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.

The Vietnamese editions of three Russian classic literature works were made public at a ceremony held in Hanoi on July 22.

The Vietnam-Egypt Cultural Week kicked off on July 21 in El Gouna city, a tourist resort in the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt.

Talented Vietnamese piano soloist Vu Ngoc Linh will join the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra to perform at the 19th Toyota concert scheduled to be held in Hanoi on August 5-6 and in Ho Chi Minh City on August 10-11.

The Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam will present its tenth act of the JF Garage Concert - a concert by Fantasia Wind Quintet - on July 30.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has assigned the authority of the northwestern province of Yen Bai to submit a dossier of the Xoe dance of the Thai ethnic people to UNESCO to seek the title of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and the Colombian Embassy in Vietnam jointly organised a music exchange in Hanoi on July 18 with the participation of visiting well-known Colombian accordion player Álvaro Meza and a Vallennato band.

Vietnam finished in fourth position at the ASEAN University Games, following the final day of competition, on July 17 in Singapore.

A photo contest on “Our water, our life” was launched in Hanoi on July 15.

The Department of Performing Arts under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that an art festival with the participation of 21 art troupes from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand, will be held in Dong Ha city, in the central province of Quang Tri from July 18-25.

As many as 11 Vietnamese epics featuring patriotism and the country’s gorgeous landscapes were performed for the first time in Rouen city, the capital of the Normandy region, on July 8-9.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s S.M. Entertainment have recently signed a “Growing with Music” cooperation project with a view to improving inclusive education for Vietnamese children.

Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos in the evening of July 13 had dinner with his friend in Vietnam, Dr. Dao The Anh, Deputy Chairman of Vietnam Association for Rural Development Science in Qua Tram restaurant at number 21, Phung Hung street, Hanoi during his working visit to Vietnam.

The Yonex-Sunrise Vietnam Open 2016, commencing next week, might be the last international event in which national number one badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh will play on the home ground.

Amateur pianists aged six to 18 will take part in the annual VNAM Piano Festival 2016 to be held in Hanoi between July 15 and 17 at the Vietnam Academy of Music.

Music and yoga lovers in large cities across the country will get the chance to enjoy free performances by Australian multicultural band Music of Joy (MoJ).

Local fashion professionals have turned their focus to design, entrepreneurship and manufacturing, understanding the importance of the outsourcing economy in the global fashion industry, a professor at RMIT University in Melbourne said at an industry event in HCM City.

American and Asian guitarists will perform at the 2nd International Finger Style Guitar Festival (IFSGF) in Hanoi and HCM City this month.

Miss Vietnam 2016, the biennial national beauty contest, will kick off with qualifying rounds in July and the final round will be held on August 27 in HCM City.

"Cuoc Doi Cua Yen" (Yen’s Life) directed by Dinh Tuan Vu won the best film title at the World Premieres Film Festival held in the Philippines from June 29 - July 10.

The Ministry of Information and Communications in coordination with the Naval Zone 5 High Command opened a map and document exhibition, giving locals an insight into Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes on July 5 in Phu Quoc district, Kien Giang.