London taxis will help, said the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnamese Embassy in London at the launch on September 3.

The cabs, carrying images of  Halong Bay world heritage site, Vietnamese girls in white Ao Dai (long dresses) and information about Vietnam’s economic hub, Ho Chi Minh City, will be seen across the streets of the UK’s capital city over a six-month period.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Vietnamese Ambassador in the UK, Tran Quang Hoan, said he expected that this type of advertising will attract people living in London, who come from different corners of the world, and draw many of them to Vietnam.

Advertising in taxis has been used by many other countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand to promoting their tourist industries.

Shot by famous photographer Nguyen Xuan Khanh, the photos titled Cho Phien Tay Bac (Weekend Market in Northwestern Region) show the activities of ethnic groups like Mong, Dao and Nung in Lao Cai and Ha Giang provinces.

The images of Bac Ha and Dong Van weekend markets show dozens of shops made of bamboo selling accessories for making traditional ethnic clothing. They include red and dark blue belts, black skirts, and pink and yellow scarves. Then there are silver necklaces and rings and tin combs.

The photos capture the markets’ joyful atmosphere through the smiles on women and children’s faces. After all, the markets also double up as a place for entertainment for the ethnic minorities who end each day with parties serving traditional food like grilled pig’s trotters with pepper and maize wine.

Khanh is a lecturer of photography at the HCMC Theatre and Movie College. He has held many individual photo exhibitions in Vietnam and other countries like France and the US.

He is now doing photographic research on differences in cultures between countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Cho Phien Tay Bac is on show at the Institute for Culture Exchange with France, or IDECAF, on Thai Van Lung St , Dist 1, until September 19.

The VIW, aiming to promote mutual understanding in culture, education and society among participating countries, also attracts more than 200 Vietnamese students from many universities in HCMC.

During the 10 day event, both foreign and local students will explore Vietnam’s history, culture and society through fieldtrips – with themes like City Tour, Historical Day and Cooking Day – in HCMC and neighbouring areas.

Academic discussion about the countries’ culture, customs and society is also an important part of Vietnam International Week, which is organised jointly by the International Week Coordinating Organisation and the English Speaking Club at the HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities’ Department of English Linguistics and Literature.

Dong Van, which has remained untouched for hundreds of millions of years, has mammoth rocks spread over four districts – Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Meo Vac, and Dong Van – and is 1,000m above sea level.

The natural heritage site, expected to become the first geological park in Vietnam next year, has been surveyed by Vietnamese scientists and specialists from Russia, Poland, Japan, Belgium, and Germany.

They have found 40 heritage areas with valuable evidence about the Earth’s evolution, rock formations, caves, valleys and other features.

The plateau is made up of at least 80% limestone and has fossils of thousands of species of ancient creatures from 400-600 million years ago.

It is also home to several cultures that sprung up over the centuries. The 574m² plateau now has 250,000 people belonging to 17 ethnic groups.

The park, expected to provide geologists a glimpse into the Earth’s past, will also boost tourism, and help eliminate poverty in the area.

At a two-day seminar attended by Vietnamese and foreign geologists in the province last weekend, Hoang Minh Nhat, the province’s Party Committee Secretary, called on the international community to help preserve and develop the Dong Van Plateau.

He added that since a geological park is still a new concept in Vietnam, it requires the support of other international geological parks.

The Belgian, Malaysia, and Italian ambassadors in Vietnam, also attending the meeting, hailed the area’s natural beauty and culture.

Nhat said: “The mysterious rock highland is waiting for local and foreign experts to study it. The site will be preserved”.

Pham Sanh Chau, General Secretary of UNESCO Vietnam, expects Dong Van to get UNESCO recognition at a conference in Malaysia next April.

It will be only the second geological park in Southeast Asia after Langkawi Geological Park in Malaysia and the 54th in the world.