A variety of activities, including art events, concerts, film screenings and a writing contest will be held nationwide to celebrate International Francophone Day 2018 in Viet Nam.

 The People’s Committee of Quang Ninh province’s Uong Bi city on March 15 announced to change the time for the 2018 Cherry blossom – Yen Tu yellow ochna flower festival.

 A 380m ironwood-floored pedestrian road is under construction along the southern bank of Huong River, one of the most well-known destinations in Hue city in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

 French photographer Réhahn, based in Hoi An ancient town in the central province of Quang Nam, won the Trophées des Francais de l’étranger in recognition of his art gallery and museum in Hoi An, in a ceremony in Quai d’Orsay, Paris, this week.

Meritorious Artist Nguyen Ho Thuy Tien has a great passion for and creativity in puppetry. She is the first female in Vietnam who created her own solo puppet show.

 HCMC will host a large book festival at Le Van Tam Park in District 1 from March 19 to 25.

 A special exhibition unveiling hundreds of artifacts about the history of the Reunification Palace, the former seat of the South Vietnamese regime, is now open to public viewing for free until March 23.

 The Japanese cherry blossom festival is slated for March 23 to 26 in the capital city of Hanoi, as part of cultural exchange activities to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam.

 Dancers from the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB) will perform The Firebird ballet in a contemporary style featuring Vietnamese folk dance at Hanoi Opera House on March 15-16.

 The Vietnam-Italy Autumn-Winter Fashion Week will take place in Hanoi from March 14-19 as part of activities to mark 45 years of the diplomatic ties between the two countries, designer Minh Hanh, member of the organising board, said on March 14.

 On the occasion of the Lunar New Year, villagers hold a wrestling festival in front of the Nghe communal house in Mai Dong village (now in Mai Dong Ward, Hoang Mai District, Hanoi) from the fourth to the seventh day of the first lunar month.

 Hanoi New Music Ensemble will play a free concert of their ‘Night Rain’ program at The Goethe-Institut Hanoi at 8pm on March 17, featuring contemporary pieces from Vietnam and around the world.

 Building unlicensed constructions in protected areas and maintaining and upgrading heritage sites without permits are becoming more common as punishments are still too lax.

 The Band by Vinaphone, a contest for musical bands in Viet Nam and abroad, has been officially opened for applications.

 Eight art spaces and art initiatives in Hanoi and Hue will receive grants from the Danish Culture Development and Exchange Fund (CDEF) to carry out and develop their activities during 2018.

 The Embassy of Italy in Vietnam and the IBLA Foundation will co-organise a concert on March 16 at the Hanoi Youth Theatre, as part of celebrations for the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

 The provincial museum of central Ha Tinh province has announced the discovery of some Nagasaki metal coins at archeological sites in the locality.

As an annual tradition, a Xiangqi (Chinese chess) festival was held on the sixth day of the first lunar month at Vua (King) Pagoda in Hanoi.

Viet Van, a reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper won the Outstanding Achievement award in the still life category of the US’s Photography Master Cup contest for his work entitled "The copper tray and two eggs".

 The third Hoi An International Food Festival 2018 - “Taste the World” is taking place in Hoi An city, the central province of Quang Nam, from March 11-17.