The first-ever Japanese cherry blossom festival is scheduled to take place in the southern province of Dong Nai on April 23-24 with a conference for Japanese investors to be held on the event’s sidelines.

The movie "Jackpot", based on the true story of Lanh, a lottery ticket seller in the southern province of Dong Thap, was granted the ‘Vietnamese Oscar’ Golden Kite award for feature movie at a glittery award ceremony last night in Hanoi.

Vietnamese-American Nguyen Thanh Viet has won the Pulitzer Prize 2016 for his novel titled The Sympathizer.

 The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (VME) has recently been awarded the ‘Most Attractive Destination in Vietnam in 2015’ title by the Vietnam Tourism Association.

After 30 years of creating fabric paintings, Thanh Thuc recently held her first private  exhibition - “Spring Rhythm”. The exhibition has brought about a lot of surprises to the fine arts circle as it features a very unique painting style.

 The Hue International Food Festival will take place in Hue city’s Phu Xuan Park from April 28-May 2, the event’s organising board said at a press briefing on April 15.

The Dam Sen Cultural Park hired 50 artisans to make and boil a giant square-shaped glutinous rice cake weighing 2.5 tons to offer to the Hung Kings, the founders and the first protectors of Vietnam.

 The seventh season of Vietnam Next Top Model will kick off with casting rounds in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in May, according to an April 14 announcement by the producers.

 Saigon Polar Expo, a newly established ice entertainment venue, has opened to the public at Him Lam new urban area in District 7, HCMC.

 The echoes of ancient Dong Son bronze drums will be heard at the 2016 Hung Kings Temple Festival in Phu Tho province, which falls on April 16 this year.

 Trinh Vinh Trinh, younger sister of the late great Trinh Cong Son, will sing at the annual memorial concert for the composer in HCM City next week.

 Noted composer Nguyen Anh 9 died yesterday from a respiratory disorder and other diseases after a three-week stay at a local hospital. He was 76.

Tien Phong Newspaper's "Outstanding Faces of Vietnam" column talked with Nguyen Anh Tuan, an engineer and a journalist, who is best known as the first Editor in Chief of VietNamNet, the first online newspaper in Vietnam.

 Domestic enterprises will continue to face stiff competition from foreign enterprises in attracting and retaining talent and skilled employees.

 Photos and paintings capturing Viet Nam and its' people will be on display next Monday in Beijing.

 Head coach Bruno Formoso Garcia has called up 20 players to the national futsal team in preparation for the 2016 Asian Football Confederation Futsal Championships final in Uzbekistan.

  Twenty-five Vietnamese players left for Qatar on December 31 to compete at the 2016 Asian Football Confederation U23 Championship.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Many shops do not use advertising signs or display commodities in HCM City but rather hang special signs on the sidewalk as a way to identify their goods and services.

 The National Assembly approved a resolution on the socio-economic development plan for 2016, which sets the goal of a 6.7 percent increase in gross domestic product (GDP), on November 10. 

 Tu Lan caves system in the central province of Quang Binh will be reopened to tourists on November 10 after being closed for two months for ecological recovery.