Nearly 100 photos on climate change and impending disaster taken by 10 of the world’s leading photographers are on display at an exhibition entitled “East, West, South, North” at Chi Lang Park in Ho Chi Minh City.

An art troupe from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Information is on a week-long tour of San Francisco in the US.

Vietnam became a full member of the Brussels Convention on January 12, 2006, said Vu Manh Chu, director of the Culture and Arts Copyright Department (CACD) under the Ministry of Culture and Information.

The US Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, in co-ordination with the Da Nang University, will organise an "American Day" in the central city of Da Nang on January 13, according to the Da Nang Union of Friendship Organisations.

The Vietnam Association of Folklore Arts has granted Folklore Artists titles to individuals and awards to research projects on folklore culture in 2005.

New Zealand's TV-One on January 9 screened a 45-minute documentary film entitled ''Vietnam-My Father's War'' by Matthew Metcalfe of the Screentime film studio.

Hanoi Tourism Company (Hanoitourist) is expected to welcome a US group of 19 TV reporters and photographers who will tour Vietnam from January 18-29 to make films and take photos featuring the country’s traditional culture during its traditional Lunar New Year Festival (Tet).

There will be seven and four fireworks displays in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, respectively, during ceremonies to welcome the traditional Lunar New Year Festival (Tet), according to the organising board for holidays in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese encyclopedic dictionary, comprising four volumes, has been introduced to readers.

Puppetry has a long and varied history that spans the globe, but Vietnamese water puppetry is a unique art, which developed in lake and pond-rich areas in the Red River Delta since the Ly Dynasty in the 11th century. It has evolved over the centuries from folk art to a more established art form.

A week-long exhibition featuring more than 75 Korean calligraphy works on President Ho Chi Minh’s Prison Diary opened in Vinh city, central Nghe An province, on January 6.

Luu Hong Quang, a student of the Hanoi Conservatoire will represent Vietnam at the 7th Asian Piano Contest in Tokyo, Japan, from January 9-21.

A week-long photo exhibition entitled “A Glimpse of Cuba” opened in Hanoi on January 6 to mark the 47th anniversary of Cuban National Day and the victory of the Cuban Revolution (January 1).

A variety of cultural activities and festivals will be held in the central province of Quang Nam this year as the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism considers 2006 “The Year of Quang Nam Tourism”.

Entitled “Vietnamese cuisine Surprise”, Japanese Chukyo TV has begun filming a series of traditional Vietnamese cuisine specialities such as roast meat, beef noodle soup, chicken soup and ruou can (wine drunk out of a jar through pipes).

Archaeologists have found 15 ancient tombs and many artifacts belonging to the Dong Son culture, dating back 2,300 years, in Den hamlet and Ca village in Viet Tri City, northern Phu Tho province.

Vietnam Airlines’ efforts to bring Vietnamese culture to the world have been promoted through a three-month exhibition at Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts in Paris.

Due to difficulties in transport systems and limited local budgets, many young people in far-flung areas lack updated information. Therefore, publishers should provide various forms to help these areas access cultural and information sources.

Vietnamese circus is one of the art forms that sells the most tickets to foreign audiences, said Vu Ngoan Hop Director of the Vietnamese Circus Federation to mark 50th anniversary of Vietnamese circus.

Artisans in Tra Dong craft village in the northern province of Thanh Hoa have successfully cast some Dong Son bronze drums, one of which is on display at the United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) headquarters.

A 60-member song and dance troupe named “Moon Stone” from Mongolia will make a performance tour of Hanoi, Hai Phong and Bac Giang from January 18-20.

The BK Eagle team from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology has become the sole representative of Vietnam at the ACM/ICPC International Collegiate Programming Final Contest to be held in the US in April.

The Overseas Vietnamese (OV) Business Club in co-ordination with OV Consult Co, Ltd organised a seminar on exchange and co-operation in education between Vietnam and the US in HCM City on January 2.

The 25th National Television Festival will be held in Nha Trang city, south central Khanh Hoa province from January 4-8, 2006. This will be the second time Khanh Hoa has agreed to host such a major TV festival.

The two famous paintings, Binh van by painter Le Huy Mien and Tan ca moi chi em di hop binh tho gioi by painter Nguyen Do Cung, have recently been returned to the National Museum of Fine Art after two months of restoration work in Germany.

Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) marked the first anniversary of its broadcasts in the Cham ethnic language in Ho Chi Minh City on December 31.

Dancers from the Danish Yggdrasil ballet troupe will perform their programme “Butterflies” in Hanoi on January 10 and 11 and in Ho Chi Minh City on January 13.

Nguyen Ngoc Anh Thu, a ten-year-old pupil in the southern province of Dong Nai, has got 579 out of total 677 marks in a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam, reported newspaper Lao Dong (Labour) on December 30.

Denmark will provide Vietnam with 1.9 million Krona to carry out a five-year project aimed at helping children access new books.

A fund for Vietnamese ethnic minorities and regional culture will be established with Denmark''s financial assistance.