Vietnam will invest more than ever on restoring and preserving architecture, historical sites, landscapes and areas that are deemed culturally significant to the country as part of a new cultural development plan up to 2010.

Archaeologists have recently unearthed relics of a major architectural work believed to date back to the Ly Dynasty (11th –12th centuries) at Cau Tu Temple in northern Bac Giang province’s Luc Ngan district.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and Information in cooperation with embassies of Southeast Asian countries in Hanoi opened an exhibition entitled “The colours of ASEAN” on August 3 to mark the 40th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN).

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) will donate US$ 91,000 to the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong to help it preserve its traditional gong culture.

Street lighting in the capital is to be given consideration over the next three years to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, according to the Hanoi Public Light Company (Hapulico).

Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are to issue a joint tourism guidebook promoting their famous landscapes, tourist hot spots and cultural attractions.

The 10th sports and cultural festival in the northwestern region will take place from October 25-29 in Yen Bai province.

The Ministry of Education and Training in cooperation with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) held a meeting in Hanoi on August 2 to review the results of a technical assistance project for teachers in northern Bac Giang province.

The authorities have seized an antique drum from illegal antique dealers in Phu Xuan commune, Krong Nang district, Central Highland Dac Lac province.

Vietnamese photographers have bagged 21 out of the 31 prizes for winning works at the fourth International Photo Contest launched in Vietnam from March 15 to July 15. Foreign judges praised host photographers for the creativity and uniqueness of their works.

10 outstanding Vietnamese students have left for the Republic of Korea (RoK) to attend the Asian Youth Camp Towards Future being held from July 31 to August 20.

On Saturday in Hanoi, over 200 young people gave out free hugs in the streets near Hoan Kiem Lake. They practised “random acts of kindness” simply in an effort to make the people who accepted a hug feel better.

The second 2007 Tourism and Cultural Festival “Quang Tri Trans-Asia Span of Bridge” offered a good opportunity for people at home and abroad to get a better understanding of Quang Tri, its land and people and to exchange cultural activities among ethnic groups living along the East-West corridor and in the sub-Mekong region.

Business forums, films and folk song and dance performances will be held during Vietnam Days in France in September.

The final instalment of the "Harry Potter" series of children's books has been flying off the shelves in Ho Chi Minh City as demand for the much-anticipated novel has exceeded supply.

The 63rd Congress of the Universal Esperanto Association (UEA) entitled "Peace, Cooperation and Development" opened in Hanoi on July 28 with the participation of 200 delegates from 35 countries in the world.

Toyota Motor Vietnam has coordinated with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) to launch Toyota Concert Tour 2007 around Vietnam from July 29 to August 12.

Water puppetry artists from the Hai Phong Puppet Theatre will represent Vietnam at the 16th international puppetry festival, which will be held in Jerusalem, Israel in July.

Hanoi will host the 63rd World Esperanto Youth Congress from July 27-August 3, the Vietnam Esperanto Association announced on July 25.

Vietnamese students brought home a silver and a bronze at the 18th International Biology Olympiad (IBO) held in Canada from July 15-22.

Truong Ho Phuong Nga was crowned at a “Miss Vietnam in Russia” beauty contest, which was held in Moscow on July 24.

A water puppetry performance by Vietnamese artists has won acclaim at the 24th annual Almada Puppetry Festival in Lisbon, Portugal.

Hanoi Cinemateque, the only art cinema in Hanoi at 22A Hai Ba Trung Street, is screening five categories of film about Vietnam from mid-July to mid-August.

The festival is a significant cultural event, representing the emotion and deep gratitude of artists working in the culture and arts field to those who laid down their lives for the independence and freedom of the nation.

Vietnamese-made film “Dong Mau Anh Hung” (The Rebel) was screened at the World Cinema Centre in Thailand on July 23.

The Vietnam History Museum on July 22 announced the completion of a project to restore 70 devotional objects dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.

A music and fashion show entitled “Charming Vietnam Gala” will take place at the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore on August 18-19.

Nearly 340 artists from six Vietnamese art troupes and guest performers from the Laos National Art Troupe and the Cambodian Royal Art Troupe gathered in central Quang Tri province on July 20 for an art festival of the three Indochinese countries.

The Ministry of Culture and Information and the US Embassy in Vietnam on July 20 unveiled results of a project to preserve a collection of lacquered and gold-trimmed furniture that made from the 18th and 19th centuries.

A seminar entitled “Decade of education for sustainable development (DESD): from awareness to action” was held in Hanoi on July 20 by the Vietnamese National Committee on the decade of education for sustainable development and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).