The Vietnamese film "Chuyen Cua Pao" (Pao's Story) was selected to compete for an Oscar at the 2007 Annual Academy Awards.

Vietnam will conduct a US$120-million tertiary education project from January 1, 2007 to the end of 2010. Of the total investment, US$108 million comes from the World Bank loans and US$12 million from the fund of the Vietnamese government and universities in the country.

Vietnamese traditional dishes are being introduced at a Vietnam gastronomy festival at the Maritim Hotel in Frankfurt city, Germany, from September 22 to October 1.

Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA) Chu Chi Thanh and his counterpart Khamla Soulilath from the Lao Photographic Association signed a cooperation agreement in Hanoi on September 25.

Vietnamese artists and dancers performed a special art programme in Brussels last Friday as part of the ongoing festival “Vietnamese Days in Belgium”.

The 56th Miss World pageant finals will be broadcast live on October 1 via satellite, according to the organising board of Miss World 2006.

On the occasion of the eleventh Francophone Summit held in Bucharest, the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture and Information (MoCI) sent an art troupe to perform in Romania from September 22 to October 1, according to the Cooperation Department under the MoCI.

“Vietnam - Tradition and Modernity” was the main theme of the eighth International Day of Solidarity which was held in the city of Brou sur Chantereine, France recently.

The Republic of Korea (RoK) Embassy in Vietnam plans to open a culture centre – the first of its kind in Southeast Asia – in Hanoi on December 6.

The Netherlands education exhibition opened in Hanoi on September 19 to introduce study opportunities in the Netherlands for Vietnamese students.

Works by 15 German young cartoon film makers will be screened at the Hanoi Goethe Institute under the sponsorship of the German institute for international relations (IFA).

Archaeologists have discovered more than 10 common graves with many agate balls and other artefacts in the Con Dai archaeological site of Huong Chu commune, Huong Tra district, central Thua Thien-Hue province.

The Bangkok Symphony Orchestra of Thailand will tour Vietnam later this month as part of activities to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Thailand and Vietnam.

More than 60 directors of museums and archaeologists from Asia gathered in Yunnan, China on September 18 to attend a forum held by the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and the Yunnan Ethnics Museum.

Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) held a press conference in Hanoi on September 18 to announce the renovation of the Music, News and Entertainment channel (VOV 3).

The Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina and the National University of Mar del Plata city have provided an overview of Vietnamese culture for Argentineans by holding jointly-organised meetings, an exhibition of Dong Ho folk paintings, film of world-recognised heritage sites in Vietnam, and musical performances on traditional instruments from September 13-15.

Two famous lacquer paintings, typical of Vietnam's art in the 20th century, have been restored to their original conditions after 10 months of hard work by local artisans.

Miss Vietnam Mai Phuong Thuy was listed among 20 others beauties for the Miss World Dress Designer Award at the ongoing Miss World 2006 in Warsaw, Poland.

Vietnamese singer My Linh and music composers Anh Quan and Huy Tuan have left for Japan to attend the FOLTE (Friends of Love The Earth) festival to be held in Nagoya City on September 16 and 17.

The film Ao Lua Ha Dong (Ha Dong Silk Dress) directed by overseas Vietnamese Luu Huynh has qualified for the official round of the Busan International Film Festival to be held from October 12-20.

Twenty five of 50 photos are expected to help Hanoi people further understand the European culture in general and Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” in particular.

A Japanese film festival will be held at the National Cinema Centre in Hanoi, from September 22-24.

A Vietnamese delegation led by head of the cinematography department Lai Van Sinh left Vietnam for Japan on September 14 to attend the 16th Fukuoka International Film Festival.

A 20-member troupe from the central province of Phu Yen will tour the Republic of Korea (RoK) from September 14-24.

The embassy of Australia opened an exhibition of Australian contemporary ceramic arts in Hanoi on September 12 in the presence of Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Le Tien Tho and representatives of the Australia embassy.

The traditional music of various regions in Vietnam will be introduced at the Torino Music Festival in Italia in mid-September.

The provincial museum of northern Ha Tay province has received an ancient bronze drum believed to belong to the Dong Son Culture 2,000 years ago.

A Chinese film week started in HCM City on September 11 and will last until September 17 to mark the 15th anniversary of the establishment of China-ASEAN diplomatic relations.

The Vietnamese team made a spectacular victory against Thai rivals to become the champions at the final match of the Asia Pacific Robocon 2006 held in Malaysia on September 10.

To mark the 30th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties, “Japanese cultural days” programme will be launched in HCM City on September 17.