VietNamNet Bridge – The Buddha statue carved from the sapphire block weighing 18 tons will be placed at the Hoang Phuc Pagoda in the central province of Quang Binh for the people’s worship.

 Given the success of the first edition in 2015, the Gout de France dinner event will come back on March 21, featuring 25 restaurants in HCMC, Hanoi, Danang, Hoi An and Hue.

 The musical group Bond is excited about returning for its second performance in Vietnam and to headline at the 2016 Lexus Music Night in Hanoi on March 25 said the band’s publicist in a news release.

 Hot hits of the original electric string quartet BOND from the UK, will be performed by the band and supported by Vietnamese artists, during the Lexus Music Night 2016, to be held in Hanoi on March 25.

 German and local filmmakers will gather at Mini Docfest documentary festival hosted by Hoa Sen University in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 on March 19-20.

 Miss Ao Dai Vietnam Tran Ngoc Lan Khue has bowed out of the Top 20 at Miss Grand Slam 2015, according to GlobalBeauties.com.

VietNamNet Bridge - Cong Tri, a well-known fashion designer in Vietnam, launched his haute couture collection called “Paddy” at the Tokyo Fashion Week on March 15.

VietNamNet Bridge – Thousands of vehicles could not move on the roads around Dan Chu roundabout in District 3, HCM City because of the gathering of young fans to see the Korean girl band T-Ara.

 Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has just instructed that Vietnam will join the compilation of a multinational dossier to seek UNESCO’s recognition of the traditional craft of “son mai” (lacquer) as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage.

 Ngo Thanh Minh's photograph, entitled Lighting Dream, won the Vietnam National Award at the Sony World Photography Awards.

  Musician/DJ/producer Gudrun Gut from Berlin, Germany will have a concert at The Observatory in HCMC’s District 4 on Saturday.

  Famous Vietnamese saxophonist Tran Manh Tuan has presented two new albums called “Thang Cuoi” (Legendary Shepherd on the Moon) and “Simply Soul”.

  The Francophone Film Festival 2016, jointly organized by the International Francophone Organization (OIF) and the Vietnam Cinematography Department, will take place in Hanoi, Hue, and HCMC from March 17 to 31.

A grand music festival will take place at Ecopark in Hanoi on March 27 with the participation of world leading DJ Steve Aoki, Ummet Ozcan, Headhunterz and Quintino as well as local ones like Huy DX, Looze, Minh Tri and Romain Rou.

 The spiritual and intellectual beauty of talented Vietnamese women will be honoured at the Miss Vietnam 2016 pageant, which was launched at a press conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on March 15.

 Vietfest 2016, a Vietnamese cultural festival, opened at University College London on March 14 as part of activities hosted by Vietnamese students in the UK to promote the image of Vietnam’s people and land.

 Famous chefs from Vietnam will join more than 1,000 chefs from all over the world for the second "Gout de France" (Good France) to celebrate French gastronomy on March 21.

VietNamNet Bridge – A “Spring” painting exhibition opened on Sunday at 50 Dao Duy Tu Street, Hanoi, introducing 40 paintings by Phan Thi Thanh Mai, Dang Dinh Ngo, Bui Trong Du and Vu Tuyen. 

 The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has released a list of seven new national intangible cultural heritages.

VietNamNet Bridge – Up to three beauty pageants will be held in Vietnam this year, according to the latest information from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.