The Thang Long Citadel, which has witnessed Hanoi’s 1,000 year history, will host a series of Buddhist celebrations from July 27 to August 2 to acknowledge the capital city’s millennial anniversary.

Thousands of objects belonging to Sa Huynh culture that dated back to 2,500-3,000 years have been discovered during excavations carried out in the Ma Vuong Mound in Pho Thach commune, Duc Pho district, Quang Ngai province from June 17-July 4.

Traditional dishes of Vietnamese and Japanese food will be on display at a gastronomy night, which is to be held in Hoi An town, Quang Nam province on July 7.

A hair design contest featuring Hanoi’s hairstyles over the last 1,000 years has been launched as part of activities to mark the millennium anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

A ceremony was held on July 5 to mark the 100th birthday of writer Nguyen Tuan (July 10, 1910), one of the best known authors of contemporary Vietnamese literature.

The Vienna Charity Ball will be held by the Austrian Embassy in the Grand Ballroom of the Hanoi Melia Hotel on November 12.  

A concert of two new pieces of music written about Vietnam’s capital will debut at the Hanoi Opera House on July 4.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) will organise a grand festival at the Thang Long Royal Citadel from July 22 to August 2 to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Vietnamese and French musicians will play at the Hanoi Opera House on July 13 in a concert to celebrate France’s National Day (July 14).

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has allowed the Vietnam History Museum, the Department of Cultural Heritage in coordination with the Belgium Institute of Fine Arts and the Belgium Centre for Fine Arts to hold an exhibition in Belgium featuring 2,500 years of joint Asian-European history.

The awards presentation ceremony of the fifth National Tourism Artistic Photo Contest took place in Hanoi on July 1, coinciding with the opening of an exhibition showcasing the best photos.

An extensive exhibition of Vietnamese silk paintings is scheduled to open in Paris in late July, said the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Vietnamese adolescents, who won writing and painting contest titled “Canada and red-haired Anne’s world”, were honoured at an awards ceremony in Hanoi on July 1.

National auditions for the music talent-scouting show Vietnam Idol 2010 have attracted nearly 17,000 candidates across the country.

The Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade in coordination with the ABIX Joint Stock Company will host Arts and Handicrafts Week 2010 at the Friendship Cultural Palace in the city from August 4-9.

An Indochina Cultural Friendship Park will be built in Laos’s southern province of Attapu to showcase the culture of the ethnic groups.

Two guest artists from Germany, Schumann and Alpers, will perform classical works with the Vietnam National Academy of Music's Youth Orchestra on July 1. 

The President of Miss Universe Organisation (MUO), Paula Shugart, has asked Khanh Hoa province to host the 2011 Miss Universe pageant. 

The first products of a project to cast 1,000 bronze dragon statues to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi were introduced in Hanoi on June 30. 

An extravaganza featuring traditional dances from the old capital city will be held in Hanoi in October to celebrate the city's 1,000th anniversary.

An exhibition displaying 50 works of calligraphy in Korean script based on President Ho Chi Minh’s prison diary opened in the central province of Nghe An on June 29.

The Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA) has granted a certificate of citizenship to Ly Xuong Can, the 31st generation descendant of King Ly Thai To and the 26th generation descendant of Prince Ly Tong Tuong at a ceremony in Hanoi on June 26.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung has agreed on the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi being televised internationally, said the government office.

Phung Thi My June 27 was named Miss Vietnam at a beauty contest for Vietnamese girls in Russia and in Russia and all of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

A photo exhibition to mark the 35th year of German-Vietnam diplomatic ties was held in the Adlershof Cultural Centre in Berlin on June 25-28.

The Vietnam National Academy of Music (VNAM) will premier symphonies composed by Nguyen Vinh Cat to mark 100 days until the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Vietnam Days will be held in China and Russia with several special events, according to the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

An exhibition entitled “President Ho Chi Minh with China” opened at the Guangdong Museum of Revolutionary History on June 25.

The Ho Chi Minh Union of Friendship Organisations opened the South East Asian Festival 2010 on June 25, commemorating 15 years of Vietnam’s participation in ASEAN and its role as ASEAN chair this year.

Two promising Vietnamese rock bands, Winfield and Black Infinity, have been named in the top 10 shortlist for the first-ever contest ASEAN region top band title.