Japanese folk group to give free concert

Kaientai, a folk band from Japan, will perform at the Ben Thanh Theatre in HCM City on Sunday.

The three-member band, comprising of Tetsuya Takeda, Toshio Nakamura and Kazuomi Chiba, will sing eight songs, including Takeda's well-known compositions like Pilgrimage Song, Ballad Dedicated to My Mother, and The Word I Give to You.

The Word I Give to You is often sung at school graduation ceremonies in Japan.

Kaientai was formed in 1971 by Takeda who is also known in Japan for his starring role in TV drama Sannen B Gumi Kimpachi Sensei (Mr Kimpachi of the Third-Year B Class) from 1979 to 2011.

In 1973 the band shot to fame with its debut album, especially the song Ballad Dedicated to My Mother.

The band separated in 1982 but got back together in 1994.

It has toured across Japan and performed in several other countries.

The HCM City show is being organised by the Japan Business Association in HCM City and the country's consulate as part of events to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Japan.

The show is scheduled to start at 6pm, and admission is free. The theatre is at 6 Mac Dinh Chi Street, District 1.

Southern provinces celebrate Khmer festival

Many southern localities have held various activities to mark the Khmer community’s traditional Chol Chnam Thmay festival.

In Soc Trang province, home to nearly 400,000 Khmer people, leaders of the Southwestern Region Steering Committee and provincial authorities met with 350 representatives of Khmer war invalids, martyrs’ relatives, heroic mothers, monks and nuns in the locality.

At the get-together, the Khmer people said they are pleased with the State investment in Khmer-inhabited areas, helping improve their living standards and reduce poverty.

Thanks to social welfare policies, since 2012, more than 2,300 Khmer households have escaped from poverty while 89 percent have gained access to electricity supply and nearly 70 percent have used safe water.

At the event, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Vo Minh Chien pledged to continue mobilising sources for developing socio-economic infrastructure in ethnic-inhabited regions.

The province will promote vocational training for young Khmer people and provide jobs for new graduates, he affirmed.

Meanwhile, over 530 Khmer officials, monks and people in Tra Vinh province also gathered to celebrate the festival.

The delegates expressed their confidence in the guidelines and policies of the Party and State, saying they are making efforts to contribute to the province’s development.

According to Lam Minh Lien, head of the province’s Ethnic Board, last year, more than 26,400 poor households, mainly Khmer ones, were provided with homes while over 1,000 others received accommodation and production land.

Around 3,000 young Khmer people were given vocational training and jobs. Thanks to these efforts, the province’s poverty rate dropped by 4 percent.

The cultural and religious life of the Khmer people has been preserved and developed, he said.

On this occasion, the authorities of Vinh Long and Binh Phuoc provinces also visited and presented gifts to local Khmer people.

Foreign embassy staff study Vietnamese language, culture

The Ha Noi Union of Friendship Organisations launched the first Vietnamese training course for foreign embassies' staffs in Ha Noi yesterday, April 11.

The three-month course includes culture exchanges and field trips around the city. Teachers have all worked at Vietnamese embassies abroad, while participants came from the embassies of Brazil, Mozambique, Indonesia, Argentina, Indonesia, Panama, the Philippines, China and Venezuela.

The course will be held annually with the aim of popularising the study of the Vietnamese language and introducing Vietnamese cultural heritage to foreigners.

Experimental music venue opening attracts Swedish, Vietnamese artists

The music show Experimental Inception will be performed by Swedish artists at the launch of new music centre DomDom on Sunday.

The artists Stephan Ostersjo and Henrik Frisk will unite with local experimental musicians to arouse sensations. Vietnamese artists including the performance-art group Phu Luc (Appendix); sound artist Nguyen Manh Hung; filmmaker Nguyen Trinh Thi and dancer Nguyen Anh Duc will join the show.

DomDom music project is initiated by one of the leading experimental composers Kim Ngoc to promote experimental music in Viet Nam. It is expected to organise regular talk shows for music lovers to exchange and improve music knowledge.

Foreigners enjoy Ha Noi pho

Many foreign visitors to Viet Nam find pho more enjoyable in Ha Noi than in other places, and are happy to queue up at traditional pho stalls.

Sue Slatter, a vocational teacher from the US, says she finally found out that Ha Noi's pho was wonderful for her.

The dish is quite different in Ha Noi from what she has had back home, she says.

It is delicious, the noodle is not as thick as in the US, and its flavour is wonderful, she said.

David Jackman, a chef from the US, has been quoted as saying Vietnamese pho is very delicious as a result of the selective use of spices.

He cannot understand why the beef is so soft and delicious.

He also likes the atmosphere at the pho restaurants where people sit close to each other and eat.

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