Locals look forward to the holiday season, and Hanoi's Old Quarter is a hive of activity as Christmas preparations get underway.

The "Bach Hoa Bo Hanh" or "Parade of Flowers" is a celebration of the Vietnamese national attire, showing young people's love and pride for the nation's cultural heritage.

Children’s art workshops offer a dynamic cultural experience, introducing young participants to the vibrant world of contemporary Vietnamese art.

AKE OME! 2016 festival introduces Japanese traditional and modern art performances at the Giang Vo Exhibition Centre in downtown Hanoi on December 26-27.

An art exhibition by US installation painter and sculptor Mark Cooper in collaboration with Vietnamese artists will open at 6 pm on December 28 at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum located at 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street in Hanoi.

Vietnam ranked 8th in the list of top 10 Big 4 Performer of the Year with 250 points thanks to outstanding performances of Vietnamese representatives at international beauty pageants in 2015, said famous magazine Missosology.

A Buddhist Cultural Museum was inaugurated and opened to the public at the Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) Temple in the central province of Danang on December 24.

The Prime Minister recently decided to regconise special national relic sites for an additional 11 historical, architectural and archaeological relics nationwide.

Vietnam’s major sacred animals, which star in ancient tales and reflect spiritual life of Vietnamese people and culture, were introduced to the public at a symposium held at the Vietnam National Museum of History on December 22.

International musicians on December 21 shared the stage with promising young local talents at the seventh H-artistry, an annual concert held to inspire young people to overcome challenges and pursue their dreams.

A sculpture camp celebrating 40 years of Ho Chi Minh City’s development and integration was rounded off with a ceremony in District 9 on December 21.

In the framework of the Indian film festival in Vietnam last week, the conference held in Hanoi on December 19 between Indian filmmakers and Vietnam Cinema Department discussed opportunities to promote the country`s tourism through the cinema industry.

The Dong Nai Province Radio and Television Station (DNTV) will broadcast a documentary series featuring friendship ties between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Vietnam’s top swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien has been named one of Asia`s five best female swimmers by US based Swimswam magazine.

The Vietnam Tourism Review under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists held a ceremony to launch a photo contest themed “Vietnam today” in Hanoi on December 17.

A wide range of activities will be organised in the central province of Quang Nam’s Hoi An city on the threshold of the New Year 2016 as part of the local authority’s efforts to lure more visitors to the world cultural heritage.

Ngo Bao Chau, a professor of mathematics who won the Fields medal in 2010, will release the first foreign novel he translated together with Nguyen Khieu Anh.

A photo collection featuring a festival in the northern province of Vinh Phuc by veteran photographer Pham Anh received the Special Award for Photo Collection – the highest prize of the Heritage Photo Awards.

Nearly 200 photos, documents and objects on the typical culture of Vietnamese Buddhism were put on display at an exhibition in Hanoi on December 16.

With the photo collection "Cap Sac ceremony of Dao Tien ethnic minority people", Vietnamese photographer Trinh Thong Thien won the first prize of photos and documentary films festival on ASEAN Community.

A photo exhibition entitled Doi Thoai voi Dong Song (Dialogue with Rivers) has been recently held at the Temple of Literature in downtown Hanoi.

Hundreds of Buddhist antiques which have been stored in a temple in Da Nang city for many years will be exhibited to the public on December 24 for the first time.

Vietnamese writer Tran Mai Hanh was awarded the 2015 South East Asian Writers Awards (SEA Writer Awards) for his novel “Bien Ban Chien Tranh 1-2-3-4.75” (War Minutes January-April, 1975) .