You have lived and worked in France for many years. As a journalist, you have traveled to many European countries, talked to and interviewed many people, what do you feel they think and what do you know about Vietnamese people?
- I think, the world today looks at Vietnamese people very differently from before. This is understandable. When Vietnam just emerged from the war, it was still hard, but today, we are a developing country, integrating with the world. When the national image is different, of course, the image of each individual will also be different.
29 years ago, when I first set foot in Europe, people always looked at me with reservation. But now, I think I can look at them confidently, openly and there is nothing to be afraid of anymore.
From your perspective, what personality and characteristics show the greatest "recognition" of Vietnamese people in front of international friends?
- I think Vietnamese people have two outstanding characteristics. That is the ability to overcome difficulties (I use the word roughly, actually the ability to solve problems) and compassion, rich in kindness.
I see that Vietnamese people rarely answer "cannot do it". We always have solutions, know how to manage, know how to adapt, and know how to find solutions.
I always tell my children that, before all the problems of life, they must ask themselves what is the solution to this matter, what directions are there.
I originally didn't like the habit of being afraid before doing it, reluctant to learn before trying, and saying I couldn't do it before accepting challenges.
I see that Vietnamese people always have ways to solve difficulties. I think that is a very wonderful characteristic and should be promoted into a national characteristic: Always finding the best solution. If later people say "just assign it to Vietnamese partners, there will definitely be good solutions" then it is too precious!
The second prominent characteristic is compassion, even daring to sacrifice or accept disadvantages for oneself.
Vietnamese people always tend to love and want to protect the weaker people than themselves.
However, should that characteristic be "regulated", transformed into a humane attitude, that is, love needs to originate from understanding, thinking and respect... not just simply "emotional". Thus, that characteristic will be even more valuable in the development of society.
You have your own family in France, your children grow up in a modern educational environment, becoming global citizens. Do you want to keep any Vietnamese features for your children?
- Globalization and social networks are the reasons for the difficulty in "communication" between generations. Now, that gap seems to be getting bigger.
I, like all other Vietnamese mothers, try my best, but sometimes I am quite confused in preserving the beauty in the identity of Vietnamese people, such as family traditions, self-sacrifice, sharing... for my children.
Can you share the Vietnamese imprints that have been built in your very "international" family environment?
- I am lucky because my parents' families are very harmonious and love each other. My siblings are always close, trust each other, there is no distance between daughter-in-law and son-in-law.
My children see that and cherish it very much. I want my children to grow up to be like that too.
Modern society makes people more lonely. Many people think that they don't need anyone, just need a good job and money to live well, no need to rely on others.
I think differently, money only brings convenience, while warmth in the heart needs affection. Maintaining affection and connection in a large family is very precious. Family affection is like a healthy root, helping the tree to grow firmly.
When chatting and interviewing international friends about Vietnamese people, what do you like to talk about most?
- I rarely talk about Vietnamese people or about myself. I think I "talk" more through the way I live.
I behave with self-respect, culture, and civilized behavior - that is how I "speak", in any environment.
In 7 years of working as a resident correspondent in France, in my heart I always thought that I was forced to behave as best as possible so that the French would look at me and appreciate me.
I think, each individual just lives correctly, behaves correctly, that is the way I "talk" about where I was born.
She is the daughter of the late Professor, People's Artist (NSND) Dinh Quang, former Deputy Minister of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), former Rector of the University of Theater and Cinema. What is the biggest impact on her from her parents and family?
- Perhaps the most precious thing my parents left for their children is that they gave us many opportunities to understand and experience.
I miss my father very much. When he returned from a business trip abroad, instead of buying items that could be sold (in the "improved" way of officials working abroad during the subsidy period), my father would buy us delicious food, beautiful clothes, and good toys.
My father explained in detail to us how this dish is eaten, what material it is made from, and how people enjoy it in that country. He taught my brother to assemble Lego, assemble mechanical toys with all kinds of nails and screws...
My father also often took me on business trips with him, sometimes going by motorbike to Bac Ninh to listen to his lectures. On the way, my father told enough stories... I learned a lot from such experiences.
My mother belongs to the type of hardworking woman. She is a Hanoi girl, so she knows how to cook and manage. When she was poor, with two eggs and a box of milk, my mother also turned them into caramel cakes; with a little flour and a few shrimp, my mother made shrimp cakes and banh xeo. My mother tinkered with everything to make the family meal always delicious. From Hue dishes to Southern dishes, my mother tried to cook so that we knew what that dish was like.
Just a bunch of water spinach, mother also takes the trouble to prepare, sometimes stir-fry, sometimes boil, sometimes mix salad, sometimes cook crab soup... My parents let me understand that, in any situation, difficulties cannot prevent learning and in any situation, there will be a way to find joy. You must constantly want to know. Don't be lazy, don't limit yourself.
For many Vietnamese people, when away from home, they easily remember meals, street corners, very personal family stories... What about you?
- I have passed the "missing food" stage because now in France, there are all kinds of dishes and I often come to Vietnam to work.
I often miss the atmosphere, miss the memories of my Hanoi. I miss the romantic, contemplative beauty of Hanoi at night, I miss my youth when I often wandered around the streets by bicycle. I miss the sound, miss the smell, miss the emotions of myself at that time. But why do I need to be in France to remember?
Right in the middle of Hanoi, I still remember old Hanoi and my own youth.
