Vietnamese archaeologists have discovered four pairs of lion reliefs, carved on first-floorwalls in four different, lively postures, at the Binh Lam Tower in the southern-central province of Binh Thuan.

Work to restore a corridor in the Forbidden City in the inner of the Ancient Citadel in Hue is being sped up so that it can be opened for visitors during the Hue Festival 2006, slated for June 3-11.

A delegation from the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts led by its Minister Prince Sisowath Panara Sirivuth, has visited Vietnam at the invitation of the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture and Information (MoCI).

Among the many changes to the Hung Kings Festival this year, activities have been held in a solemn and respectful atmosphere, backed by historically oriented education programmes, suitable to an honoured ancestor’s death anniversary.

Renowned Spanish guitarist Josep Henriquez and Vietnamese guitarist Nguyen Thanh Hang will join a classic guitar concert, which will be held at the Hanoi Opera House on April 29 by the Spanish Embassy.

Vietnam-Japan cultural exchange days will be held in central Hoi An town on August 5-7.

The Ho and An Tho ancient citadels in the central province of Phu Yen have been recognised as national relics.

The final of Miss Vietnamese Traditional Long Dress (Ao Dai) was held at the Phan Dinh Phung Competition House in Ho Chi Minh City on March 31 and April 1.

Ho Chi Minh City Television, in coordination with Tourism Magazine and the City Labour and Culture Palace, held an art show on April 1 to present prizes to winners at the song and dance festival entitled “friendship folk colours 2006”.

The People’s Committee of Thua Thien Hue province has so far invested more than VND30 billion in upgrading and building tourist sites to serve the 2006 Hue Festival.

This is the first time Hanoi has held a special event to promote the values of cuisine and traditional craft streets and villages, which are greatly attractive to tourists.

Vietnam is pushing up the process to apply for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” recognition for Quan Ho, a style of folk songs in the northern province of Bac Ninh.

A cuisine and craft street/village festival opened in Hanoi’s Thong Nhat (Unification) Park on March 30 under the sponsorship of Vietnam Airlines.

Supermodel Thuy Huong will participate in the Best Model of the World to take place in China in November 2006. The girl recently won the golden cup of Vietnam supermodel 2005.

Thousands of Central Highlands ethnic minority people enjoyed an extravagant ceremony on March 28 to receive a certificate by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recognising the Gong Culture as a world intangible cultural heritage.

The European Commission's mission to Vietnam and the Vietnamese Student Association launched a writing contest in Hanoi on March 28 to mark "European Year" in Vietnam.

The Vietnam Opera and Ballet Theatre and the Swiss Embassy in Hanoi have invited famous Swiss cellist, Markus Nyikos to perform Bach's Suite for cello solo and works by Beethoven, Klaus Huber, Willy Burkhard and Arthur Honegger in the capital city on March 30.

Eighteen Vietnamese folk opera artists are preparing for their performance tour of Europe, beginning with the first stop in France next month.

The inauguration of the monument is among the pre-eminent events in honour of the first Great Unity Congress of Central Highlands ethnic groups to be held from March 28-29 in the city of Pleiku, Gia Lai.

Vietnamese student Vu Nguyen Ha Anh has won first prize at a world model contest co-organised by two companies, namely Glamour Fair (in London and Miami) and A La Carte (in Paris).

A painting exhibition entitled “Sensitive paintings” by Danish painter Lars Mikhel Johannessen, who is also a cultural counselor of the Embassy of Denmark in Vietnam, is being held in Hanoi from March 27 to April 22.

The gongs of Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) are closely associated with the life of Central Highlanders and the gong art has a unique value in their culture.

A film week to mark the first ethnic people’s unity congress in the Central Highlands, opened in Pleiku, the central highlands province of Gia Lai on March 25.

Art troupes from Vietnam and Canada on March 25 gave many art performances to mark the French language day held in Hong Kong.

The Gong (Cong Chieng) Festival will provide a good chance for domestic and foreign visitors to have a better understanding of revolutionary traditions as well as special and unique culture of Central Highlanders.

The creative efforts made by young people in national socio-economic development were highlighted by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan at the first-ever Young Creation Festival in Hanoi on March 24.

Hundreds of students in the Mekong Delta region enjoyed a chance to enrich their knowledge of Japan at the “Japanese culture” event held at Can Tho University on March 25.

The first Film Festival for French-speaking countries opened in the Algerian capital of Algiers on the evening of March 23 , drawing the participation of 17 countries from Asia, Europe, America, and Africa, which have relations at the ambassadorial level with Algeria.

The European Commission has approved a list of 40 Vietnamese students who will receive Eramus Mundus scholarships in the 2006-2007 academic year.