won the championship title of Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2011 contest in its final round on January 8.

Lung Tao Commune in the rocky northern plateau of Dong Van is home to 3,400 ethnic Mong people. Despite rapid changes going on in the world around them, they are holding on to their age-old traditions and customs.

Thousands of fans had a chance to shake hands, take photos and embrace their idol Fabio Cannavaro, former captain of the Italian national football team, at an exchange in Ho Chi Minh City on January 8.

Song Seung Heon and Kim Tae Hee, joined Vietnamese celebrities in a charity programme at My Dinh National Convention Centre in Hanoi on January 7.

Hundreds of fans turned up at Tan Son Nhat International Airport on January 7 to welcome their idol, world supermodel Tyra Banks.

Many football fans came to Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City early on January 7 to watch the former captain of the Italian team, Cannavaro, play football with the Vietnam U15 team.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a programme to introduce Vietnamese culture in the Republic of Korea (RoK) was signed between Hanoi Open University, the RoK Television Information University and Lock & Lock Co., Ltd.

Two movie stars from the Republic of Korea (RoK), Kim Tae Hee and Song Seung Hun, arrived in Hanoi on January 6 to promote their TV series entitled “My Princess” to be aired on local channel SCTV17.

Eighty poets from 27 countries are expected to join 40 Vietnamese colleagues to take part in the first Asia-Pacific poetry festival in the northern province of Quang Ninh from February 1-3.

The movie “Hot Boy Noi Loan” (Lost in Paradise) by director Vu Ngoc Dang will be sent to the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2012.

The Vietnamese team, led by Italian coach Sergio Gargelli, is practicing hard at Ho Chi Minh City’s Thai Son Nam sports centre to prepare for the qualifying round of the 2012 Asian Futsal Championships from February 21-26.

The Vietnamese national swimming team has started its training course in the US.