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The silent feats
November 12th 2017 was an unforgettable day of Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan as he was appointed as the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Political-Security in the term 2018-2021.
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People used to liken Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan to a "multitasking man" as he could work meticulously like a craftsman at one time, and could have an overview of the work like a supervisor. But all agree that he has silently made a positive contribution to the research work on foreign affairs of Vietnam’s diplomacy.
His five-year term of office as the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Political-Security of Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan started from February 2018. Before coming into office, the ambassador born in 1965 said that he will try his best to complete his new mission to reassert the quality of Vietnamese diplomats as well as improve the country’s credibility and status in ASEAN.
One month ago, in Geneva (Switzerland), representatives of the 191 nation members of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) selected its new chairman. The international organization granted the candidacy to the Asia Pacific region, which has not held the chairmanship for 12 years. Finally, Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of the Vietnam's delegation to the international organization was appointed as the candidate, and he then became the Chairman.
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In his remarks after being elected as the Chairman, Ambassador Duong Chi Dung decided to use Vietnam instead of the personal pronoun "I" when he thanked member countries for their supports. In doing so, he meant that the international supports were for not only him personally but also the country generally; for not only his qualities and qualifications, but also a country with its great effort to promote development and international integration with its rising status and position in the international arena.
In a new position, Ambassador Duong Chi Dung can continue his many-year determination and ambition to represent the country to promote unity, concerted intellectual of all member countries of WIPO, and realize Vietnam’s policy to be a responsible and active member with its positive and practical contributions to multilateral organizations and forums.
The very first feats
Another character in the success story of Vietnam’s diplomacy in 2017 is Ambassador. Dr. Nguyen Hong Thao. He is the first Vietnamese who has “made things happened” at the United Nations’ International Law Commission (ILC). With 120 out of the 191 votes, Ambassador. Dr. Nguyen Hong Thao has been the first Vietnamese candidate elected to the ILC of the term 2017-2021.
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Ambassador Nguyen Hong Thao called it a “sprint-race” as he had almost no time to prepare his application portfolio for the ILC. He said: “I was very worried. If I had not been elected, none would have blamed us, but the country would have to wait another five more years or even longer for another opportunity.”
That sprint-race finally brought fruitful results to not only Ambassador Nguyen Hong Thao personally but also the Vietnamese nation. The success in the election of Ambassador Nguyen Hong Thao has demonstrated that Vietnam has improved its position and prestige in the international arena as well as participated increasingly deeply in multilateral forums and the UN. This has also showed that the international community has acknowledged active and responsible contributions of Vietnam to international affairs.
Another “ambassador” who is promoting Vietnam’s image in the world is Major Do Thi Hang Nga, who has been the first-ever female military officer of Vietnam to work as a staff officer at a UN peacekeeping mission under the State President’s decision.
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Under this decision, Major Do Thi Hang Nga was assigned to the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for 12 months, starting from December 2017. At the decision-handover ceremony, Major Nga promised to promote the image of Vietnamese women and and “Uncle Ho’s Soldier” in the eye of international colleagues and friends. She also said, “Although she will be far away from home, my family’s love will always be with me.”
Vietnamese hallmark in knowledge “front”
On the journey to promote Vietnam’s image across the world in 2017, a great young “ambassador,” made the world admire the talent of the Vietnamese people. He was Hoang Huu Quoc Huy, student of the Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted, Ba Ria- Vung Tau, who won the gold medal at the International Mathematic Olympiads 2017 with his total score of 35. He became one of the three competitors who gained the highest score at the 58th IMO (IMO 2017) organized in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).
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Huy has love for mathematic and a high sense of resolve for this subject. “I am not a genius, but my persistence has led me to success,” he said.
His future plans would also surprise people. “Many people have asked me whether I want to study oversea or in Vietnam. Finding the answer to this question is more difficult than solving math exercises. Maybe, I will study engineering technical subject in Vietnam,” Huy said.
Writer Nguyen Nhat Anh is another “ambassador” of Vietnam in the intellectual field. Unlike Huy who has demonstrated Vietnamese talent in an international math completion, the writer has brought the Vietnamese soul to the world by his written pieces. In November 2017, his book entitled “I see yellow flowers on the green grass” was translated into Japanese and published by the Canaria Communications in Japan. This was the latest book had been translated into foreign languages. Earlier, many of his works had been translated into other foreign languages such as English, Korean, and Thai.
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Some people said, each writer carries a mission on his/her shoulders. Writer Nguyen Nhat Anh once said, his mission was to spend his lifetime writing about teenagers. According to his books’ readers and fans around the world, his mission is to convey the beauty of Vietnam’s culture and people to international friends.
Professor Kato Sakae – the one who translated this book into Japanese said: "The highlights in Nguyen Nhat Anh’s book are the way the writer depicts the characters with their personalities in combination with exceptional details. I hope that the Japanese people will have deep understanding of the Vietnamese society and culture through the book itself."
Writer Nguyen Nhat Anh has chosen a simple but practical way to promote the Vietnamese culture as his works can easily touch the hearts of people who love Vietnam around the world.
Vietnam is entering in 2018 while undergoing a miraculous and powerful change. Perhaps never before in Vietnamese history has the position and image of Vietnam been enhanced and widely advertised on the map of politics, diplomacy and international culture. Now, Vietnam is confidently integrating to the world.
The success of Vietnam in 2017 was partly contributed by all the silent “ambassadors” who have been working to connecting Vietnam with the rest of the world of global cooperation and development. Those “ambassadors” might work in different fields and are in different ages, but they have the same enthusiasm and endless desire for development and prosperity of Vietnam.
