Abstract
Bệnh trắng is a Vietnamese translation of Čapek's play The White Disease. The book was published on the occasion of cultural events in honor of Karel Čapek and the presentation of his work to Vietnamese readers, organized by the Czech Embassy in Vietnam.
The manuscript of the translation was created in 1986, on the occasion of the Days of Czechoslovak Culture in Vietnam and the first performance of the White Disease at the Vietnamese National Theatre. The book includes a rare annex (Karel Čapek at the rehearsal at the National Theatre in Prague in 1937, photographs from the production), which was provided by the Archive of the National Theatre in Prague.
The book's launch date (June 2020), when the Covid-19 pandemic was already present around the world, is certainly a coincidence, but circumstances show that The White Disease is a work that is still current and timeless.