The HCM City Ballet and Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will grace the city with a concert to celebrate the 126th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh on May 19.    

The concert "Forever Epic Song" will open with music pieces by veteran composers Huy Du, Hoang Cuong and Nguyen Dinh Tan.

The night will feature "Thousand Years of being Grateful to President Ho", a new production written for the orchestra by Vinh Lai.

The second part of the programme will feature performances by HBSO’s young dancers.  

They will perform "Forever Epic Song", a two-act dance choreographed by People’s Artist Vũ Việt Cường and Kim Quy in praise of the country’s heroic history.

The event will be held at 8pm on Thursday, May 19, at the HCM City Opera House, 7 Lam Sơn Square, District 1.

Photo exhibits honour President Ho Chi Minh

Two major photo exhibitions opened in HCM City yesterday to celebrate the 126th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh.

The exhibition on Nguyen Hue Street entitled “President Ho Chi Minh – the Beloved Leader of Vietnam” features photos depicting his life and achievements, contributions to the nation, and his ideological and ethical legacies.

The exhibition also features the city’s achievements in following his ethical examples.

The other exhibition on Dong Khoi Street entitled “President Ho Chi Minh’s Ethical Examples Shed Light for Young Generations” highlights the ideological and moral legacies of President Hồ, as well as HCM City residents and cadres who follow his example.

The exhibitions, which also mark the 105th anniversary of his departure from the country in a quest for its independence and the 40th anniversary of renaming Sai Gon-Gia Dinh as Ho Chi Minh City, will go on until May 27.

Speaking at the opening of the exhibitions, Than Thi Thu, head of the city Party Committee’s popularisation and training department, said President Ho Chi Minh was a symbol of patriotism and an international proletariat.

“His thoughts, manners and outstanding ethical examples are everlasting and invaluable assets for the Party and the nation,” Thu said.

In addition to the exhibitions, there will also be concerts, shows and a poetry evening at September 23 Park and Nguyen Hue Street.

Book on late leader published

A new book on President Ho Chi Minh was released today in HCM City to celebrate the president’s 126th birthday on May 19.

The book, "Teacher Nguyen Tat Thanh of Duc Thanh School", was written by veteran author Son Tung.

It features the life and times of Nguyen Tat Thanh, the birth name of President Ho, in Hue and Phan Thiet between 2010 and 2011.   

It recounts the time the President worked for the Duc Thanh Primary School in Phan Thiet City in Binh Thuan Province, before moving to Sai Gon. He then worked as a kitchen hand on a French steamer travelling from Sai Gon to Marseilles.

The work also features his years as a teacher.

According to the book’s printer, Kim Dong Publishing House is also reprinting and releasing a series of books featuring the President, including Ho Phuong’s "Father and Child", Bich Thuan’s "Our Uncle Ho" and To Huu’s "Following in the Footsteps of Uncle Ho".

Viet Minh Front’s role in history spotlighted at Hanoi exhibition

An exhibition was opened in Hanoi on May 18 to highlight the role of Viet Minh Front in raising unity for the ultimate goal of national independence.

The display at the Vietnam National Museum of History is held on the occasion of the 75th founding anniversary of Viet Minh (May 19, 1941).

Viet Minh, full name Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi (League for the Independence of Vietnam), existed until 1951.

At the opening ceremony, Politburo member and Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee President Nguyen Thien Nhan said Viet Minh helped unite Vietnamese people from all social strata during the struggle for national liberation. And the first success was the victory of the August Revolution that gained independence for Vietnam in 1945.

Among nearly 200 items on display, many of them introduce the domestic and global historical background for the establishment of the front.

Other objects and photos relate to the establishment of Viet Minh and the role of late President Ho Chi Minh, known as Nguyen Ai Quoc then, in the foundation.

They include a verse on the 10 policies of Viet Minh written by President Ho Chi Minh to call for people’s solidarity. It was written in “luc bat”, a traditional verse form in Vietnamese poetry that consists of alternating lines of six and eight syllables.

Another notable exhibit is the rattan suitcase President Ho Chi Minh brought along when he returned to Vietnam on January 28, 1941, after 30 years of staying abroad to seek ways for saving his homeland. He also used this suitcase during his time in Ha Quang district of Cao Bang province later that year.

The exhibition also features objects demonstrating the role of Viet Minh in raising national unity to prepare for the August Revolution in 1945, and the resistance war against French colonialists in the following years.

Photos and documents on the great national unity bloc during the Doi moi (Reform) period since 1986 are showcased in the last section of the event, which stays open until August.

VNS