CULTURE AND SPORT

Vietnam's national football team left Hanoi on August 13 for Malaysia, carrying its strongest squad for the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-final.

Tu Le Commune in Lao Cai Province will host a month-long paragliding festival from August 30 to September 30, offering flights over terraced rice fields during the harvest season.

Doorways that were sealed or narrowed during restoration work at Minh Khiem Duong, an ancient royal theatre inside the Emperor Tu Duc's Tomb in Hue City, have been restored to their original form.

Cong An Ha Noi have become the first Vietnamese club to reach the AFC Champions League Elite league stage after beating Adelaide United 2-0 in Australia.

The Hon Chen (Dien Nam) Temple Festival, one of Hue City's major spiritual events, will take place from August 20-22 and is expected to attract up to 30,000 participants.

The traditional Coconut Offering Festival of the Khmer community will be recreated in Hanoi on August 23, offering visitors a glimpse into the cultural and spiritual traditions of southern Vietnam.

Stations along Phu Quoc's USD 342 million Light Rail Transit (LRT) project will feature designs inspired by Vietnam's diverse regional cultures as the project moves towards completion for APEC 2027.

A large-scale street carnival featuring parades, live performances and themed floats will take place in central Nghe An Province on August 18-19.

The fourth Mong Ethnic Culture Festival will take place in the northern province of Dien Bien from October 9-11, bringing together communities from 11 provinces across Vietnam.

Vietnam secured top spot in Group A and a place in the ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-finals after a 3-1 victory over Cambodia, with Nguyen Dinh Bac scoring twice.

Ca Mau Province will host its first hot-air balloon festival alongside a provincial heritage festival later this month as part of efforts to promote tourism, cultural heritage and investment.

Quang Tri Province has approved a conservation plan for the 14 ancient wells in Con Tien Commune, aiming to protect the historic water system and promote sustainable tourism.

Hanoi will organise a series of Mid-Autumn Festival events for children in September, with activities aimed at ensuring all children can celebrate the annual festival.

Traditional knowledge of growing and processing Hung Yen longans has been recognised as Vietnam's national intangible cultural heritage ahead of the province's annual longan festival.

Vietnamese football fans lined up outside the Vietnam Football Federation headquarters in Hanoi as direct ticket sales opened for the national team's ASEAN Cup clash with Cambodia.

The Muong Lo Culture and Tourism Festival 2026 will run from September 25 to October 2, marking five years since UNESCO recognised Thai Xoe as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Archaeologists have completed excavations of two Nguyen-era defence sites near Hai Van Pass, revealing new evidence of Vietnam's 19th-century military network.

More than 400 Buddhist-inspired ceramic works from Vietnam's centuries-old Phu Lang pottery village will go on display at Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh Province from August 8 to September 6.

Vietnam's football team has received a VND 1 billion (approximately USD 38,200) bonus after a 3-0 victory over Indonesia moved it closer to the ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-finals.