The 2009 Sea Festival organising board on April 28 in coordination with the Gol Services Trading Information Technology Co. Ltd., has officially launched its website at www.nhatrangfestival.vn.

A painting exhibition opened at Vietnam’s House (Foyer du Vietnam) in Paris on April 26 to highlight the beauty of Vietnamese countryside.

A maritime festival will be held on Do Son beach in the northern port city of Hai Phong on May 1 and Sam Son beach in the northern province of Thanh Hoa on May 2.

Three Tons of Fun artists have risen to fame, over the last five years as one of Cape Town and South Africa’s most popular female groups.

Chile has selected Ho Chi Minh City as a venue for introducing its claret as part of the country’s promotion programme in Asia.

Vietnam’s General Consulate in Hong Kong and Macao and Westin Hotels and Resorts have organized a Vietnamese food culture week in Macao from April 25 to May 2.

The 2009 Ha Long carnival kicked off in Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province on April 25, featuring two performances on land and at sea.

An old Thai woman in the central province of Nghe An has made important contributions to preserving the Thai ethnic group's ancient art of folk singing.

Paintings by contemporary Vietnamese artists are on display at an exhibition in the Rotunda Exchange Square Central in Hong Kong, China, to mark Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit.

The Danish Embassy in Hanoi in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) has held a workshop on art funding in Hanoi.

An English potholing team has discovered a cave believed to be the biggest in the world, in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang World Natural Heritage site, according to officials of central Quang Binh province.

A Vietnamese ensemble of 22 singers and musicians has won the gold cup at the 26th international arts festival in Pyongyang in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Vietnam has called for Switzerland’s assistance in training a large number of management officials.

The Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir will perform at the Hanoi Opera House on May 11, according to the Danish Embassy.

Nguyen Le Ngoc Thao Quyen and Tran Khoa Dieu Anh from the Horizon International Bilingual School in Ho Chi Minh City, won gold medals at a science competition for high-school students held between April 15-20 in Houston, Texas.

Three Swedish celebrity chefs will show off their skills at a special one-week event, the Nordic Gala Feast, featuring authentic Scandinavian food and music at the Hotel Equatorial on April 24.

The National Library of Vietnam (NLV) on April 20 opened an exhibition of books and magazines about ASEAN in Hanoi.

A week of Finnish film in Vietnam will begin in Hanoi on April 28 as part of a series of cultural cooperation activities between Vietnam and Finland.

American singer-song writer Kelda Shulman has begun a three-month stint at the Park Lounge in the Park Hyatt Saigon, performing a variety of music from pop to musical theatre classics.

Four Vietnamese stamp collectors have been honoured at the 2009 World Stamp Exhibition held in Luoyang city of China’s central Henan province.

The 14th Congress of National Southeast Asian Librarians (CONSAL XIV) themed “Towards dynamic libraries and information services in Southeast Asian countries” will kick off in Hanoi on April 21.

Nearly 200 photographs, artifacts and traditional costumes have been displayed at an exhibition entitled “Vietnam’s cultural space” at the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France.

Thousands of people from many different ethnic groups nationwide gathered at the Vietnam Ethnic Culture and Tourism Village in Son Tay, Hanoi, on August 18 for Vietnamese Ethnic Cultures Day, the first ever held in Vietnam.

A gala night of the Singaporean art troupe Nanyang Academy Of Fine Arts (NAFA) with the performance of Montenegrin pianist Boris Kraljevic was launched in Ho Chi Minh City on April 18.

Khmer people from 13 Mekong Delta provinces met in Can Tho city on April 18 to enjoy their traditional Chol Chnam Thmay New Year's Festival.

Vietnamese supermodel Ngo Tien Doan, who won the Mr International 2008 contest in Taiwan, has been selected as a judge for the final round of Mr Venezuela International on April 30.

For Le Van Ban, an old man from the Muong ethnic minority group in the northern midland province of Phu Tho, the Du drum dance has become part of his life.

A bicycle parade to celebrate the Day of Persons with Disabilities will take place on the morning of April 18 with the participation of about 2,000-5,000 people, most of whom will be students, young people and those with disabilities.

Vietnam has more than 3,000 major historical sites and tens of thousands of smaller ones scattered across the country and there is an urgent need to restore and preserve them at any cost.

The Foreign Ministry has called upon diplomats at home and abroad to vote Ha Long Bay as one of new world wonders.