Air Supply, a renowned Australian Pop-rock band, has performed for the first time in Ho Chi Minh City.

The 2009 Vietnam Airlines Classic concert featuring the Japanese Orchestra, Liberia Classica, will be held at the Hanoi Opera House on October 11.

An exhibition displaying old photos of Hanoi’s thirty-six streets and guilds opened at the Gallery House, 93 Dinh Tien Hoang Street on October 8. All the photos were collected by Chaplain Philippe, Chairman of France’s National Heritage League. 

Numerous activities, including cultural and arts exhibitions, and performances will be held at the Hanoi ancient citadel relic from October 8-18 to mark the 999th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and the 55th anniversary of the capital city’s liberation day (October 10).

The Hanoi Union of Friendship Organisations on October 8 announced 10 major activities to celebrate the city’s recognition by UNESCO 10 years ago as a “City for Peace”, in the lead-up to the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

More than 200 representatives from 39 countries will take part in an international conference on the promotion of Vietnamese literature abroad.

The Vietnam Revolutionary Museum opened an exhibition on the country’s defence of its border and territories in Hanoi on October 6.

A Vietnamese film So Tu (The 4th”) will be screened on November 7 at the International Student Film Festival Hollywood.

A meeting of writers who entered the 2009 Southeast Asian Writers Award, and literature lovers was held in Bangkok, Thailand on October 5.

The German beer festival, the Oktoberfest, will be celebrated at the Windsor Plaza hotel in Ho Chi Minh City from October 6-11.

A symphony orchestra of young Vietnamese has given a performance at the Phiharmonie Concert Palace in Berlin, Germany.

Vietnam wants to increase cooperation with the Southeast Asia Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (SARBICA) and its members in the collection, management, preservation and use of archives.

An exhibition titled “Vietnam: particular colours” opened in Allicelliana Library, Rome, Italy on October 1, featuring photos taken by Italian photographer Maurizio Cofini.

The film selection council and the Vietnam Cinematography Department, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on September 29 decided to choose “Don’t Burn” directed by Dang Nhat Minh to represent Vietnam at the 82nd Oscar Awards in the US.

A man from a mountain village in central Quang Binh province helps his community combat poverty.

An exhibition on Thang Long-Hanoi and ca tru (Vietnamese ceremonial singing) culture will be held at Vietnam’s Museum of History from October 1-10 as part of a programme to mark the 999th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi. 

An exhibition of Hanoi’s craft villages will open in the capital city on October 6 as part of a number of activities to mark the 999th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The remains of a 1,200 year-old Cham sanctuary unearthed in Phu Vang district in Hue will be made secure at a cost of VND560 million (US$32,000 ), and conservation work is scheduled for completion next year.

Nearly 80 paintings of memories relating to the 100-year-old Long Bien Bridge were put up for auction in the Melia Hotel, Hanoi, on Sept. 28 to raise funds for Agent Orange victims.

The Brazilian symphony orchestra, Bachiana Brasileira, will give a performance at the Vietnam National Conservatoire at 8pm on October 6 to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Brazil and Vietnam.

The Hanoi Welcome exhibition is due to open at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum on October 1.

The 2009 Mid Autumn Festival exhibition and fair is being held at the Vietnam Cultural Art Exhibition Centre in Hanoi from September 29 to October 3.

Hoang Thi Yen (No 64) defeated 64 other candidates nationwide to win the Mrs Vietnam 2009 title in Ba Ria-Vung Tau City on September 26. The runners up were Nguyen Thi Thu Ha and Dam Thi Ly.  

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Hanoi on September 25 coordinated with Hanoi’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to launch a nationwide propaganda poster contest to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

A seminar on Japanese literature was held in HCM City on September 25 to mark the “Mekong-Japan Exchange Year”.

“Don’t Burn” by director Dang Nhat Minh has beaten out 24 arch-rivals to bag the Fukuoka Audience Award, the only prize at the on-going Fukuoka International Film Festival in Japan.

Inspired by the tropical climate in Vietnam, two foreign artists – Jean-luc Vilmouth from France and Asami Nishimura from Japan – have created their own piece of jungle right in the heart of Hanoi.

The Central Commission for Education and Communication has liaised with the website of the Communist Party of Vietnam to hold a meeting in Danang on September 22 for collectives and individuals that have excelled in following President Ho Chi Minh’s moral examples.

The Central Highland province of Gia Lai is busy making preparations for the International Gong Festival scheduled for November 12-15.