VietNamNet Bridge – Peace, love, sea and youth will be the themes of a festival to be held in the central province of Phu Yen's Tuy Hoa city today.

The Professional Music and Dance Festival, organised by the province's Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports, will feature performers from seven professional art troupes in Phu Yen, and other provinces including Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan, Lam Dong and Dac Lac.

The event's guest troupes include Thang Long-Ha Noi Music and Dance Theatre, one of the country's leading art troupes in Ha Noi.

The host city's Sao Bien Traditional Music and Dance Troupe will stage a special show of folk and contemporary songs and dances that will highlight the beauty of Phu Yen and its people.

Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) dances and music will be featured by performers of the Dac Lac Art Troupe.

The festival will close on Thursday.

* Vintage Vespa sets record with Fansipan climb

The Viet Nam Book of Records (Vietbooks) has recognised a new national record for a 45-year-old Vespa motorbike in Viet Nam that was taken to the top of Mount Fansipan in the north-western province of Lao Cai.

Eight members of the Ha Noi Vespa Club took the bike to the top of Viet Nam's highest mountain.

The members departed from Ha Noi on June 23 and arrived on top of the 3,143m-high mountain on June 25.

They disassembled the bike at the foot of the mountain and took it to the top where they reassembled and started it to set a new national record.

* Photo exhibit to aid Japanese quake, tsunami victims

One hundred images taken by Vietnamese photographer Hai Dong are on display in HCM City to raise money for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The charity photography exhibition Hai Dong for Japan was launched on Friday at Zen Plaza, displaying photographs taken over the last decade.

They include images of fashion collections taken during Hai Dong's trips to Japan, as well as art fashion photographs of Vietnamese models.

The exhibition also marks the 15th anniversary of his career.

The photographs are printed on canvas, silk, jeans, khaki and leather, using new technology of the fashion industry, Hai Dong said. "The technology helps to bring more realistic feelings for viewers."

Each original print is being sold for at least VND1 million and the proceeds will be donated to the Consulate General of Japan in the city.

The exhibition will run until July 10. Twenty-nine photographs were sold on the morning of the opening day.

Hai Dong is famous for shots of food, fashion, weddings and celebrities.

He has shown his work at the exhibition It's Not Only Fashion at L'Espace in Ha Noi in 2005, and at the Fashion & Advertising photography exhibition in Rome in 2008.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News