Quang Binh (VNA) – A series of events arescheduled to commemorate the 107th birthday of General Vo NguyenGiap (August 25, 1911) and his 5th death anniversary (October 4,2013) in his home province of Quang Binh.

According to the Director of the provincial Department ofCulture and Sports Tran Vu Khiem, the department will host a special music showfeaturing the local “ho khoan” (chant) singing to pay tribute to the General inthe province’s cultural centre on August 18.

“Ho khoan Le Thuy” is a genre of traditional Vietnamesemusic, originating from Le Thuy district, Quang Binh where General Vo NguyenGiap was born. The chants are typically sung by groups, with one person settingthe tune and the rest singing the chorus, to both entertain and encouragepeople in their work.

The show will be a tribute of Quang Binh’s people totheir general who they admire and at the same time, promote and preserve thetraditional values of “ho khoan Le Thuy,” which has been recognised as part of thenational intangible cultural heritage, Khiem said.

The event is also intended to give young people a betterunderstanding of the great sacrifice of people who served the nation during thestruggle for independence.

On General Vo Nguyen Giap’s birthday August 25, Le Thuydistrict will hold another music show staging popular songs about the Generaland “ho khoan Le Thuy” singing.

The district will organize a photo exhibition on localtourism potential, swimming and boat races in Kien Giang River, and avolleyball competition on the occasion, while the district’s authority willvisit and present gifts to local policy beneficiaries and veterans.

General Giap was the Commander-in-Chief of the Dien BienPhu Campaign that helped end Vietnam’s nine-year resistance war against Frenchcolonialists in 1954.

He was born in 1911 in Loc Thuy commune, Le Thuy districtand passed away in Hanoi on October 4, 2013 at the age of 103.

The general was an eminent disciple of President Ho Chi Minh and the firstGeneral and Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnam People’s Army.

Serving the nation for more than eight decades, he wasloved and respected by Vietnamese people and international friends and isviewed as a hero to generations of officers and soldiers nationwide.-VNA