Happy Vietnam

The Xuan Pha dance re-enacts a past event of five neighbouring countries presenting gifts accompanied by their distinctive dance and singing performances to pay homage to King Le Thai To after his victory over Chinese Ming invaders in the 15th century. After hundreds of years, it has become a unique and significant folk dance celebrated annually. The event takes place from the 10th to the 12th of the second lunar month in Xuan Truong commune, Tho Xuan district, Thanh Hoa province. VNA Photo: Thanh Tùng

Farmers in the northern province of Thai Binh are preparing flowers and ornamental plants to supply the market for the Lunar New Year (Tet) 2025. Photo: Thu Hoai – VNA

Vietnam triumphed 2–1 over Thailand in the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Championship final, held in the northern province of Phu Tho on January 2 evening. Nguyen Xuan Son was the hero for Vietnam, scoring both goals in the 59th and 74th minutes. The striker was a constant threat to Thailand's defence, using his impressive physicality and balance to dominate the play. VNA Photo

Vietnam’s efforts in expanding export markets for its fruits and vegetables in 2024 has paid off as for the first time, the export of these products has brought home 7.2 billion USD, much higher than the figure of 3.3 billion USD two years ago. Vietnamese pomelos have officially entered the Republic of Korean, while passion fruits have made their way to Australia. Additionally, Vietnam and China signed protocols to facilitate Vietnamese fresh coconuts and frozen durians to enter the Chinese market. Particularly, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports to China exceeded 4 billion USD this year. VNA Photo: Vũ Sinh

Many high-tech flower growers in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong are preparing for the up-coming Lunar New Year (Tet). This year, the province has about 750 hectares flowers, of which about 100 hectares being orchids (mainly Phalaenopsis orchids). Photo: Nguyen Dung - VNA

In its first eight days of operation starting on December 22, Ho Chi Minh City’s long-awaited first metro line served over 900,000 passengers. According to its operator – the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railways No. 1 Company Limited (HURC 1), approximately 150,000 passengers used the service on the first day, with more than 38,000 passengers recorded on December 23. On December 24, nine metro trains ran 220 trips, carrying over 90,000 passengers, exceeding the planned 200 trips and approximately 39,000 passengers per day. VNA Photo

To day (wild peach blossoms) are associated with the lives of many generations of H’Mong people in Mu Cang Chai district in Yen bai province. To Day is a wild flower belonging to the peach blossom family. The H’Mong ethnic people in Mu Cang Chai district often call it “Pang to day” - forest peach blossom in Vietnamese. It has a strong vitality and only blooms in the cold of winter. To Day flowers have become a special symbol of the harsh lands of Mu Cang Chai when winter comes. Clusters of the red-pink flowers on hillsides create a beautiful scene. VNA Photo: Tuấn Anh

In 2024, Tay Ninh province continues to be a bright spot, earning a revenue of 2,500 billion VND from tourism (up 24.4%), and the number of tourists reaching about 5.6 million (up 9.7%). The Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Complex is still among the most attractive destinations for tourists nationwide and is the center of tourism in the province. Photo: Giang Phuong -VNA

In nearly 50 years of development, the Naval Zone 4 High Command has been granted numerous noble rewards. Especialy, on October 10, 2024, the unit was awarded with the title “People’s Armed Force Hero in the Renewal Period”. VNA

Throughout its over 300-year history of formation and development, Saigon - Gia Dinh - Ho Chi Minh City has always been closely connected to waterways, particularly the Saigon River. Along this river are Binh Dong Wharf, Bach Dang Wharf, and Nha Rong Wharf in the city center, and a network of crisscrossing canals running throughout the city. VNA Photo

The Coffee Company 706 under the Vietnam Coffee Corporation has 720 hectares of coffee plantations, of which more than 540 hectares are being harvested in Ia GRai district, the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai. In the 2024-2025 crop, the Company is expected to harvest about 7,000 tonnes of coffee beans, with a revenue of more than 100 billion VND (an increase of about 15% of the plan). Photo: Vu Sinh - VNA

Con Dao National Park in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province recently received the Heritage Tree designation, and a Vietnam record for the Hon Trung seabird nesting ground, on the occasion of Vietnam Forestry Day (November 28, 1959 - 2024). Hon Trung is a small, barren island of nearly 2 hectares, but it is a key habitat for rare seabirds such as black-nape terns, great crested terns, and white-bellied seagulls. Surveys have found an average of nearly 5 eggs per square meter on the islet. Con Dao National Park boasts 1,077 plant species and 155 animal species, exemplifying the tropical island ecosystem with diverse forest types such as evergreen, semi-deciduous, bamboo, and mangrove forests. VNA Photo

Farmers in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang harvested 7,325 hectares of Autumn-Winter rice, an increase of 1,529 hectares over the same period in 2023. Photo: Cong Mao-VNA

People in different provinces and cities in Vietnam are happily welcoming a peaceful and warm Christmas season on December 24 evening. The festive and vibrant atmosphere brightened the entire country, from solemn churches and Catholic neighborhoods to bustling streets, dazzling shopping centers, and cozy cafés, every corner glows with twinkling lights, floral decorations, and the sweet melodies of Christmas. VNA Photo

Located more than 100 kilometres south of Hanoi, the Pham Phao Catholic village in Nam Dinh province’s Hai Hau district has a long history of traditional bronze casting. Local craftsmen kept the passion burning by creating unique bronze trumpets, which came to play a significant role in the spiritual lives of local Catholics. The village used to have more than 800 amateur musicians performing regularly at church services and village events. With a lifelong passion, the musicians made and repaired bronze musical instruments, which became a traditional craft passed down through generations. VNA Photo: Minh Đức

Many villages in the central province of Ha Tinh have fences covered with green trees. Green trees are planted along the roads, with trees such as paper flowers, rose-mallows, loopah trees and gourd trees resplendent. VNA Photo: Hữu Quyết

Building on the 80-year tradition of development and combat from December 1944 to 2024, the Vietnam People's Army is developing along the regular, elite, and modern direction. Priority is given to modernising certain branches and forces to fulfil the mission of protecting the homeland in the new situation. VNA Photo

Corps 15 has made efforts and strived toimplement its tasks of production and business in combination withconsolidating defense and security and building a comprehensively-strong unit.VNA Photo: Vũ Sinh

Tam Duong district, Lai Chau province is surrounded by old forest and has a favorable climate for cold water fish farming, a start-up way for young ethnic people in the locality. VNA Photo: Quý Trung

The Vietnam International Defence Expo 2024 kicked off on December 19 morning at Gia Lam airport in Hanoi, gathering more than 200 units and enterprises from over 30 countries worldwide. This is the second time Vietnam has organised the expo, following the inaugural event in 2022. It is one of the key events celebrating the 80th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and the 35th anniversary of the All-People Defence Festival (December 22). Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the expo’s opening ceremony. VNA Photo