A two-day international fireworks contest with the theme “Han River” will be held in the central city of Da Nang from April 29-30, 2011.

The ASEAN symphony orchestra, which consists of musicians from Vietnam and the other ASEAN nations, will perform in HCM City, Da Nang and Hanoi on October 26, 27 and 28 during the 2010 ASEAN Summit.

Cinematography officials have offered an attractive environment, including legal support, for international partners interested in producing films in Vietnam.

A Vietnamese cultural festival has opened in the Russian city of Tula to mark the 60th anniversary of Vietnamese-Russian diplomatic relations and the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

VOV News Online has presented awards to the winners of the ‘Beautiful Hanoi’ photography contest which it held in celebration of Hanoi’s 1000th birthday with sponsorship from Sony Vietnam, PetroVietnam, and Hello Lunch Japan.

A photographic exhibition about Hanoi opened at the headquarters of the Vietnamese People’s Association in Paris, France on October 18.

A 19 member Cuban dance troupe, Rakatan, is visiting Vietnam at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The Berlin International Guitar Contest took place from October 15-17 with 20 competitors from over 10 nations and territories taking part.  

France’s newsmagazine Le Nouvel Observateur has published an article saying Hanoi could be seen as the most beautiful and captivating city in Southeast Asia.

Venezuela’s Culture Week opened at the National Library in Hanoi on October 18 to display the daily lives of Venezuela’s people and their nation.

70 films from 23 countries and territorries will be shown during the first International Film Festival opening in Hanoi on October 17.

Le Perreux-sur-Marne in the suburbs of Paris hosted a solidarity concert on October 16 in support of Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange/dioxin.

Vietnamese diplomats joined their counterparts from nine other ASEAN member countries at the ASEAN Family Day 2010 held in the Kasai Rinkai Park on the outskirts of Tokyo on October 16. 

A project to restore a 17th-century temple on the outskirts of Hanoi, which was carried out by architect Le Thanh Vinh, won the highest prize in the heritage preservation category at the International Union of Architects event in Xi'an, China.

VOVNews will award winners of the “Beautiful Hanoi” photographic contest on October 19 at its office, at 45 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi.

Palestinian folk dance troupe Asayel has performed at the Hanoi Opera House on October 14, with a display of traditional Palestinian arts and new creative trends.

A Ho Chi Minh Days festival officially opened in Pusan in the Republic of Korea on October 14 with a special arts programme to mark 15th anniversary of both cities twinning.

The 3D animated film, “Arthur and the Two Worlds War” by French director Luc Bensson will open Vietnam’s first international film festival in Hanoi on October 17. 

The Diamond Princess cruise ship, carrying 2,500 international tourists from 47 countries and territories, anchored at Nha Trang Bay in the south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa on October 14. 

Photos of Hanoi by French artist Dominique De Miscault are on display at an exhibition in Paris.

Over 300 artifacts from Central Highland ethnic groups belonging to collector Nguyen Van Hai are on display at a museum in Can Tho city from October 14-17.

Vietnamese model Chung Thuc Quyen will compete with beauties from 80 countries at the Miss International 2010 pageant in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, in November.

Vietnam’s ten-member Big Toe dance troupe won the championship title at the Battle of the Year (BOTY), a South East Asian tournament, in Singapore on October 8-10.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan opened the Mitsubishi Asian Children’s Enikki Festa 2010-2011 in Hanoi on October 13.

The first international film festival will be held in Hanoi on October 17-21, organised by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The Binh Thuan Provincial People’s Committee approved a plan to organise the 2010 Miss Earth from November 12-14.

Sergey Afonin, a Russian journalist, praised the magnificent festival marking Hanoi’s 1000th birthday in the Tassovets newspaper, part of the ITAR TASS news agency, in its 2nd October issue.

The Japan Foundation for Cultural Exchanges in Vietnam and the Vietnam-Japan Human Resources Corporation Centre (VJCC) will hold a Japanese language festival in Hanoi on October 17.

Ten low income couples celebrated a joint wedding ceremony in HCM City on October 10 with hope that the lucky date would look kindly on their futures.

The Fine Art Publishing House has published a special book entitled President Ho Chi Minh and the Capital City Hanoi compiled by Do Hoang Linh and Nguyen Van Duong.