The Da Lat Festival 2008 will be held from Dec. 4-7 at the Bao Loc town in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong, which is known for tea production.

A collection of four books on Vietnamese dishes entitled “Five Seasons” written by a group of authors including famous French Chef Didier Corlou made its debut in Hanoi on Nov. 28.

A charity concert will be held on January 13, 2009 at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi, with the participation of Miss World 2007 and 2008 and other overseas Vietnamese singers.

The first ever festival to feature national dishes from Vietnam and the Republic of Korea began at College of Foreign Languages of the Hanoi National University on November 28.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) launched a campaign in central Da Nang city on November 28 to vote for Ha Long Bay and other Vietnamese sites in a bid to have them recognised as one of the new natural wonders of the world.

A book featuring photos and data on the Vietnam-Russia relationship was introduced in Hanoi on November 27.

Hanoi food-lovers are invited to savour the rich flavours and textures of Thai cuisine at a culinary festival starting on November 28.

The UNESCO Vietnam association has announced the launch of two new awards, named “Vietnam’s cultural and tourism heritage” and “In support of the preservation and development of Vietnam’s cultural heritage”.

The 2008 cuisine festival will be held at the Van Thanh Tourism Site in Ho Chi Minh City from December 5-7 by the city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Tourism Association and Saigontourist Corporation.

A documentary focusing on the use of Agent Orange/dioxin in Vietnam, entitled “A/O: personal requiem” produced by Sakata Masako and Bill Megalos, was granted a special prize at the closing of the 26th International Environmental Film Festival in Paris on November 25 that attracted 87 films from 37 countries.

A hundred Russian books, including literary books, dictionaries, children’s books, textbooks and reference volumes published by 28 Russian publishers, were displayed at an exhibition in Hanoi on November 26.

The central province of Quang Nam’s Hoi An town is to strike up a friendship with Australia’s Kiama city following an agreement signed by the two localities on November 25.

The Japanese ship Nippon Maru docked at Saigon port in HCM City on November 26, bringing ashore 329 young people from the ten Southeast Asian nations and Japan.

Nearly 200 professors, Ph.D holders and scholars from Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, Thailand and Vietnam gathered at a scientific seminar held in the northern province of Quang Ninh on November 21 to discuss the life and the cause of King Tran Nhan Tong.

Khmer communities in 12 southern provinces and cities are planning to hold a festival of culture, sport and tourism in Can Tho city from December 5-8.

A photography competition with the theme of “Climate change: impacts on our lives” was launched in Hanoi on November 25 by the Vietnamese Photographers’ Association and the EC Delegation in Vietnam.

Archeologists and historians from Vietnam and abroad attended an international workshop in Hanoi on November 24-25 on the huge cultural and historical value of the Thang Long-Hanoi Royal Citadel.

The 3rd National Contest of Traditional Instrument Performances kicks off on November 25 at the Vietnam Academy of Music.

The 25-year-old Vietnamese model, Ngo Tien Doan, beat out other 30 contestants worldwide after a 10-day competition to garner the title “Mister International 2008” on November 24 in Taiwan, China.

A writing competition sponsored by the Danish Embassy is seeking to raise the profile of the fantasy genre in children’s literature.

A national exhibition of artistic ceramics will be held at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum from December 23, 2008 to January 4, 2009.

The international music festival entitled Loreto Fest 2008 will be held at the RMIT University in HCM City from November 29, 2008.

Young Vietnamese pianist Tran Thu Le has finished for six years of studying in Russia.Le will appear at the HCM City Conservatoire, presenting Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No 3 in Es Major, op. 75 and Waltz of the Flowers.

UNESCO has stated its willingness to continue assisting Vietnam in preserving the tangible and intangible values of Hue imperial city, one of the world cultural heritage sites recognised by UNESCO.

The 4th Vietnam Cultural Heritage Festival on the theme “Week of Hue Culture and Day Returning to the Nation’s Roots (November 23)” opened in Hanoi on November 21.

Local and foreign artists will bring the contemporary sound of digital music to Ho Chi Minh City on November 23.

An online exchange entitled “Con duong pho” (The Road of Pho - a well-known Vietnamese dish) took place at the VOVNews office in Hanoi on November 21 with the participation of folklore writer Giang Quan, Pho 24 trademark initiator Ly Quy Trung, and representatives of pho villages in northern Nam Dinh province.

The festival will be held in the areas around Ly Thai To Statute and Dinh Tien Hoang Street from December 31, 2008 to January 4, 2009.

VietHaus, a Vietnamese cultural and trade centre in Germany has become an attractive place for German and other foreign visitors who wish to understand more about Vietnam and its people.

A book about Vietnam’s transformation to a modern world, written by one of the leading experts on the economies of Southeast Asian countries, was published in the US on November 13.