The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is preparing objects for a mobile display entitled “Self and others: Portraits from Europe and Asia”, to be held by the Eurasian Association of Museums in January 2007 in Sweden’s capital city of Stockholm.

France’s Nord de Calais region has provided 65,000 Euros to the Cham museum in the central city of Da Nang to collect and preserve the Cham culture.

The Vietnamese Embassy in France has opened a showroom to introduce documents, pictures, books and magazines about Vietnam’s people and land, tourism and culture as well as the country’s development in recent years.

Traditional water puppetry troupes will start performing regularly at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi from March 14.

The Vietnamese Council of Arbitrators and Supervisors has officially recognised two new Vietnamese records, that is the largest short-sleeve shirt and the washing of the largest shirt in the shortest time.

85-year-old Prof. Georges Condominas, a renowned French ethnologist, has spared no effort to introduce the rich culture of the ethnic minorities living in the Central Highlands to the world by collecting and displaying their ecological items in museums worldwide.

Gourmet lovers are welcome to enjoy special dishes with the natural flavours of northern mountainous areas during the Sapa Culinary Week, being held at the Sofitel Metropole Hotel in Hanoi.

Gourmands will be tempting their taste buds at this year’s New Zealand Wine and Food Festival, to be held on March 11 at the Riverside Apartments in An Phu, overlooking the Sai Gon River.

The Vietnam Folklore Literature and Arts Association has presented the “Folk Artisan” title to three persons from Kon Tum province in recognition of their contributions to preserving the cultural value of the Ba Na ethnic minority group.

Danish conductor Frans Rasmussen will join the Ho Chi Minh City symphony orchestra to perform at a concert in the city on March 9 night.

A farmer from southern Ben Tre province Nguyen Van Tu has donated a 50-kg jar of ancient coins to the provincial museum.

Sri Lanka’s Dance Group Channa-Upuli comprising 12 artists will give their sole performance in Hanoi on March 14 to mark the 35th anniversary of Vietnam-Sri Lanka diplomatic relations, announced the Department of Performing Arts.

A special concert to introduce time-honoured pieces of music from different cultures will be held at the Hanoi Opera House on March 20.

A seminar was held in Hanoi on March 7 to review the preservation and development of ethnic minority culture over the past 15 years.

The Centre for Exhibition and Art Exchange unveiled Modern Art, a new exhibition of works by centre collaborators on March 5.

Vietnamese traditional dress (ao dai) will be introduced in a large-scale exhibition at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles in the US from April 18 to July 9.

Many Canadian, Belgian, French and US artists have come to visit several famous Vietnamese artists so as to learn their art of lacquer painting, said Pham Luc, a rising star in the world of Vietnamese original lacquer, at a gallery recently opened by a German artist in Hanoi.

Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) on March 7 officially broadcast programmes from its 5-KW transmitting station in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong to improve the cultural and spiritual lives of local people.

A fine arts work by Vietnamese artists and their colleagues from the Republic of Korea (RoK) in honour of peace was displayed at the Vietnam–Republic of Korea Park in central Phu Yen province on March 6.

Vietnam will continue to put aside VND1.7 trillion (roughly US$107 million) per year to implement the National Programme on Education between now and 2015, said Truong Thanh Hai from the Department of Planning and Budget under the Ministry of Education and Training on March 6.

Cultural Vietnamese researchers are collecting materials on Ca Tru – a Vietnamese chamber music genre – to propose the art form as a masterpiece of the intangible cultural heritage of humankind. The project will be submitted to the Ministry of Culture and Information in June 2006 for approval and then to UNESCO in 2007.

To Chau Bao Ngoc has become Miss Asia Student Atlanta after passing over 18 other contestants.

An exhibition entitled “Vietnamese women’s jewelries – from the traditional to modern-day styles” opened in Hanoi on March 3 to mark International Women’s Day (March 8).

Fifteen folk art troupes from Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Lam Dong provinces in the Central Highlands will participate in the Cong Chieng (Gong) festival in Pleiku city on March 18 to honour the UNESCO recognition of Cong Chieng as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible cultural heritage of humankind.

Rowing a boat and telling Buddhist stories is an indispensable part of any Buddhist ritual in the Red River Delta. This rite, almost indistinguishable from a stage performance, uses Buddha’s stories to encourage people to practice good conduct.

As many as 40 reports from researchers of all literature and arts areas such as cinematography, music, theatre, dance, photography, fine arts, architecture and folklore were presented at the conference.

Seven international donors have pledged US$140 million for the Vietnam National Popular Education Programme in 2006-2010 period, said Nguyen Thi Hong Yen, Vice Head of the Budget Department under the Ministry of Finance.

A workshop entitled "Secondary Education in Australia" will be held on March 4, 2006 at two IDP Education Australia offices.