Features

Binh Da Festival 2026, a national intangible cultural heritage, held in honour of Lac Long Quan, the legendary ancestor of the country, will take place on April 22, or the sixth day of the third lunar month, with a series of distinctive traditional cultural activities.

The popularisation of lacquer art is finding new approaches, making it more interactive and appealing to younger generations. Nhan Dan reporter Thuy Phuong spoke with Meritorious Artisan painter Nguyen Tan Phat, who has been steadily bringing lacquer closer to the public through free experiential workshops at Ha Vi Communal Temple and Duong Lam Ancient Village in Ha Noi.

An exhibition space featuring documents and artefacts under the theme “Broadcasting for a strong and prosperous Viet Nam” officially opened at the Quang Ninh Planning, Fair, and Exhibition Palace on the evening of April 10.

Mentioning Ninh Binh, visitors often think of Trang An, Tam Coc, or Hang Mua with their majestic natural beauty during the day. However, as dusk falls, the city reveals a distinctive charm of its own, attracting visitors to stroll, relax, and experience a slower pace of life.

From an early age, Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang (born 1991) grew up surrounded by palettes and paintbrushes, amid lanterns, lion dance heads, and masks in her father’s handicraft workshop in Hoi An Tay Ward (Da Nang City). Today, she is striving to bring the art of mask painting associated with tuong (classical Vietnamese opera) closer to young people and international audiences.

With the goal of implementing Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW of the Politburo on the development of Viet Nam’s culture, Nguyen Hang Nga, Director of the Viet Nam National Exhibition Centre for Culture and Arts, said that the Centre clearly defines its role and responsibility as a national-level cultural institution in promoting the image of the country and people of Viet Nam to the world.

The Government’s issuance of Decision No. 611 approving the Project “Digital transformation in the cultural sector to 2030, with a vision to 2045” is a timely concretisation of the Politburo’s Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW on cultural development in response to the requirements of the digital era, where technology has become one of the pillars shaping how national cultural values are created, preserved and disseminated.

Viet Nam possesses a wide range of rich and distinctive forms of traditional art; however, the exploitation and transformation of these values into drivers of development have not yet truly matched their potential. In the face of increasingly intense global competition, culture has become a pillar of national strength; therefore, properly recognising the role of traditional arts is an urgent requirement, reflecting a strategic vision.

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has issued a plan for activities marking major public holidays in 2026, including the 51st anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification, and the 145th International Labour Day.

Amid the pace of modern urban life, emerging creative spaces are opening up vibrant new approaches to traditional crafts. From communal houses and craft streets to experiential workshops, the essence of Vietnamese craftsmanship has been gradually revived through direct interaction, digital technology, and cultural storytelling.

After a series of Italian news agencies and media outlets reported that Viet Nam would participate in the 61st Venice Art Biennale for the first time, artist Le Huu Hieu officially confirmed that he would present his solo exhibition “Tam” (Baco da seta - Silkworm) at this major art event.

The World Journalists Conference 2026, which was held in the Republic of Korea (RoK) from March 29 to April 3, gathered nearly 50 journalists from 30 countries and territories around the world.

Hai Phong City aims to build itself into one of the country’s leading centres for education and training; in the immediate term, by 2026, it seeks to meet the conditions for recognition as a provincial-level “Learning Community” and to join UNESCO’s Global Network of Learning Cities in 2027.

In the final days of March, localities across Ha Noi simultaneously hold festivals commemorating the deity Prince Linh Lang. One of the most important and distinctive celebrations takes place in his homeland at the Special National Relic Site of Voi Phuc Temple in Giang Vo Ward.

In the heart of Ha Noi’s Old Quarter, the rustic sounds of traditional music quietly resonate, serving as a bridge between past and present. For more than a decade, artists of Dong Kinh Co Nhac (Ancient Music Group of Tonkin) have devoted themselves to preserving these melodies, helping traditional Vietnamese music maintain a lasting presence in contemporary life.

The three-day Pho Festival 2026, held in Thien Truong Ward in Ninh Binh Province, has recorded the strong appeal of Vietnamese pho, while also setting new requirements in organisation and the promotion of heritage values.

When heritage is viewed not only as a memory of the past but also as a resource for development, the key issue is no longer simply how to exploit it effectively, but how to govern it so that its original value is not eroded in the process of generating benefits. Heritage can generate revenue, attract investment, and spur tourism and services. Yet without long-term vision and scientific control mechanisms, those immediate gains may end up undermining the very foundations of its appeal.

In the new development context, as the demand for green, sustainable growth driven by internal strength becomes increasingly clear, heritage is no longer viewed simply as a “memory of the past” to be preserved in its original state. It is gradually being established as a strategic resource for both the present and the future.

According to information released, the ceremony to add the Dong Ho folk painting craft to UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding will take place in Bac Ninh Province on March 27.

On the morning of March 8, a series of lively activities took place on Nguyen Hue Walking Street in Sai Gon Ward to celebrate the 1,986th anniversary of the Hai Ba Trung Uprising, and the 116th anniversary of the International Women’s Day (March 8).