A delegation of the Movement of Communist Youth in France (MJCF) visited central Da Nang city on August 16 during its current visit to Vietnam to support Agent Orange victims and promote unity within the communist youth movements.

The organising board of Miss Vietnam 2006 held a press briefing in Hon Ngoc Viet (VinPearl) resort in central coastal Nha Trang on August 15 to announce 34 candidates for the contest.

Three 12th graders, namely Nguyen Thi Tuyet Trinh, Nguyen Van Thinh and Nguyen Dang Phuc Long from the Hanoi University of Natural Sciences, left for Sweden on August 15 to attend the final round of an international competition for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP), slated for August-19-26.

The fifth cultural festival of northeastern ethnic groups will be held in Ha Giang province from August 20-22. The festival will be a good opportunity for ethnic groups to exchange cultural activities, strengthen solidarity and share experiences in conserving and promoting traditions.

Archaeologists have excavated a bronze axe at the Cat Tien archaeological site in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

Fans of Vietnamese ca tru (ceremonial singing) folk music now have more chances to enjoy the unique genre's sweet melodies following the debut of a Ca tru band in Hanoi on August 10.

The film “Pao’s story” by director Ngo Thanh Hai will attend the Montreal World Film Festival to be held in Canada from August 24 to September 5 this year.

The Ministry of Culture and Information has launched a national action programme on preserving and promoting Cong Chieng (gong) cultural values.

A seminar was held in Ha Tay province, close to Hanoi, on August 10 to work out effective measures to preserve and restore ancient houses in Duong Lam – the first ancient village listed as a national relic site.

Vietnamese singer Ho Quynh Huong will attend the Asian Pop Music Festival due to open in the Republic of Korea on September 22.

An exhibition, entitled “Agent Orange/Dioxin – Pain and action”, opened at the Military Zone 4 Museum, in Vinh city of central Nghe An province on August 9.

The Ho Chi Minh City Association of Photography, Tuoi Tre (Young Age) newspaper and Joint-venture on Public Relations launched an art photo contest, entitled “Hoi An in my eyes”.

Over the past 10 years, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi has emerged as a popular destination for both local and foreign visitors thanks to its diverse and engaging attractions.

Vietnam’s youngest conductor ever Nguyen Anh Son, aged 25, will make his homeland debut next month by conducting the HCM City Ballet Symphony and Orchestra in a performance of Fantasia Utyos by Russian composer Sergy Rachmaninov.

Ford Vietnam Motor Company has launched a US$40,000 support programme for projects on protecting the environment and conserving cultural heritage in Vietnam.

A stone musical instrument (Dan Da or lithophone), which comprises of eight dark brown slabs of stones have been unearthed in a sand dune near the sea in Ham My commune, Ha Thuan Nam district, southern Binh Thuan province.

The event features book installation art by painter Nguyen Bao Toan, discussions on types of Vietnam arts and culture, including ca tru, cheo (popular opera), ancient books, calligraphy, and meetings with authors.

A seminar on the preservation of world heritages was held in the ancient town of Hoi An, central Quang Nam province, on August 7 with the participation of Japanese researchers and Hoi An town's representatives.

Archaeologists have recently unearthed nearly 200 artefacts in the area of Dau Pagoda in Thuong Tin district, northern Ha Tay province.

More than 3,000 beauties across the country have registered to take part in the Miss Vietnam 2006 be held in Vin Pearl Spa & Resort in the central coastal city of Nha Trang from August 15-26.

The Los Angeles Times in its weekend issue ran an article on “Dang Thuy Tram diary” – the best seller in Vietnam.

A traditional handicraft festival celebrating the Vietnam-Japan Cultural Days opened in the ancient town of Hoi An on August 5 by the Local People’s Committee and the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA).

US physical professor James Cronin, who won the 1980 Nobel prize for his discovery of charge-parity (CP) violation of the neutral K meson, delivered a lecture on matter and anti-matter at the Hanoi National University on August 4.

A collection of Ao Dai - Vietnamese traditional women's dress - will be on show during the Vietnamese Culture Week in neighbouring Cambodia, due to begin on August 28.

On the occasion of the 250th birthday of Austrian genius composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, there will be a special concert at the French Cultural centre, Hanoi from August 12-13.

All Vietnamese nationals under 45 years old are invited to send their handmade artworks of all kinds to the "City- People, Harmonisation and Development" contest.

The Japan Festival 2006 is due to kick off in Vietnam from August 18-25 with the participation of 800 senior officials, artists and enterprises from Japan. The announcement was made by the Japanese Embassy at a press conference held in Hanoi on July 1.

Cambodia wants to cooperate with Vietnam to develop eco-tourism in Vietnam’s southern Kien Giang province and four Cambodian border provinces, said Secretary of State for Tourism Thong Khon leading a Cambodian delegation on a two-day visit to Kien Giang province from July 31- August 1.

A tour of five Central Highland provinces programme will be launched by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) to attract a large number of international and domestic tourists.

A book featuring President Ho Chi Minh, particularly the time when he lived in Thailand in late 1927, was introduced to Thai readers at a ceremony held at the Bangkok-based Pridi Banomyong Institute on July 29.