With an impressive, professional style of performance, violinist Bui Cong Duy was recognized by domestic and foreign press agencies as a new “phenomenon” in Vietnamese music.

A music performance entitled Beautiful Friends Concert to mark the 15th anniversary of friendship between the RoK and Vietnam will take place in Hanoi on November 23.

Thai cuisine, folk art demonstrations, music and folk dancing will be featured in a cultural charity event to be held in Hanoi on November 24.

A music gala featuring top pop singers from Vietnam and Japan will be held on May 24 in Hanoi and May 26 in Ho Chi Minh City as part of activities to mark the 35th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties.

Opera singers from Europe and Asia will jointly perform in Hanoi on November 25 to mark the 30th anniversary of EU-ASEAN relations.

Long An Temple, one of the finest wooden structures of the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945), will undergo restoration over the next two years.

Under the theme “Forest Night”, the 2007 Gong Cultural Festival began on November 21 with a special art performance, featuring the unique culture of Truong Son-Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands).

The Dae Chang Kum food and drink festival will take place at the National Conference Centre on November 25 to make the first anniversary of the Republic of Korean Cultural Centre.

A delegation of Beijing Youth League Committee hold an exchange with Dong Da district’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union during their visit to Vietnam from November 21-23.

The two-day 23rd Francophone Ministerial Meeting (FMM) concluded in the Lao capital of Vientiane on November 21.

The opening ceremony of the 15th Vietnam Film Festival was held on November 21 at Tran Hung Dao square in northern Nam Dinh province. The festival is expected to breathe a new life into the national film industry.

The “Vietnam Cutural Heritage Day 2007” programme, themed “Ha Long Bay – Natural Wonder of the World”, is being launched at the Vietnam Culture and Arts Exhibition Centre, No. 2 Hoa Lu street, Hanoi from November 20-23.

A programme featuring Japan’s Yozakura dancers will be held at the Youth Cultural House in Ho Chi Minh City on November 25.

The second innovation festival for young peole will open in Hanoi on November 24. High on the agenda of the two-day event is an idea transaction floor and a forum for young scientists which will attract 700 participants nationwide.

The European Jazz Festival in Vietnam will be held from November 22 to December 3 at the Hanoi Youth Theatre and the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatoire.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Information and Communications in coordination with the Information Office of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Government and the Korean Embassy in Vietnam will launch a “Dynamic Korea in Hanoi” event from November 22 to December 2.

A ceremony to award the 2007 Vietnamese Craft Village prize was held by the Association of Vietnamese Craft Villages in Hanoi on November 20.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tran Chien Thang said from now till the end of the year the tourism sector will promote Ha Long Bay. The World Natural Heritage Site was nominated by New Open World Corporation to join the list of seven new natural wonders of the world.

Sixty students from 18 provinces and cities, who came first in the 2006-2007 National Competition for Excellent Students, were presented the “school bright star” prize at a ceremony in Hanoi on November 19.

The bazaar, held on Saturday November 17 at Van Phuc Sports Centre in Kim Ma district, showed the many extraordinary talents in the Vietnamese handicraft arena.

A course to introduce about the Republic of Korea (RoK) will be held for local leaders of southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province from December 4-7 to mark the 15th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

An exhibition featuring the distinctive cultural characteristics of Cong Chieng (gongs) in the community of Vietnam ethnic groups opened in Buon Ma Thuot city in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak on November 19.

More than 35,000 Chinese books covering 6,000 subjects have been on display at a Chinese Books Exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City from November 17 – 25.

The festival entitled “Impression of Vietnam” opened on November 17 in Beijing, China, featuring the diverse activities of Vietnamese culture and arts.

An exhibition of paintings entitled “Vietnamese landscape and people” by three female painters from Japan and Thailand opened at 42 Yet Kieu, Hanoi, on November 17.

300 gastronomists will cook Korean traditional foods such as Gimchi at a festival to be held in Hanoi on November 25.

The Vietnamese Culture Week entitled “Vietnam – the Hidden Charm” concluded in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (RoK) on November 15.

After 10 days of competition, the Autumn Concours 2007, Vietnam’s most prestigious music contest, closed on November 14 with an awards ceremony held at the Hanoi Opera House.

Archaeologists have unearthed hundreds of stone and earthenware artifacts believed to be nearly 3,000 years old on the Sa Huynh culture on the An Hai islet on the Con Dao island, a district of the southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

Luu Thi Van Anh from northern Hai Phong city was crowned Miss Jewellery Vietnam 2007 after the final round of the contest which took place at the Cultural Friendship Palace in Hanoi on November 14 with the participation of 33 contestants.