Dep Fair 2007, an exhibition of cosmetics and fashion, will be held for the eighth time at the Hanoi Friendship Cultural Palace from March 7-11 with the theme “Honouring Beauty”.

On 8th January 2007, in Hanoi, Vietnam Women’s Museum (VWM) and Asian – Pacific Study Commission cultural diversity in human development held the Seminar on “Women and Museum with sustainable cultural development”.

Vietnamese karateist Nguyen Hoang Ngan won a gold medal in women’s kata event of the Paris Open contest on January 20 and 21, reported the Sports Daily.

Following Le Quang Liem, Le Thanh Tu and Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Viet Nam on Thursday obtained two other berths for the World Chess Championships in Mexico in September this year.

In the night markets in Hang Ngang and Hang Dao Streets and in Dong Xuan Market, many students and elderly are wrapped up in drawing portraits of wayfers and foreign visitors. Standing in a group or sitting in a private corner with some pencils and paper, they earn good money with their talent. A portrait costs VND30-50,000.

Circus artist Nguyen Hong Hanh from the Vietnam Circus Federation has recently won the silver prize for her performance of balancing with a sword on the string at the first Valencia International Circus Festival.

Romanian diplomat Carmen Costea expresses her deep love of Hanoi after a four-year stay, recalling memories of its beauty, culture and people just as she leaves for an assignment back home.

The Association of Vietnamese Students in the UK (SVUK) is set to organize a music bash with the participation of sizzling Vietnam acappella group AC&M on March 2 to raise funds for the needy.

Sepak takraw player Luu Thi Thanh, who won two gold medal and one silver medal at the 15th Asian Games was voted as the Vietnamese Athlete of the Year in 2006 with a total of 1,378 points. Her coach Ha Tung Lap was the Coach of the Year in 2006. No footballers were in the top ten athletes in 2006, reported Vnexpress.

Duong Thi My Linh, 22, a model of PL Fashion Company, won Miss Photo Viet Nam 2006 and another minor title for the beauty contestant who received the most votes from the public.

Lena Hermann, a 25-year-old German student, has just inaugurated a photo exhibition of the Vietnamese people and their country titled “Made in Viet Nam” in the University of Berlin, Germany.

A quartet from Japan, the Midori Goto, will make a performance tour of localities across Vietnam from December 22-30.

The painting exhibition “Bobbing with Lotus” has been organized to celebrate artist Nguyen Thi Tam’s 70th birthday and mark her 50-year career of painting at the Ho Chi Minh City’s Exhibition House 92, Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, from December 22 to January 1st.

Visitors to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology will be able to learn more about the daily lives of the Pa Then ethnic minority people in a new photo exhibition. Entitled The Voice of Pa Then, the exhibition features 80 photographs taken by Frenchman Sebastien Laval in March 2005 and October 2006.

Italy Television RAI has invited Vietnamese’s top designer Minh Hanh as a guest to join a TV show named Alle Felde Del Kilimangiaro produced on December 18 and broadcast during Christmas Eve 2006.

Pham Thanh Hang picked up the Vietnam Cup and VND50 million in cash at the awards ceremony for the Vietnam Model Awards 2006 on Dec 16.

A top Vietnamese designer and two young colleagues will dress up a bevy of beauties for Thanh Nien’s annual fashion and music bash scheduled for Dec. 30-31.

A documentary on the war in Vietnam entitled ‘Chat Doc Da Cam’ (Agent Orange) produced by Japanese Masako Sakata is now on screen at the 28th Latin America New Film International Film Festival in La Habana, Cuba.

More than 4,000 students from universities in Hanoi gave a special art and sport performance at the opening ceremony of the 13th ASEAN University Games (AUG 13) at Hang Day Stadium on the evening of December 16.

About 300 personal files and thousands of mementoes from soldier who fought on southern battlefields are now being showcased at the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi.