By Hà Nguyễn Hữu Ngọc was born and raised in Hà Nội, but it wasn’t until he left the city in 1946 to join the national resistance war against the French that he realised just how much he loved his hometown. Living in deep forests, eating cassava and potato, he missed Hà Nội’s steamed glutinous rice, the fragrance of steamed green bean and particularly phở (beef noodle). “When eating these foods daily, we could think them characterless. But when living far away, we understand their value,” the cultural scholar says. While he could return to Hà Nội to savour his favourite foods after the war was over, he fears that today the wars, market economy, and exposure to western culture are polluting Vietnamese traditional villages. Since his first extended trip outside the capital, he has dedicated his life to celebrating and preserving Vietnamese culture so that locals and foreigners will fight … [Read more...] about Scholar still fights to save Vietnamese culture
Wandering through vietnamese culture
Aged 90, cultural expert still full of beans
Inner Sanctum (03-02-2008) Aged 90, cultural expert still full of beans After 16 years writing the Viet Nam News' Traditional Miscellany column, Huu Ngoc is retiring, but that doesn't mean he's going to rest on his laurels. Tran Quynh Hoa finds out more. Ninety-year-old Huu Ngoc, a writer, orator and researcher, has bid adieu to the Viet Nam News' Traditional Miscellany column after 16 years of contributions. His book, Wandering Through Vietnamese Culture, a compilation of his weekly newspaper stories, won the Gold Award at the 2006 Viet Nam Book of the Year competition and has been reprinted many times. The Ha Noi native studied law but spent his whole life immersed in culture. He has written a number of other books on Vietnamese and foreign lifestyles, exploring French, Swedish, Japanese, Chinese, American and Laotian cultures. Inner Sanctum: Though the lens of a cultural expert, how do you see Tet? A friend of mine, Borje Ljunggren Liengres, the former Swedish Ambassador to Viet … [Read more...] about Aged 90, cultural expert still full of beans
Banyan tree tells history of Vietnamese culture
Traditional Miscellany (10-04-2005) Banyan tree tells history of Vietnamese culture by Huu Ngoc After reading my book, Wandering Through Vietnamese Culture, an American friend asked me why I had decided to illustrate the cover with an old banyan tree. This is how it happened. The final draft had already been sent to the printer, but the cover was not ready yet. The various photographic designs previously proposed to me were not satisfactory, and the designer did not know what to do next. Then, by chance, I met An Kieu, son of the late Nam Son, who, together with Jean Tardieu, had founded the Indochina Fine Art College in French colonial times. I asked An Kieu if he could provide me with something from his father, a painter known for his attachment to national cultural heritage. An Kieu gracefully responded to my request by sending a woodcut of a banyan tree, made some eighty years ago, that perfectly suited my purpose. Why did I choose this banyan tree for the cover of my book on … [Read more...] about Banyan tree tells history of Vietnamese culture
Top Vietnamese books honoured
Top Vietnamese books honoured (28-12-2006) Reading material: Outstanding Vietnamese books were recognised at the second Viet Nam Publishers Association awards held at the capital's Opera House last Saturday. — VNS Photo Truong Vi The Viet Nam Publishers Association announced at the Opera House in Ha Noi last Saturday the winners of this year's book awards. The awards included the most intriguing and the most beautifully designed books. In the "most intriguing" category there were four gold awards handed out. The only individual prize went to Lang Du Van Hoa Viet Nam (Wandering Through Vietnamese Culture), by Huu Ngoc. Three collective prizes went to Khun Chuong Anh Hung Ca Thai (Thai Epic), by Phan Dang Nhat (chief author); Nhat Nghe Tinh, by Nguyen Thang Vu; and Kham Dinh Dai Nam Hoi Dien Su Le Tuc Bien - a collaborative effort by a number of authors that was translated and edited by the Viet Nam History Institute and the Centre for the Preservation of Hue Imperial … [Read more...] about Top Vietnamese books honoured
The man who build bridges of culture
The Master of Culture Huu Ngoc was born in 1918 in Hanoi. Even though he has exceeded the benchmark of seventies, he still marches on and keeps writing steadily. His life is just like a bridge that spans the national culture with the world, and the world with Vietnam. The Master of Culture Huu Ngoc was born in 1918 in Hanoi. Even though he has exceeded the benchmark of seventies, he still marches on and keeps writing steadily. His life is just like a bridge that spans the national culture with the world, and the world with Vietnam. Pages with distinctive cultural colors With a profound knowledge and conversant with French, English, German and ancient Chinese, he has, for more than 50 years of penmanship, made contributions to the rich treasure of national culture. His books include " A Sketch of French Culture", " the North European Skies ", " Swedish Culture", " Archives of American Culture ", " Key to Know and Understand Laos ", and many others. He has also written regularly over … [Read more...] about The man who build bridges of culture