A red-haired Italian priest who wrote over 40 operas and a Latvian musician with strong environmentalist feelings – Saigon plays host to the music of both of these on July 19 in its magnificent Opera House.

 Concerns about losing Thai ethnic culture have motivated Ca Van Chung, Deputy Head of the Science and Technology Center in Son La province, to apply new technology in the preservation work.

 Just like rice, fish sauce is a staple of almost every dish in Vietnam. “For Vietnamese people, a meal without fish sauce is considered incomplete,” culture expert Tran Ngoc Them once wrote in his book Vietnam Culture Foundation.

Firmly establishing its place as Vietnam’s premiermulti-day festival, Quest will return from November 10 -12 at Dong Mo, Hanoi for an unforgettable weekend of music, art, discovery and magic. 

 VietNamNet Bridge - French pianist Jean-Louis Haguenauer and his musician friends will perform at L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street, Hanoi on August 19. 

 Israel Book Day will be held for the first time at Vietnamese Women’s Museum and in Hanoi Book Street on July 16.

 The drama troupe, Buffalo will perform the Vietnamese version of the American musical, Chicago, at the Army Theater in Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Binh District starting on August 19.

 14 artists from Hai Phong City have opened a nude painting and sculpture exhibition entitled Phuong at Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi.

 Those bored with hanging out with friends at traditional coffee shops and restaurants at weekend should check out the following destinations for shopping, entertainment and relaxation.

 An exhibition on Buddhism by photographer Shri Benoy K.Behl will be held at the Indian Cultural Centre from July 17 to 28. 

 A photo exhibition on the architectural styles in Hanoi from old times to now has opened in downtown.

The Tuong Binh Hiep craft village in Phu Dau Mot city, the southern province of Binh Duong has produced lacquer products over nearly 100 years.

On display at the event are charts showing the establishment and development of ASEAN over the past 50 years, postal stamps about the community, photos and documentaries about the land and people.

The Nang Hai festival, in worship of the moon, which is observed annually by the Tay ethnic groups in Cao Bang province has been listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.

Two French movies - “Un homme à la hauteur” and “Le Petit Prince” will be screened at L’Espace while the internationally co-produced drama film “Patterson” from last year will be on show at Heritage Space, Hanoi this month.

 Vincom Centre for Contemporary Art (VCCA) will host two events on Saturday, with a workshop on flower arrangement and a jazz show.

 The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre will host an arts discussion on self-expression on July 14.

 Heart Beat, a Saigon-based underground music community, will hold a music and light show with London-based techno producer and DJ Sigha at The Observatory on July 21.

 Hanoi authority has approved an architecture plan on Hoa Sen (Lotus) theatre floating on a lake between Yen Hoa (Cau Giay district) and My Dinh (Nam Tu Liem district), according to the city’s Department of Architecture and Planning. 

Have you ever thought of holding a brush pen and writing calligraphy on “Dó” paper just like the emperors wrote down their commands in ancient times? On July 12 you will have the opportunity to be a part of one of these historical moments.