Member countries of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) forum, as well as other countries from around the world, will meet in Hanoi on December 15-16 to share experiences in preserving and promoting cultural diversity.

A celebration was held in the inner citadel of imperial Hue city, central Thua Thien-Hue province on December 11 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the city’s recognition as a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

A celebration was held in the inner citadel of imperial Hue city, central Thua Thien-Hue province on December 11 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the city’s recognition as a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The cultural and history of ethnic groups in the north-eastern region are being showcased at an exhibition, which opened in the northern province of Bac Giang on Dec. 11.

The Romanian piano trio will hold a performance on December 15 at the Hanoi Opera House on the occasion of 90th National Day of Romania (1918-2008), co-organised by the Vietnamese Art Performance Organising Centre and the Romanian Embassy.

The second Buon Ma Thuot coffee festival is due to open on the evening of December 10 and the opening ceremony will be broadcast live on VTV1 at 8pm.

Vietnamese photography lovers will have an opportunity for the first time to enjoy works by famous artists from all over the world and engage in cultural exchange with them in a photo exhibition at the Vietnam Fine Art Museum in Hanoi on December 11.

The ancient city of Hoi An in Central Quang Nam province needs an estimated VND1.1 trillion to preserve and develop its cultural heritage value in the 2009-2020 period, according to a project designed by the Central Branch of the Institute of Building Science and Technology.

A charitable concert was held in Paris on December 7 to raise funds in support of outstanding students from low-income group in Ho Chi Minh City.

A choir composed of under-privileged children studying at the Thang Long Vocational School will be performing in city hotels and restaurants from now until Christmas Eve.

Eleven Vietnamese, German and French hip-hoppers are to mix hip-hop dance with live traditional music in a show called the Faces, aiming to send messages about dreams, love and the role of youths in society.

The second Oriental Dance Festival will be held in Hanoi on December 11 with the participation of nearly 40 dancers from across the country.

The International Institute for Trade and Development in Vietnam will organise a training course on teamwork, which will be taught by American author, John C. Maxell, on December 11-12 at Long Hai Beach Resort in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Vietnam has handed over to Laos a history book on the resistance war of eight northern provinces of Laos in the 1945-1975 period.

An international cuisine festival featuring both local and international dishes opened its doors in Ho Chi Minh City on December 5.

An international cuisine festival featuring both local and international dishes opened its doors in Ho Chi Minh City on December 5.

Nearly 300 objects, including documents and images, on training cooperation between Vietnam and Russia are being displayed at an exhibition opened in Hanoi on December 5.

Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Education and Training Banh Tien Long has asked universities to help students improve their English so that they can use it confidently and competently by 2015.

The second Tea Festival 2008 kicked off in Bao Loc City in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong on December 4.

The bright colours of traditional Khmer clothes can be seen everywhere in Can Tho as 15,000 of them gather for a four-day festival of culture, sports and tourism that opens on December 5.

The Golden Kite Awards 2008, organised by the Vietnam Cinematography Association, has been officially launched with the participation of 41 short films, 10 documentary films and 1 animated film.

Artists of the Ho Chi Minh City Symphony and Opera Theatre will give a performance for cultural exchange at the Lao National Culture Hall in Vientiane on December 5-6 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Lao People’s Army (1949-2009).

The Prime Minister has granted permission to the Vietnam Cinema Association to embark on a US$252,000 film-making training project funded by the US’s Ford Foundation.

Four master chefs from around the globe will tempt the palates of foodies as they join hands in Hanoi for the Aromes Festival, which opened on December 3.

Vietnamese pianist Nguyen Bich Tra will perform on the evening of December 3 at Washington, DC’s Kennedy Centre, one of the US’s most pregious national performing arts centers.

A website at www.yoosk.vn/ukvn was launched on Dec. 2, aimed at opening up lines of communication between Public Figures in the UK and Vietnamese citizens.

Artists from 13 theatres nationwide have joined together to perform at the first National Festival of Experimental Drama, which kicked off in Hanoi on December 1.

The Vietnam Stage Artists’ Association was awarded the Gold Star Order at the Hanoi Opera House on Dec. 1 in recognition of its outstanding contributions over the past more than 50 years.

With over 11,500 items on display, including pre-history objects and ancient ceramics, the Lam Dong Museum is the biggest museum in the Central Highland region to date.

The first student music festival was launched at the Hanoi University of Culture by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and MobiFone in Hanoi on November 30.