The fourth Canada Education Week will take place in Viet Nam from 7 to 13 October. This is an annual event organized by the Embassy of Canada in Ha Noi, the Consulate General of Canada in Ho Chi Minh City, and Canadian Education International (CEI).

A music concert, entitled “We are Friends: Music of the Heart”, was held at the Trung Vuong Theatre recently to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties (22 December 1992 – 22 December 2012) between Viet Nam and the Republic of Korea (RoK). The event was jointly held by the Da Nang People’s Committee and the Korean Cultural Centre in Viet Nam.

The Prime Minister has recently recognised 30 artifacts as national treasures, including three in Da Nang. The three artifacts - the Tara Bodhisattva statue, the My Son E1 altar and the Tra Kieu altar - are from the ancient Champa Kingdom and are on display at the Museum of Cham Sculpture.

A US Higher Education Fair, which introduced 30 accredited universities and colleges from the USA to potential students, was held in Da Nang recently by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

The Da Nang People’s Committee has given approval for the MDQ Joint-Stock Company to organise the Da Nang Open Paintball Competition 2012 at the Da Nang Paintball Club (7 Duy Tan Street, Hai Chau District) on 13 and 14 October. Thirty-two teams are expected to participate in the event.

The Korea Energy Management Corporation (KEMCO) has committed to providing financial support and expertise to help Da Nang organise training workshops on urban energy saving policies for representatives of the city’s departments and agencies. These policies have already been applied successfully in the Republic of Korea (RoK). In addition, KEMCO will enable a delegation from Da Nang to visit the RoK to learn about how effective energy policies are prepared there.

The State of Queensland and the Da Nang Centre for the Promotion of Human Resource Development (CPHUD) will host a seminar highlighting educational cooperation opportunities between the Australian state and the central region of Viet Nam, in particular Da Nang, at the Furama Resort on 7 November (from 8am -11am).

On 30 October, the Standing Vice Chairman of Da Nang People’s Committee, Mr Vo Duy Khuong, met with the Ambassador of Canada to Viet Nam, Ms Deborah Chatsis. The city leader said he hoped that the Ambassador would encourage Canadian businesspeople to invest in Da Nang in the fields that the city has prioritised for investment, which include education and training, commerce, financial and banking services, and most notably hi-tech.

The Standing Vice Chairman of Da Nang People’s Committee, Mr Vo Duy Khuong, recently met with the Ambassador of Finland to Viet Nam, Mr Kimmo Lahdevirta. He asked the Ambassador to instigate the exchange of high ranking delegations between Da Nang and Finland, and to encourage potential enterprises from Finland to visit and seek investments in Da Nang.

Mr Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, the Vice Chairman of Da Nang People’s Committee, recently had a meeting with a delegation from Mozambique’s Ministry of Transport and Communications, which was led by its Minister, Mr Paulo Zucula.