More than 100 Vietnamese guests, including those who love the Republic of Korea’s culture, had a chance to make and taste the RoK’s popular dishes at a culinary show in Hanoi on January 19.

Belgium Victoire magazine, a weekend publication of Le Soir daily newspaper, has given four pages with numerous photos promoting Vietnamese tourism.

A colourful festival of parallel sentences, flowers and beverages will be held in Hanoi from January 25 to February 2 to welcome the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

A roof-tile kiln which is believed to date back to between the 17th and 18th century has been discovered at the Dong Co temple relics site in Tu Liem district, Hanoi.

Eleven prizes worth VND27 million in total have been presented to winners of a propaganda painting contest, which was launched by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) from June 26 to December 31, 2007 to welcome the 10th Vietnam Trade Union Congress.

Hanoians are preparing to welcome the Lunar New Year (Tet) with a number of impressive cultural and art activities along with many exhibitions and fairs taking place in the city as from late January.

The Mondadori Publishing House in Italy has released "That night I dreamt of peace: the Diary of a female Vietnamese Communist physician, 1968-1970” in Italian language.

As many as 376 rare and precious objects displayed at the Vietnam Military History Museum record the memorable and marvelous moments of the 1968 Tet Offensive.

A two-day workshop to introduce the country’s cultural traditions has been held in the central city of Hue.

The French embassy will provide central Thua Thien-Hue province with US$30,000 this month for the training of technicians in service of cultural activities in Hue Festival 2008, according to the Thua Thien-Hue People’s Committee.

Nhu Quynh is the second Vietnamese artist to have won a special prize from the Republic of Korea’s (RoK) Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) following actor Quoc Tri from the Vietnam Army’s Drama Troupe, who was recently awarded by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS).

The television series Ma Lang (Village Ghost) won the much sought after golden prize at the 2007 National Television Film Festival in northern Hai Phong port city from January 9-13.

A new set of New Year stamps has been launched nationwide to welcome the upcoming traditional lunar New Year Festival (the Year of the Rat).

Hanoians flocked to Hoan Kiem Lake’s Ba Kieu Temple on January 13 and began counting the days until the 1,000th anniversary of the city.

The first Belgium’s culture and gastronomy programme in Ho Chi Minh City will be held from January 14-18 by Belgian Consulate General, according to honourary Belgian Consul General Casier Dominique.

The province of Dak Nong has published a M’Nong-Viet dictionary with over 10,000 words for the first time, after two years of doing research and editing printed material. This is considered the biggest M’Nong dictionary in Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands).

A 12-strong puppet troupe from the Central Puppet Theatre will leave for Myanmar on January 16 to take part in a traditional arts festival to mark the third ASEAN and ASEAN+3 Cultural Ministers’ Meeting.

The French Embassy will coordinate with other French agencies in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to launch a French week in Vietnam from April 6-12.

The hosting of several global beauty queen pageants over the past year has promoted Vietnam’s image to the international community.

A classical guitar concert entitled Villa Lobos Moment will take place at the Hanoi Opera House on January 13 to celebrate composer Villas Lobos’ 120th birthday.

The Capital City of Hanoi has decided to hold a festival on January 13 to mark the count-down to the millennium anniversary, which is 1,000 days left.

Vietnam and Indonesia have cooperated in bulding English teaching programmes under Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) conditions, which will serve as a foundation for developing training programmes and measuring the English proficiency of their vocational schools.

The south-central coastal province of Khanh Hoa welcomed 1.3 million visitors in 2007, shining an increase of 25.4 percent over last year and exceeding its yearly target by 13.4 percent.

The tourism industry must concentrate on promoting and increasing the quality of its services. In particular, new products need to be better designed to meet international standards so that the industry can continue to attract more tourists to Vietnam in 2008.

The Vietnam Institute of Social Sciences and the Dak Lak provincial People’s Committee will co-organize a seminar after the conclusion of the 7-year project, “Tay Nguyen epic, the investigation, collection, translation, preservation and publication” in Buon Ma Thuot City on January 8.

A photo exhibition on Vietnamese Agent Orange victims is being held in Milan, Italy.

For half the past century, music has been an integral part of the Vietnamese people’s lives through thousands of songs and instrumental pieces in praise of the nation, the country, revolutionary heroism, the glorious Communist Party of Vietnam, Uncle Ho and the achievements in wartime and national construction by our army and people.

US country music duo, Bob and Tucker Livingston, gave a performance in HCM City on January 4, winning thunderous applause from audiences.

Vietnamese film Cu va Chim Se Se (The Owl and the Sparrow), which has appeared in nearly 30 film festivals and won several prestigious awards, will hit US cinema screens in April.

Swedish photographer Eva Lindskog and her Vietnamese colleague Le Thiet Cuong jointly opened their photo exhibition in Hanoi on January 4, reminding visitors of their daily life during the subsidy period.