An exhibition by Spanish photographer Guisado Arneste is being held in Hanoi from October 4 to November 4 to mark Spain’s National Day (October 12).

More than 40 researchers and artists from across the country gathered in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang on October 4 for a seminar on preserving “Then” singing and “dan tinh” musical instrument.

A further 5,875 ancient pottery items have been salvaged from an old sunken ship off Cham island, Quang Nam province’s Department of Culture and Information said on October 2.

Stamp collections from seven Vietnamese philatelists are being showcased at an exhibition entitled “the Cosmos” held at the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Hanoi on October 3.

Nearly 700 delegates from 135 countries around the world attended the second world forum of former students who had studied at Russian universities on October 3.

The Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF) and the Hanoi University of Technology signed a memorandum of understating to establish a library in Hanoi on October 4.

About VND8.5 billion will be allocated to protect, preserve and enlarge tame elephant herds in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak from now to 2011.

Nearly 500 singers, dancers and musicians from 14 provinces and cities nationwide have gathered for a festival featuring the traditional folk music of the northern mountainous ethnic minority people.

San Art (Art Exchange), a new gallery owned by a group of overseas Vietnamese and local artists in Ho Chi Minh City, opened a reference library for art and art history researchers on October 2.

Vietnamese cover girls Tran Thi Huong Giang and Nguyen Ai Chau are to represent Vietnam in two international beauty contests this month.

The Ministry of Education and Training and Japanese electronic group – Matsushita granted Panasonic scholarships to outstanding Vietnamese students in Hanoi on October 2.

A Gala was held by the Vietnam Dynamic Student Association in New South Wales (VDS), Australia, attracting nearly 1,000 Vietnamese and international students and dozens of Vietnamese officials in Sydney.

A programme featuring the silver screen industry of France will be held in Hanoi from October 11-15, entertaining Hanoians with a series of special movies.

A Gala dinner called “Vietnamese days in Paris” was held in the Vietnamese Embassy in France on October 1 with the participation of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, his wife and nearly 500 delegates from Vietnam and France.

The Da Lat Flower Festival 2007, to be held from December 15-22, is expected to attract about 70,000 visitors, the festival organising board announced at a press briefing in Hanoi on October 1.

India’s Pratibha Kala Kender art troupe will bring their Charkula folk dance from the Braj region to Vietnamese audiences during their tour to Vietnam from October 9-13.

The SouthCentral Khanh Hoa province held a working session with relevant agencies on October 1 to prepare for the organisation of Miss Universe 2008.

Germany plans to offer 85 Vietnamese students scholarships to study at Hessen State-based universities annually.

Tran Vu Phuong Hong Diem from Huflit university won first prize, Bui Le Minh Trang from Ho Chi Minh City’s University of Economics won second prize, and Tran Quoc Thai from Can Tho University and Nguyen Thi Hai Thanh from the Foreign Trade University in Hanoi shared third prize.

Watching Vietnamese films, French audiences will have a better understanding of Vietnam’s film industry and traditional culture.

Bau Truc village in the southern province of Ninh Thuan is well known for ceramics of different patterns designed by skilled artisans. It is one of the two oldest ceramic villages in Southeast Asia.

Vietnamese ambassador to UNESCO Van Nghia Dung presented his credentials to UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura at the UNESCO office in France on September 28.

A 1,045kg 1.85m x 2.95m photo album has been exhibited at the Van Ho Exhibition Centre, Hoa Lu st, in Hanoi from September 26-30 as part of the 2007 Canon Festival.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung has agreed to let central Nha Trang beach city host the Miss Universe Beauty Contest 2008.

The Vietnam Film Import-Export and Distribution Company (Fafilm Vietnam) has become the country sole distributor for the Hong Kong-based television firm TVB.

Two ancient stone statues which are believed to date back to between the 6th-12th centuries have been unearthed in Bien Hoa city in southern Dong Nai province.

A show of Vietnamese water puppetry was held in Regent Park, London on September 26.

Three of eight photos by Vuong Quoc Kim from Central Highlands Dak Lak province have won four awards at the 48th Hong Kong International Photo Contest.

The traditional Vietnamese song, music and dance troupe will make a performance tour of Japan from October 1-21 at the invitation of former Japanese Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi, now president of the Japan-Vietnam Council for Peace and Friendship (JVPF).

An exhibition on US tertiary education will open at the Equatorial Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City on October 9 and at the Sofitel Plaza in Hanoi on October 11.