The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on December 29 announced the top 10 culture, sports and tourism events in 2016, which were voted by 125 journalists representing media agencies across the country.

The list of events is as follows: 

* Outstanding culture events

- The practice related to the Vietnamese belief in worshiping Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms was recognised as the intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.

- “The royal literature on Hue royal architecture” and “Woodblocks of the Phuc Giang School” in the central province of Ha Tinh were recognised as the documentary heritage by  the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific.

- The Hanoi Opera House hosted top-notch theatre shows. Various art performances were presented at the Hanoi Opera House after the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to organise regular drama, chamber and traditional opera shows. 

*Outstanding tourism events

- Vietnam’s tourism sector welcomed a record number of 10 million foreign tourists within a year for the first time, and registered VND400 trillion in revenue, four years ahead of the schedule set in the national tourism strategy to 2020, with a vision to 2030. 

- The Politburo approved a Resolution on turning tourism into the country's spearhead economic sector. 

- Up to 36 hotels from three to five stars in Vietnam were withdrawn their star-level certificates in a campaign to change “Vietnam tourism image”.

* Outstanding sports events

- Shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh won the first-ever Olympics gold medal for Vietnam after claiming the men’s 10m air pistol title, and a silver medal in the men's 50m air pistol at the Rio Olympics 2016 in Brazil.

- At the Paralympics 2016 in Brazil, weightlifter Le Van Cong won the first-ever Paralympics gold medal for Vietnam, breaking the world record in the men's 49kg category after lifting 183kg. 

- Vietnam U19 secured a ticket for the final round of the FIFA U20 World Cup.

- Nguyen Thi Anh Vien successfully won a gold medal for the first time at the 10th Asian Swimming Championships 2016 in Tokyo, Japan.

VNA