CULTURE AND SPORT

V.League 1 runners-up Hanoi FC are set to gain an advantage when participating in next year’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup 2021 following organisers moving to change the competition format.

The International Friendship Art Festival (IFAF) 2020 is poised to get underway on the pedestrian streets surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the capital, with the event set to run from December 18 to 20.

Japanese movies will be introduced to audiences during the 12th Japanese Film Festival (JFF) in Vietnam from December 25 this year until January 22, 2021.

Ao dai Festival and Hue Gastronomy Festival 2020 will be held in the central city of Hue on December 18.

The upcoming 2021 season of the V.League 1 is set to see a total of 14 teams compete when it kicks off on January 16, according to a recent draw hosted by the Vietnam Professional Football JSC (VPF).

The Vietnamese national team will end the year of 2020 at 93rd place in the FIFA rankings, 18 spots higher than Thailand.

Swimmer Nguyễn Huy Hoàng is expected to shine at the Tokyo Olympics next year.

The Polish Embassy in Hanoi has granted an award to Vietnamese internet users for their dedication to spreading knowledge about the Eastern European country through online platforms.

Nepal's football governing body is to give the national women's football team a 150 percent pay hike so that their wages are equal with men -- even though their world ranking is way ahead.

Vietnamese drama film “Mat Biec” (Dreamy Eyes) has been chosen to be sent to the qualifying round of the 93rd Oscars Academy Awards, said the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Dancers of the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera will launch the Christmas season with the classical ballet The Nutcracker on December 11 and 12.

Vietnamese representative Nguyen Tran Khanh Van has been forecasted to be named in the top five of Miss Universe 2021 by Missosology Magazine.

Three Vietnamese stars, namely emcee Tran Thanh, singers Dong Nhi and Chi Pu, have been selected on this year’s Forbes Asia’s 100 digital stars list which highlights the Asia-Pacific region’s most influential celebrities on social media platforms.

The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Competitions Committee has recently decided to reschedule the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 to the end of 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Smithsonian Institution’s “Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World” Exhibition was opened on Monday at the Hanoi Medical University.

The 2020 International Food Festival, the eighth of its kind, was held in Hanoi on December 6, as one of cultural exchange, cuisine and fundraising activities hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vietnam’s 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship Year.

Hanoi’s My Dinh Stadium is being upgraded to host the 31st SEA Games which will be held in late 2021.

Vietnam’s leading designer Nguyễn Công Trí presented his new collection called “Màu Của Tôi” (My Colour) to open the Aquafina Vietnam International Fashion Week (AVIFW) 2020 at the Nguyễn Du Gymnasium in HCM City.

A range of shows and entertainment activities in HCM City, including those to celebrate Christmas, have been cancelled following municipal instructions on tighter Covid-19 prevention regulations.