Vietnam ranks 16th in Global beauties' list

Vietnam has won 5.62 points from its results in the world’s five most acclaimed beauty pageants, which puts it in the 16th place on the ‘Grand Slam’ Ranking of the website Global Beauties this year.

Accordingly, Vietnam had points from the third runner-up title at the 55th edition of Miss International pageant of Pham Hong Thuy Van and top 11 of Miss World 2015 of Tran Ngoc Lan Khue.

Philippines, as “the country of beauties” topped the 2015 list with 17 points, and was followed by Australia (13 points) and Spain (10.50 points).

In 2015, the Philippines was the only country to be placed in all 5 Grand Slam events.

Kite Festival to be held on New Year’s in Ho Tram

A popular way some will ring in the New Year in Ho Tram by flying kites on a 2.2 kilometre stretch of the beach.

The ‘Ho Tram Strip Kite Festival’ will be soaring over the coastline on New Year's Day and again on January 2 from 10 am to 5 pm.

Visitors can bring their own kite or buy one at the event if they don't already have one.

Organizers expect about 120 professional enthusiasts to participate in a high flying battle where contestants try to knock each other’s kite out of the sky.  Many will also be giving free lessons and advice to novices.

They said other planned activities include games for kids, a carnival, stilt walkers, and some fascinating magic performances.

Admission to the event is free.

Tattoo convention opens in HCM City to attract international artists

The Saigon International Tattoo Convention, the country's biggest event for ink and tattoo lovers, will take place at Cargo Event Space on January 9 and 10.

The event will introduce tattoo trends and designs, and the history of tattoos. It will also cover body ink and the piercing culture.

The convention will attract international tattoo artists, including Josh Lin from Taiwan, Tomo Silk from Japan, Jess Yean from the US, and Tommy Lee from Germany.

The event, free to the public, will be held from 9am to 8pm at 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in District 4.

Photo exhibition to present an offbeat look of France at L'Espace

From January 8, L'Espace will host the photo exhibition Imagine France by Maia Flore which will take visitors on a fantastic voyage to France.

In this series of 25 photos, Flore has created a character who appropriates in each place, to make it surprising and poetic. Sometimes an actor, sometimes a spectator, this recurring character animates and renews the 25 cultural sites that Flore visited during a tour of France for 66 days between July and September 2013.

Born in 1988, Flore is a part of a new digital photography movement, which helps photographers expose their imagination as far as they can.

The free entry exhibition will open until January 31 at 24 Trang Tien Street.

UK DJ to present new record at The Observatory on January 2

The UK's DJ and music producer Toby Tobias will hold a show at The Observatory on January 2.

The show will feature new songs from his latest LP (long-playing vinyl record) titled Rising Son, released in October, featuring house, techno, and disco.

Debuting in 2006, Tobias has released one album and dozens of singles and extended plays. He has toured Russia, Portugal, Japan, Italy, Croatia, and Brazil.

The show will also feature resident DJs Dan Lo and Hibiya Line.

The event will start at 10pm at 5 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in District 4. Entrance is free before 11pm and VND150,000 afterwards.

Viet Nam's Got Talent kicks off

The fourth season of reality show Viet Nam's Got Talent begins on Viet Nam Television's VTV3 channel starting tomorrow.

The jury this year includes comedy artists Tran Thanh, Viet Huong and Chi Trung, musician Huy Tuan, and well-known singer Thanh Lam.

The winner will take home VND500 million (US$25,000).

The programme, jointly produced by VTV and BHD Company, is based on a British TV programme.

Sculpture exhibition opens in HCMC

Twenty-two sculptures selected from the latest collections of the art group Khong Gian Moi, established in 2006, are on display at the Khong Gian Moi (New Space) at the HCM City Fine Arts Association.

The sculptures in bronze, wood, glass, and other materials are displayed in two separate sections, one for sculptures only and another for an installation. Some of the works are two or more metres in length.

Sculptor Le Lang Bien, leader of the group, said his colleagues and he faced challenges in exhibiting their works because of their huge size.

"We wanted a big open space and finally settled for the association's open-air gallery," he said.

Bien's group attracted dozens of veteran and young artists who have worked together and displayed their works in many group exhibitions and fine arts festivals at home and abroad.

Khong Gian Moi is on show at 218 Pasteur Street in District 3 until January 7.

New comedy released in cinemas

The romantic comedy Gia Gan, My Nhan va Gangto (The Old, the Beauty and the Gangster) has been released in cinemas in time for the New Year holiday.

The film is about a former old gangster, played by comic star Hoai Linh, who is looking for his only daughter that he left behind when he was in a gang.

The daughter is played by Vietnamese-American pop singer Toc Tien. The film also includes theatre stars Thuong Tin and Truong Giang.

Thinh's earlier comedy, Em La Ba Noi Cua Anh (Sweet Twenty), a remake of the South Korean film Miss Granny, has earned nearly VND60 billion (US$2.6 million) in ticket sales after just two weeks in cinemas.

The film's leading young actors Miu Le and Hua Vi Van have become popular actors among Vietnamese youth.

Jetstar sets record for largest floral arrangement

At the 2015 Da Lat Flower Festival, the Vietnam Record Book Centre (Vietkings) has declared a floral arrangement in the shape of a jet by Jetstar Pacific the largest on record.

The arrangement, decorated with white chrysanthemums and orange gerberas, has a length of 6.3 metres and a width of 4.3 metres.

According to a Jetstar representative, it took workers one week from start to finish to complete the project.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri