Thousands of visitors dropped by Vietnam’s stand at the ongoing fourth Friends’ Culture Fair, themed ‘Diversity in Harmony’ in Mexico City from May 12-27.

Nguyen Nguyet Tu stands speechless and close to tears before the beautifully restored silk painting by her late father Nguyen Phan Chanh.

Asiana Airlines of the Republic of Korea (RoK) has pledged to promote Vietnam’s central region heritage sites on its international flights.

Nhan Dan – The UNESCO Hanoi Office will launch a project on ‘Promoting World Heritage sites in Vietnam’s Central Region’ in Hoi An city on May 8.

Nhan Dan Online – The casting of the biggest bronze Buddha statue in Southeast Asia began on April 22 at the Truc Lam Thien Truong Buddhist Centre in Loc Vuong ward, Nam Dinh city.

The 13th World Conference of Historical Cities closed in the former imperial city of Hue on April 18 after adopting a six-point declaration.

Experts from the Republic of Korea (RoK) have helped Vietnam to restore Hue’s royal musical instruments from the early 20th century.

Nhan Dan – The biggest sapphire Buddha statue in Vietnam was inaugurated on April 8 at the Truc Lam Tay Thien Zen Monastery in Tam Dao district in the northern province of Vinh Phuc.

Nhan Dan - Although many tourism venues depend on the value of heritage and the environment to attract visitors, it can actually damage those attractions in the name of short term profits. The most important factor in addressing this problem is raising public awareness. We had an interview with Dinh Hai, director of the Quang Nam provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which was recently praised by UNESCO for its initial success in balancing tourism development and cultural preservation.

Nhan Dan – A symposium entitled ‘Hung Kings worship rituals – The Confluence of spiritual culture and national great unity of the Vietnamese people’ was held in the ancestral land of Phu Tho on March 26.

Nhan Dan Online – Wandering around crowded streets in Hanoi, you cannot miss the simple but unique xích lô (cyclo) which has been a familiar means of transportation for almost a century and become an indispensable part of the character of Hanoi.

Nhan Dan – The Vietnam Chau Van (spiritual) Singing Preservation Centre was established at the Luu Phai temple, Ngu Hiep commune, Thanh Tri district in Hanoi on March 21 by the Centre for the Study and Preservation of Vietnamese Religion and Culture, under the Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations.

An international workshop on archaeology opened in Hanoi on February 29 as a preparation for an upcoming display of Vietnam’s precious archaeological items in Germany.

Nhan Dan – Nineteen individuals have been presented with Hanoi’s Artisan titles, according to Decision No. 286/ QD-UBND issued by the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee.

Twelve groups and 59 individuals were honoured at a ceremony in the northern province of Phu Tho on February 18 for their contributions to preserving Hat Xoan (Xoan singing), the world intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.

A special water puppet programme that takes place on February 10-25 at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris is delighting French people, both young and old, and helping them to gain a deeper insight into Vietnamese culture.

Nhan Dan – Over 1.3 million Khmer ethnic minority people are habiting together with Kinh (Viet) and Hoa (Chinese), as well as other groups mostly in the southern provinces of Soc Trang, Hau Giang, An Giang and Tra Vinh. As Khmer people are close to the Maha Nikaya Sect of Theravada Buddhism, their villages which are called "phum" or "soc" always have pagodas where the community comes for worship, prayer, and chanting.

Nhan Dan – A programme entitled ‘Spring Honours National Culture’ was held at the Sui Pagoda historical and cultural site in Gia Lam district, Hanoi on February 6, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Nhan Dan – Many tourists came to enjoy performances of Royal Court music (‘Nha nhac’) at the oldest traditional Vietnamese stage, the Royal Theatre (‘Duyet Thi Duong’), in the Imperial City in the central province of Hue during the lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

Efforts to preserve traditional Vietnamese xoan singing have received a boost after the art form was listed by UNESCO as an example of world cultural heritage that need urgent protection.