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.

Leading artists of the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) and France`s La Fabrique Opera performed the popular French opera Carmen on November 8.

German director Dominik Gunther will collaborate with the Youth Theatre in Hanoi to introduce the play “Fisherman and a Golden Fish” to Vietnamese and German theatre-goers, the theatre announced recently.

The San Chi have developed a rich cultural tradition with various types of folk arts. “Sinh ca” is a type of call and response singing that has been preserved and promoted in their everyday life for generations.

The “ASEAN Roadshow” is taking place in the Republic of Korea (RoK) from November 5-11 to increase Koreans’ understanding of ASEAN member countries’ culture and tourism.

The Vietnam Fine Arts Museum will be lit up splendidly during a light art performance by German trio The Core on November 13 and 14.

The Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music will host “A German night” concert on November 6 featuring one of the leading German violinists, Dr. Felix Olschofka, and Korean pianist Dr. Eun Young Joo.

The national cai luong (reformed opera) competition opens in Bac Lieu city on November 6.

The third Latin American Film Week will last from November 11-14 with the screening of nine films from nine Latin American countries.

The bilingual Vietnamese-Russian edition of “Truyen Kieu” (The tale of Kieu), an 18th century poetic masterpiece by Nguyen Du, will make its first debut in Hanoi on November 6 to mark the poet’s 250th birth anniversary (1766-2016).

Three Vietnamese artists have won prizes in several photo categories at the first ROYGBIV International Color Awards, which is held by the TZ International Photography and Art Community, New Zealand.

Vietnam should publish books, video of tuong (classic drama), and host forums, talks, symposiums and shows at schools for students in order to preserve and promote traditional theatre that has existed for thousands of years.

Five Vietnamese photographers has won regional and special mention prizes at the 2015 Consultative Group to Assist the Poor photo contest, according to results reported on the website www.cgap.org.

Vietnam introduced its traditional culture at the 2015 Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances’ opening show, held in Hong Kong (China) on November 1.

‘Chau, Beyond the Lines’, a documentary on Vietnamese Agent Orange (AO) victims, directed by Courtney Marsh, has been listed as of top 10 documentary short subject contenders for the 88th Academy Award.

The organizing board of the 26th edition of the Stockholm International Film Festival set for November 9-17 has extended an invitation to young director Phan Dang Di to serve as a jury member.

The 19th Vietnam Film Festival, themed “Vietnam’s Cinema - Ethnicity, humanity, innovation and integration", will be organised in Ho Chi Minh City from December 1-5, revealed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism at a press conference held in the city on October 29.

Thai expatriates in Hanoi and locals on October 27 enjoyed one of the biggest traditional Thai festivals in the capital city.

This year’s Saigon International Guitar Festival will expose the Ho Chi Minh City community to a first-class international musical experience, said an official from the organizing board.

Approximately 100 artefacts related to traditional sacred animals will be on display at the Vietnam National Museum of History in Hanoi from October 28 – February 2016.

The First Journey by Phung Nguyen Quang and Huynh Kim Lien has won the 2015 Scholastic Picture Book Award (SPBA) for best Asian themed picture book, one of the most prestigious honours in the field of children’s and young adult literature.