More than 3,000 paintings were collected from a “Humanity” painting contest for children across the country.

A collection of Ao dai (traditional dress) will appear on the catwalk at an art festival to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Guangdong province, China from July 26-31 with the participation of 31 countries.

The “Asia World” programme of Japan’s NHK on July 26 focused on the way of making traditional lotus tea and how Vietnamese people enjoy the drink.

The biggest ever Cai Luong gala night will be held at the Phan Dinh Phung Gymnasium in Ho Chi Minh City this December.

The 5th International Jew's Harp Festival in Amsterdam will begin on July 28 with a performance by the only Vietnamese Jew's harp artist Nguyen Duc Minh.

Thirty-one music bands from across the country will participate in the 2006 Festival for Light Music Bands due to take place in the central city of Da Nang from December 19-24.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has decided to present its badge to Vo Viet Chung, an outstanding Vietnamese fashion designer, for his contributions to the country's cultural preservation.

A Japanese cultural large-scale festival will be held for the first time in Hanoi from August 18-25.

Vietnamese singer Vuong Dung, who won first prize in the light music category at the “2005 Sao Mai” (Morning Star) contest, will represent Vietnam at the international pop music festival slated for August in Beijing, China.

The Vietnam National Corporation for Export and Import of Books and Periodicals (Xunhasaba) is showcasing its products at the Hong Kong International Book Fair, which opened at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on July 19.

Famed Vietnamese-French soprano Alain Vu is scheduled to perform at the HCM City Conservatory of Music on July 21 during his first visit to Vietnam.

Festivals, seminars, exhibitions and drama performances will be held in Vietnam’s two biggest cities in October and November, to commemorate the 100th death anniversary of Henrich Ibsen, an internationally-acclaimed dramatist of Norway.

The Queensland Art Gallery has invited Vietnam’s film director Nguyen Viet Linh to the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) Festival slated for late this year in Brisbane, Australia.

An art troupe from HCM City will attend an art gala in the Chinese province of Guangdong from July 24-31 to mark the 50th founding anniversary of the province.

Nearly 2,000 files have been sent to the organising board of Miss Vietnam 2006 to be held in Vin Pearl Spa & Resort in the central coastal city of Nha Trang from August 16-23.

Champasak district of Laos’ Champasak province and Duy Xuyen district of Vietnam’s Quang Nam province have signed a memorandum of understanding on strengthening bilateral relations in the coming time, with a focus on the exchanges of experts in world heritage management, tourism and services.

The Vietnam Traditional Art Centre officially opened at No.42 Yet Kieu Street in Hanoi on July 13, with the aim of introducing, preserving and developing various types of Vietnam’s traditional art and culture.

Three Vietnamese piano students have been selected to attend the Franz Liszt International Music Festival, due to be held in Hungary and Austria from July 14-31.

A ceremony to honour outstanding students at international competitions during the past 20 years of the Doi Moi (renovation) process was held in Hanoi on July 12 by the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union in co-ordination with the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Online Newspaper and Vietnam Television (VTV).

A series of celebrations of the friendship and co-operation between the Russian province of Ulyanovsk and Vietnam culminated in "Vietnam Day" on July 10.

Manuel D. Baldemor, a well-known Filipino painter, has impressively depicted his great experience in Vietnam with 97 paintings on show at the Vietnam Fine Art Museum in Hanoi on July 12.

Vietnamese researchers and Lao partners have recently collected 116 objects in Vientiane and Savannaket provinces of Laos to prepare for an exhibition on cultures of Southeast Asian countries,<BR>due to take place in late 2008 at the Vietnam Institute of Ethnology.<BR>

A Japanese film week will take place in the Central Highlands City of Da Lat for the first time from July 19-27 to promote the friendship, cultural exchange and economic cooperation between Japan and the Vietnamese province of Lam Dong.

Jeremy Nguyen, a young Vietnamese painter bearing US citizenship, has had the honour to display his oil painting at the US Congress over the past week.

A collection of documents selected from Russia&#039;s huge archives is now on show at the Vietnam Revolutionary Museum in Hanoi to relive Russian History in the 20th century, including the Soviet Union and its ties with Vietnam.

Thousands of French people and foreigners have explored Vietnamese culture at Cernuschi Museum on the outskirts of Paris, where more than 100 Vietnamese ancient artefacts selected by French archaeologists are on display.

A programme entitled “Tourism stage” was launched in HCM City on July 7, drawing the participation of more than 200 foreign visitors.

Vietnam’s pop star My Linh has received an invitation to attend an international music festival, which is held annually before World Expo in Nagoya city of Japan.

Vietnam&#039;s leading fashion designer Minh Hanh has been honoured by the French Ministry of Culture and Information for her contributions to boosting France-Vietnam cooperation in the fashion area.

The La Chi cultivate wet rice on terraced fields and raise cattle and poultry according to their old ways. Their traditional crafts include cotton-weaving and indigo- dyeing. They live in stilt and earthen houses gathered in hamlets, featuring a distinct architectural style.