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

Trade Minister Truong Dinh Tuyen has expressed confidence in the strong and dynamic development of trade and investment ties between Vietnam and Belgium.

The Bac Ninh provincial Department of Culture and Information, in cooperation with the Institute of Culture and Information has basically completed a file to submit to the UNESCO for recognition of Bac Ninh folk song as an oral and intangible masterpiece of humanity.

The first Forum of Asian Fine Art Museum Directors has taken place in Beijing, drawing representatives of the 10 ASEAN member countries plus three dialogue partners, namely China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

A contest on the Republic of Korea (RoK) was launched in Hanoi on September 6 to enhance Vietnamese people's understanding of the RoK and boost cultural relations between the two countries.

Vietnam will introduce its literature and latest publications to Russian and international friends, providing a general impression of the country’s socio-economic and cultural development.

A photographic exhibition on Vietnam opened in Caracas, Venezuela, on September 1 to mark Vietnam's August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2).

Experts from Vietnam, other ASEAN member countries, and the Europe Commission (EC) are gathering in Hanoi on September 5 to discuss and share experiences in intellectual property.

The European Commission's Delegation to Vietnam is coordinating with Germany's Goethe Institute to organise a month-long cultural festival from the first week of September to mark the 250th birthday of Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

An art troupe from the Central Light Music Theatre has made a tour of Bangkok and the north-eastern provinces of Thailand from August 29 to September 6 to mark the 61st anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Thailand.

The Vietnam National Ballet and Opera (VNOB) will organise a night of ballet at the Hanoi Opera House on September 6, featuring The Rite of Spring by composer Igor Stravinsky, in addition to a piece by Vietnamese-French choreographer Pham Minh.

The 28th Conference Photo Album opened on September 4 in Chengdu, China, drawing the participation of photographers from 72 countries. A four-member delegation of the Vietnam Photographers’ Association was headed by its chairman Chu Chi Thanh.

Laos, Thailand and Vietnam have agreed to cooperate to build a cultural centre in the milestone 20 section of Highway 8 in Bolikhamsay province.

Thuy’s luggage includes 50 suits and a 7 kg sand picture serves as a Vietnamese souvenir which will be up for auction at the competition. Thuy has built up a basic knowledge of the history, culture and people of Poland.

There is a wide space in the Montreuil Museum of History for display of objects and documents on President Ho Chi Minh’s life in France. VOV reporter in France interviewed the Museum’s Director Gilbert Schoon about the space of honour.

A Vietnamese troupe named "Bien Xanh" (Blue Sea) has finished a tour of Laos to celebrate the 61st National Day of Vietnam.

The Vietnam embassy in Cambodia held a ceremony to celebrate the National Day (September 2) and close the Vietnam culture week in Cambodia in Phnom Penh on September 1.

An exhibition opened in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, on September 1 to display 35 well-known Vietnamese oil works by Bui Xuan Phai, which depict Hanoi old streets, Vietnamese rural areas, and the country’s traditional art of cheo (popular theatre).

Cookin' Nanta, a world-known troupe from the Republic of Korea (RoK), has returned to Vietnam to present two shows in Hanoi and HCM City with the aim of celebrating APEC Vietnam 2006 and increasing cultural exchanges between the two countries.

A photo exhibition entitled "A Glimpse of Cuba" opened in HCM City on September 1 to mark the 46th anniversary of Vietnam-Cuba diplomatic relationship.

The Vietnamese Government on September 1 presented a book entitled "Vietnam and Friends' Hearts", the first publication about Vietnam's international friends during its struggle for independence and national reconstruction.

An exhibition on the Vietnamese wedding photographs over the past century has been held in Danang city by the Vietnamese Ethnology Museum and the Danang Museum.

Construction of a Vietnamese garden and a cultural Vietnamese centre has begun in the US city of San Jose.

Local moviegoers should make it to a free French detective film programme to be held in Hanoi from September 1 to October 6.

A photo exhibition opened at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi on August 31, displaying more than 6,000 photos taken by people living in the old quarter.

The first Asian Fine Arts Museum Directors Forum opened in Beijing, China on August 31 to strengthen relations between fine arts museums in Asia, especially in ASEAN member countries and those in the three dialogues (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea).

"The Magic Flute" by Austrian well-known composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart will be performed for the first time in Vietnam from September 16-20 to mark Mozart's 250th birthday and the Hanoi Conservatoire's 50th founding anniversary.

Many cultural and art programmes will be held nationwide to mark the 61st anniversary of Vietnam's August Revolution and National Day (September 2).

The Committee for Ethnic Minorities has said that it is planning to carry out four State budget-funded projects to improve the cultural lives of ethnic groups between 2006 and 2010.

Nearly 400 amateur Mong ethnic artists from 14 provinces performed a special art programme in north-western Son La province on Wednesday evening to open the Cultural Festival of the Mong ethnic group, jointly held by the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Son La provincial People’s Committee.