The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta city of Cần Thơ enjoyed strong growth in tourism last year due to a series of international political and cultural events and traditional festivals, according to its Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

New Zealand-based student Tăng Huyền Thư released her first book in HCM City early this month. The book, entitled How Much Is Too Much for Remembering, includes the poem of the same name that won 2nd prize at the New Zealand National Schools Poetry Award in 2016.

Dozens of writers and critics participate today in a poem reading in memory of the late revolutionary writers Nguyễn Thi and Lê Anh Xuân at the HCM City Union of Literature and Arts Associations.

The newly recognised treasures include the dragon-carved stone pillars at Dạm pagoda which are dated in the 11^th century; a set of statues of ten sacred animals of Phật Tích pagoda, dated from the 18th century; and a set of statues of four female personifications of the natural forces of Dâu-Luy Lâu region.

A woman waters vegetables on a field in Thanh Thủy District, in the northern province of Phú Thọ. — VNS Photo Trần Tuấn Việt

At exactly 5pm on January 6, four ships transporting the necessities for Tết (Lunar New Year festival) preparations arrived to greet residents and soldiers at Trường Sa (Spratly) Islands, about 248 sea miles from Cam Ranh City in the central province of Khánh Hòa.

Artist Nguyễn Thu Thủy hosted a visit and talk at the Mirror House in Thống Nhất Park, Hà Nội, on January 15 with many international guests who are members of the Friends of Vietnamese Heritage group (FVH).

A documentary film about Asian openbill storks eating snails won the Green Việt Nam Award at the sixth National Environmental Festival Film, the organisers said this morning in Hà Nội.

Tea has been an essential part of Vietnamese life for thousands of years. It is believed that the refreshing beverage not only calms the mind, but also helps ward off a number of common diseases.