Vietnam and the US have made several efforts to strengthen friendship through cultural exchanges but it isn’t enough for mutual understanding, according the president of the Vietnam-US Association.

Nguyen Tam Chien, the president of the association, was speaking at the “Vietnam-US Friendship: Cultural Bridge” meeting held yesterday in Hà Nội, which attracted the participation of many scholars, cultural activists and members of the Friends of Vietnam Heritage organisation.

Chien stressed that the people of the two countries should increase the exchange of literature, cuisine, art exhibitions and art performances.

“The quintessence of the two cultures is the invaluable gifts we can give each other to make the two nations genuine friends,” he said.

“President Ho Chi Minh had established the Vietnam-US Association in 1945.

The meeting was organised to mark the publishing of the book Vietnam: Tradition and Change by scholar Huu Ngoc in Vietnam and the United States, following the co-operation between Thế Giới Publishers and Ohio University Press.

At 98, Ngoc is among Vietnam’s most famous scholars and is a keen observer of traditional culture and history.

The new book, edited by Lady Borton and Elizabeth Collins, is a selection of the author’s essays from his earlier book Wandering through Vietnamese Culture, the only English language book to win Vietnam’s Gold Book Prize.

This book sold over 10,000 copies in 10 editions but was too thick (over 1,200 pages) to be effectively distributed to foreign buyers. The editors then condensed the volume into a 300-page book to contain only the essential content under the title Tradition and Change. The book also comprises detailed footnotes and comments.

“My main objective is to emphasise the uniqueness of Vietnam,” Huu Ngcc said.

“Many foreigners believe Vietnamese culture is simply the tail-end of China and we strongly reject this notion.”

“While Vietnam is certainly heavily influenced by Chinese culture, like Japan and Korea, we also boast of a vibrant culture of our own.”

Tran Doan Lam, director of The Gioi Publishers, said we all have much to learn and enjoy from the book.

“Huu Ngoc has done us all a great favour by capturing traditional culture in a burnished gem that we can treasure forever. This book is the perfect gift from Vietnam to the US.”

Other people actively engaged in promoting cultural exchange between two countries, such as writer Nguyen Quang Thieu and theatre director Truong Nhuan, were also part of the meeting.

This event is part of a series of cultural events to welcome US President Barack Obama who is visiting Vietnam today.

Reminiscing about US President George Bush’s visit, Chien said when the then president visited Vietnam in 2006, he had said he loved Vietnamese food.

“He even let the car window opened to wave at Vietnamese people who welcomed him warmly, unlike other heads of state who mostly kept their car windows closed while travelling on the streets,” Chien said.

VNS