A photo exhibition on Vietnam’s legendary military general Vo Nguyen Giap opens in the central city of Danang on June 6. 

The opening ceremony of the third International Documentary Film Festival took place in Ho Chi Minh City on June 6.

The border area of Lung Cu on the Dong Van rock plateau is called the rooftop of Vietnam and is legendary for its very special charm.

The 2011 Sea and Island Festival opened in Quang Ngai on May 5, as part of the National Tourism Year for the southcentral coastal region. 

The Miss Ethnic Vietnamese pageant is the only national beauty contest this year that aims to seek three representatives to take part in international competitions, announced the organising board.

The Italian embassy in Vietnam and the Genoa Architects Association held a conference in Hanoi on June 3 to introduce Genoa’s experience in preserving its old city after it was recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

Cuban artists will perform at the 2011 Sea Festival in Nha Trang from June 11-16.

The Hue Monuments Conservation Centre has begun restoration of the Tho Ninh Palace in the Forbidden City at a cost of VND10 billion.

A book about the material civilization of the Vietnamese people, by painter and fine arts researcher Phan Cam Thuong, has been made available to readers in Hanoi.

A documentary film named, “A different Vietnam” by Belgian film-maker Marcel Wynands was screened at the Lakilon Cultural Centre in Liege city, Belgium on June 1, opening Vietnamese Culture Week in the city. 

The Southern Fruit Festival opened at Suoi Tien Park in HCM City’s District 9 on June 1.

The Vietnam Guinness Book Centre (Vietbooks) has become the official representative of the Asia Book of Records (ABR) in Vietnam.

Japanese mime artist Imuro Naoki will be in the spotlight at HCM City’s Youth World Theatre on June 7-8.

A national exhibition of children’s painting opened in Hanoi on May 31 to mark International Children’s Day (June 1).

“Vietnam Culture Month in Lorient” was held in France on May 5-29, providing the local people with an opportunity to learn more about Vietnamese culture through various activities.

A young man’s “pet” club has become very popular with people who love pets.

Vietnamese circus performers will attend the 2011 International Summer Circus Festival (Circuba 2011) in Havana, Cuba from August 8-14.

The music, dance and costumes of the 12 Mekong Delta provinces that illustrates the region's ethnic and cultural diversity will be presented at a three-day festival in Hau Giang province this weekend. 

The English version of a collection of poems in English version by Nguyen Trai, a Vietnamese national hero and great poet, was introduced at the Le Khiet high school for gifted students in the central province of Quang Ngai on May 26.

Vietnam’s culture and literature are always priorities in the Germany-Vietnam Friendship Association (GVFA)’s activities to introduce Vietnam’s image to the German people.

Eighty-two doctoral laureate steles under the early Le, Mac and late Le dynasties (1442-1779) in Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) in Hanoi has been officially listed in UNESCO’s Global Memory of the World Programme.

Pianist Eric Legnini will bring to Hanoi’s audiences a concert of Jazz music at the French Culture Centre L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien street, in Hanoi on June 14.  

American Idol 2008 David Roland, the X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke from the UK and Top 8 Australian Idol Thanh Bui will perform in the H-Artistry (previously called Hennessy Artistry) concert in Hanoi on June 16.

A seminar on Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia fine arts was held in Vientiane, Laos on May 26.

The Vietnam and Mongolia Writers’ Associations signed a cooperation agreement in Hanoi on May 26.

Vietnamese writer Bao Ninh has become one of the winners of 2011 Nikkei Asia Prizes, which recognize achievements that contribute to the improved well-being of Asian people.

An eight-member Australian krump group, Grrilla Step, arrived in Hanoi on May 25 to perform for Hanoi youth.

Renowned Japanese mime Iimuro Naoki will perform in Ho Chi Minh City from June 7-8 and Hanoi from June 10-11. 

A book on the life and career of late President Ho Chi Minh by Cuban author Julio A. Garcia Oliveras was made public in Havana on May 24 on the occasion of his 121st birth anniversary (May 19, 1980-2011).

World-famous conductor Lior Shambadal made this statement in an interview granted to VOVNews before the opening of “Bitexco Concert” at the Hanoi Opera House on May 24.