CULTURE AND SPORT

Cafes and restaurants which are popular places for football fans in Vietnam were shocked after Vietnam Television announced at a short notice that they must ask permission for broadcasting World Cup.

The National Assembly on Thursday morning passed the Law on Sports and Physical Training, with the majority voting yes to the controversial bill.

Finally let loose after a year-long diet of international friendlies, hosts Russia roared their World Cup intent to the rafters on Thursday (Jun 14) with a 5-0 tournament opening win over Saudi Arabia.

Renowned Puerto Rican singer and songwriter Luis Fonsi will bring his super hit “Despacito” to the 2018 Cocofest music festival to be held at Cocobay Resort in the central coastal city of Da Nang in July.

Nearly 100 fliers from clubs nationwide and overseas will compete in a paragliding race, entitled ‘Fly over Tien Sa’, which will take place in the central coastal city of Da Nang on June 22-24.

The live entertainment show “The Quintessence of Tonkin” recently won the Gold Stevie Award for Innovation in Media, Visual Communications & Entertainment, beating projects from all over Asia.

Nguyen Le Thanh Son, 11, has become one of 22 children from around the world who will serve as a mascot as football players walk onto the pitch for the final match of World Cup 2018.

Vietnam Television (VTV) announced that it had bought the 2018 World Cup broadcasting rights at the price of USD15m after gifts from Vingroup and Viettel.

The first festival on world’s intangible cultural heritage will be held in the northern province of Tuyên Quang in September.

Vietnam Television claims to have almost finalised negotiations with Infront Sports & Media for buying broadcasting rights of the upcoming World Cup 2018.

Vietnamese football fans are planning to go to Laos and Cambodia to watch World Cup as local TV channels have not yet been able to buy World Cup broadcasting rights.

French urban freeclimber Alain Robert attempted to scale the world's fifth-tallest building Wednesday, getting more than half way up the 123-storey Lotte World Tower in Seoul before security forced him to abandon the ascent.

The Department of Performing Arts has given Phan Thi Mo permission to participate in the World Miss Tourism Ambassador 2018 in Thailand this July.

Renowned Vietnamese and international belly dancers will give an excellent performance at the Vietnam Open Belly Dance Festival 2018, set to take place at Dai Nam Theatre in Hanoi from June 8-11 along with a string of diverse activities.

A bamboo work by Vietnam representative, architect Vo Trong Nghia, has been sent to compete in the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale in Italy.

The 9th European-Vietnamese Documentary Film Festival will be held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from June 8-17, providing a platform for documentary lovers to meet and discuss filmmaking skills while enjoying a variety of films from different cultures.

A concert will be held in Hanoi on June 4 to celebrate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and Vietnam.

French photographer, journalist and publisher Nicolas Cornet yesterday released a photo book on pagodas in Vietnam in HCM City.

The Vietnamese American photojournalist Nick Ut has donated several cameras and 50 photos taken during the American War to Vietnam Press Museum.