Cover of Sài Gòn - Gìn Vàng Giữ Ngọc Sài Gòn (Sài Gòn - Preserving Culture and Heritage), features Sài Gòn and its history and its developments in different periods. — Photo courtesy of the publisher

HCM CITY — A new book on the culture and lifestyle of Sài Gòn, now HCM City, was released by the Culture & Arts Publishing House last weekend.

The book, Sài Gòn - Gìn Vàng Giữ Ngọc (Sài Gòn - Preserving Culture and Heritage), features Sài Gòn and its history and its developments in different periods.

The authors include famous cultural researchers, authors and artists, including Dr. Nguyễn Đức Lộc, the book’s editor Nguyễn Thị Hậu and author Phạm Công Luận.  

The work focuses on traditional culture, festivals, architecture and old buildings.

Cải lương, a genre of southern traditional theatre, and its 100 years of history are also highlighted.

The book includes information about theatre troupes and performers of vọng cổ (nostalgia tunes) and cải lương, both of which are popular art forms among farming households in the Cửu Long (Mekong) River Delta region.

One of the book’s featured writers is female archaeologist Hậu, the deputy general secretary of the Việt Nam History Association.

Hậu has completed many surveys about southern urban areas, particularly Sài Gòn, and has travelled to many places in the country and abroad to talk about her views and surveys.

Her latest book about Sài Gòn, Đô Thị Sài Gòn - TP HCM City Khảo Cổ Học và Bảo Tồn Di Sản (Sài Gòn Urban - HCM City Archaeology and Heritage Preservation), was released in 2017.

In the book Sài Gòn- Gìn Vàng Giữ Ngọc, Hậu writes about buildings built 100 or more years ago, including Bình Đông Wharf and Ba Son Shipyard, and invaluable heritage sites that can never be rebuilt. 

“Our book is a special gift for locals and visitors who love and want to discover HCM City,” said Đinh Thị Phương Thảo, director of the Culture & Arts Publishing House.   

Thảo’s publisher worked with its partners, Social Life Institute and Green Horizon, on printing.

The book, published in Vietnamese and English, is available at bookstores and online shopping websites. — VNS