HCM CITY — Cuba's History Office, that represents former president Fidel Castro, has agreed to give the HCM City-based Tre (Youth) Publishing House the rights to publish the leader's memoirs in Vietnamese, according to the director of Tre Publishing House.
The books, titled La Victoria Estrategica (The Strategic Victory), released in Cuba in August this year, and La Contraofensiva Estrategica (The Strategic Offence), released in September, will be translated into Vietnamese by Le Xuan Quynh, vice chairman of the Viet Nam-Cuba Friendship Association from the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau.
The books are scheduled to hit bookstores across the country next year.
Spanish musician El Guincho to open music festival in HCM City
HA NOI — A performance on Sunday featuring Spanish musician El Guincho will kick off the European Music Festival in HCM City.
El Guincho is the recording alias of Pablo Diaz-Reixa, who gained recognition from his 2008 Spanish modern music album, Alegranza!.
Influenced by several artists, including the New York-based indie rock band Animal Collective and the Brazilian psychedelic rock band Os Mutantes, El Guincho's musical style incorporates elements of Afrobeat, dub, Tropicalia and rock & roll. His music is a great mixture of styles.
El Guincho has recorded four albums so far, including two releases this year – Piratas de Sudamerica and Pop Negro.
His performance in HCM City will start at 8pm at the city's Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, District 1.
Tomorrow, El Guincho will perform at Ha Noi's Youth Theatre, 11 Ngo Thi Nham Street.
Tickets for his performance in Ha Noi are available for free at the Embassy of Spain at 4 Le Hong Phong Street, while the tickets for the HCM City performance can be collected from the Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of Spain at 21 Phung Khac Khoan Street (5th floor), District 1.
Group seeks UNESCO recognition for southern amateur singing
BAC LIEU — A meeting to define the values of don ca tai tu (southern amateur music) in order to seek UNESCO recognition of the art as a form of intangible heritage of humanity was held on Wednesday.
The conference gathered over 30 researchers, educators, cultural administrators, and musicians in the southern province of Bac Lieu, considered the cradle of the art.
When King Ham Nghi fled from Hue to the central province of Quang Tri in 1886, many patriots and court musicians accompanied the king before spreading throughout the south and joining anti-French movements, bringing their music along the way.
Class strives to preserve central region folk melodies
PHU YEN — A class teaching bai choi (folk melodies of central region), as well as heritage preservation skills, has been held in the central province of Phu Yen for more than 200 cultural workers. The class is part of a programme begun in August by the Folklore Arts and Culture Preservation Fund and the provincial Folklore Culture Research Association to preserve bai choi. — VNS