The Ministry of Information and Communications has issued a collection of postage stamps on Vietnamese traditional marketplaces, aiming to preserve national cultural identities and promote the image of Vietnam to international friends.

 Japanese professor Masaaki Shimizu has been presented with the 2017 Balaban Award by the US-based Vietnamese Nom Preservation Foundation (VNPF) for his contributions to preserving Vietnam’s ancient script.

 The third contemporary Viet Nam-Thailand arts exhibition will be held from March 8 to 10 in Hanoi, featuring 66 artists from the two countries.

 An innovative rendition of the romantic classic Swan Lake by Russian choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov and set to Tchaikovsky’s hauntingly beautiful score is set to stage in Hanoi.

 A photo exhibition featuring more than 100 works of 35 women photographers is being held in HCM City on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

 The organization board of the 6th Ban Me Thuot Coffee Festival is offering 20,000 coupons for a free coffee at 32 cafés in Buon Ma Thuot City from March 6-10.

Vietnamese photographer Binh Duong from Hanoi has been listed among 10 finalists in the travel category at the 14th annual Smithsonian photo contest.The winner of the competition will be announced on March 28.

 The Xuan Pha folk dance in the central province of Thanh Hoa was recognised as a national intangible heritage at a ceremony on March 6.

 Hanoi-based acclaimed artist Pham Luc will hold an exhibition from March 25 to April 30 on board the five-star Emperor Cruises Halong ship.

 Saigon Classical Music Group will organize a “Sense of Love” concert at the Southern Women’s Museum in District 3, HCMC on Saturday from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

 The Japanese government has given a VND225bn (USD9.8m) non-refundable aid to the VND243bn project to clean the channel runs through Japanese Bridge in Hoi An Town, Quang Nam Province.

 Designer Nguyen Cong Tri has announced he will be returning to Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo for a second consecutive year to showcase his latest collection alongside other hot up-and-comers from across the Far East.

The internationally-acclaimed band Bad Boys Blue cancelled their upcoming concert in Viet Nam after the group was involved in an accident in Russia, and singer John McInerney suffered severe injuries.

 The photo “Lunch”, depicting a tray of monks’ lunch dishes at a pagoda in Aptapeu, Laos, earned Lao dong (Labour) newspaper photojournalist Tran Viet Van Honourable Mention at the Master Cup’s International Color Awards – Los Angeles.

 Young amateur filmmakers aged 16-28 nationwide are eligible to participate in the fifth Sfilm Contest 2017, to be launched in HCM City this week. 

 A traditional wedding ceremory of the Red Dao ethnic community in the northern province of Yen Bai takes place in modern setting.

 Journalist-turned-artist Nguyen Thu Thuy brings her 10 installation works to the ’Bulgarian Rose Festival with Friends’ on an island in Thong Nhat (Reunification) Park.

 The great Austrian composer Anton Bruckner's Requiem will perform for the first time at Ho Chi Minh City Opera House on March 9.

 Nguyen Thi Thach Thao, Tran Thi Lan Huong and Mai Thanh Duy won the champion in the category of Individual of the 2017 Charming Ao Dai Contest in Ho Chi Minh City on March 5.

Over 3,000 girls wearing Ao Dai attended a parade on March 5 at Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street, HCMC, to form the S-shaped map of Vietnam within the framework of the ongoing Ao Dai Festival.