CULTURE AND SPORT

Vietnam will become the first country to host the SEA Esports Nation Cup (SNC), a national team–based regional championship owned and developed by the Southeast Asian Esports Federation (SEAEF).

Residents in Ho Chi Minh City hired boats to release carp into the Saigon River on February 10, fearing the fish would be trapped near the banks during the Kitchen Gods ritual.

Ceremonial seals will be distributed to pilgrims at 2 am on March 3 at Tran Temple in Ninh Binh Province, marking the 15th day of the first lunar month.

A paper mask workshop in central Vietnam is bustling ahead of the Lunar New Year or Tet as tourists snap up fierce-looking designs believed to bring peace and ward off evil in the year ahead.

Vietnam has been granted the hosting rights for the Asian DanceSport Championship 2026, with the event scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City from July 9 to 12.

Dien Bien will host the Hoa Ban Festival in March, with a packed programme of cultural, sporting and tourism events aimed at celebrating ethnic heritage while boosting the province’s tourism profile.

A cluster of horse mascots unveiled in Quy Nhon, Gia Lai Province, has attracted wide attention for its playful designs that depart from traditional Lunar New Year imagery.

Vietnam secured another podium finish at the ongoing 2026 Asian Rifle & Pistol Championships in India with a bronze medal in the men’s 50 m pistol team event on February 7.

Huong Pagoda in Hanoi will introduce online ticketing and waive parking fees for service vehicles at its 2026 tourism festival, aiming to ease peak season pressure and improve the visitor experience.

A green diamond-shaped indoor arena has drawn attention in Vietnam’s central province of Quang Tri, with an investment of more than VND 120 billion (USD 4,562).

Quang Ngai Province's General Museum houses four artefacts and groups of artefacts recognised as national treasures.

Ninh Binh Province has added five artefacts to Vietnam’s national treasures list, among 30 newly recognised items spanning the Ly, Tran and Later Le dynasties periods.

The Lang Son Peach Blossom Festival 2026, will span over two months, featuring numerous cultural and artistic events and tourism experiences.

Two centuries old whale skeletons displayed on Ly Son Island in the central province of Quang Ngai have begun to deteriorate after just over four years on public exhibition.

Vietnam’s chess grandmaster Le Quang Liem has moved up one place to 17th in the latest world rankings released by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), according to the February 2026 list.

Several large military artefacts displayed outdoors at the Hue History Museum in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue have deteriorated, with rusting metal and deflated tyres.

Vietnam’s futsal team lost 3-2 to hosts Indonesia in the quarter-finals of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 on February 3, bringing their campaign to an early end.

Vietnam’s music industry entered a decisive new phase in 2025, marked not only by rapid expansion in scale, but also by deeper audience engagement and growing international visibility.

Hoang Nguyen Thanh will represent Vietnam at the Tokyo Marathon 2026, one of the six World Marathon Majors, scheduled for March 1 in Japan.