A concert featuring jazz fusion and world music by four artists will be staged at HCM City’s VOH Music One this week.

Vietnamese-French
singer Huong Thanh (second from left), winner of the Prix Musiques du Monde
presented by France Musique in 2007, will perform in the Vuong Tron - Sky &
Earth concert in HCM City on June 16 (Photo: vnexpress.net)
The
event, Vuong Tron - Sky & Earth, features Vietnamese-French singer
Huong Thanh, Japanese zitherist Kengo Saito, French drummer Patrice Heral, and
Malian Ballaké Sissoko, a noted player of the kora (a lute-harp from
Mali).
The artists will perform solo several pieces of jazz-fusion and world music,
with an emphasis on folk culture.
Singer Thanh began her love for traditional music and cai
luong (reformed opera) career from her father, famous composer Luu Huu
Phuoc.
She began her career at a young age. In 1977 she moved to live in France and
performed in Europe, and in 1995, began singing jazz.
She won the first prize Prix Musiques du Monde, presented by the national
public radio channel France Musique in 2007.
Later she returned to Vietnam to make the album Musique du Théatre Cai
Luong/Cai Luong Music, recorded and distributed by Ocora Radio France.
Her album features songs in cai luong by well-known composers from
southern provinces.
Thanh has released several albums, including Moon and
Wind, Dragonfly, Mangustao and Fragile Beauty, which used
jazz and Vietnamese folk music.
Her albums feature Vietnamese-French jazz artist Nguyen Le, artists such as
Paolo Fresu of Italy, Renaud Garcia Fons of Spain, Dhafer Youssef of Tunisia,
Richard Bona of Cameroon and Francois Verly of France.
In 2011, she performed in Cam Ky Thi Hoa (Music, Chess, Poem,
Painting), a concert featuring the Camkytiwa band of four folk music players
from China, the Republic of Korea and Japan, at the HCM City Music
Conservatory.
In Vuong Tron - Sky & Earth, Thanh will perform songs using Vietnamese
folk music and jazz.
The concerts will be held at 8pm on June 16 at VOH Music One on 37 Nguyen Binh
Khiem street in District 1. Tickets are available at the box office.
Source: VNA
Gongs hold a special place in the cultural and spiritual life of the Muong ethnic people in Hoa Binh province. More than musical instruments, they are an indispensable part of community rituals and collective memory, echoing through generations as a spiritual thread linking the past, present, and future.
Preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Muong ethnic group has become an urgent task in the current context, as many traditional values face the risk of fading away. This effort requires not only protecting the cultural identity but also eliminating outdated customs and developing a modern cultural lifestyle, contributing to sustainable values for the Muong community in Hoa Binh province.
The Muong ethnic culture, deeply rooted in Vietnam’s mountainous north, continues to be preserved and revitalised by dedicated individuals and communities determined to safeguard their ancestral identity.
The Muong group is one of the largest ethnic minorities in Vietnam, primarily found in Hoa Binh province. The Muong people in Hoa Binh boast a rich and diverse cultural treasure that reflects the unique identity of this ethnic group. Accounting for over 63% of the province's population, they have created and preserved numerous distinctive cultural values, contributing to their unique identity. Their cultural heritage is an invaluable asset, at the heart of their national identity, and represents a vibrant spiritual life that must be preserved and promoted in today’s modern world.
For generations, the ethnic communities of Hoa Binh province, particularly the Muong people, have preserved vibrant festivals deeply intertwined with the region’s geography, nature, and social traditions. These celebrations enrich Hoa Binh’s spiritual life and cultural identity, reflecting both folk beliefs and the intermingling of ethnic customs. Many of these festivals have endured the test of time, passed down through generations and continuing to thrive today. Among them, the Khai Ha (Going Down to the Field) festival stands out as one of the most significant events of the Muong ethnic group.
Muong calendar, known as sach doi, is an ancient folk knowledge system developed through observations of the movement of the pleiades star. This unique calendar consists of 12 bamboo sticks, each representing a lunar month. Specific days within each month are marked with distinct symbols, guiding locals in determining auspicious and inauspicious days for important activities.