The HCM City People’s Committee and People’s Council headquarters welcomed a record-breaking 2,500 local and foreign visitors in just two days (December 30 and 31), the highest number since its opening in April 2023.

Vietnames-American theatre actress Ngọc Huyền, a veteran of cải lương (reformed opera), will perform in a mini show in HCM City celebrating her 40-year-long career.

Soloists of the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will perform a concert at the Opera House on January 6 to welcome the New Year.

The number of tourists visiting HCM City during the New Year holiday (December 30 - January 1) was around 1.65 million, up 3.1 per cent year-on-year.

Our Family Sudden Joys was a prominent television series in 2023, featuring the participation of many senior Vietnamese actors like Lan Hương, Bùi Bài Bình, Lan Phương, Khả Ngân, Nguyễn Kiều Anh and Doãn Quốc Đam.

Huge names from the musical world have played in Việt Nam recently. BlackPink, Westlife and Maroon 5 to name just a few. But big names don’t come cheap. Work is underway to exploit this sector, but to do so efficiently.

Deputy director of the city’s tourism department, Nguyễn Thị Hoài An said the first flights of the New Year would promote it as a favourite destination to domestic and international visitors in 2024.

Việt Nam’s big cities are full of architectural gems, but many have been demolished to build new apartments or allowed to fall into disrepair. Experts in Hà Nội met to discuss the issue, and say the country’s industrial heritage should be exploited effectively.

The Vietnamese Writers' Association has announced six winners of this year’s Literature Awards, including three prose works, one poetry work, one theoretical and critical work, and one children's literature work.