Fond memories of a second home in Hanoi: Romanian diplomat

The third secretary of the Romanian embassy in Hanoi, Carmen greeted a Thanh Nien reporter with inspirational doctor and war martyr Dang Thuy Tram’s Diary, a Vietnamese-translation of 75 Romanian romantic poems, and her latest book of poems in her hands. 

The diplomat said together with her Vietnamese friend – translator Pham Viet Dao, they have collected works from contemporary Vietnamese poets to produce their publication, “Staying In Tune With The Times” (Thao Thuc Voi Thoi Gian) in the Romanian language, expressing the deep fellowship between the two nations and peoples.

Reckoning that the two nations share the same cultural variety with immense literature and stage arts, she said, “I am proud to introduce the insights of Vietnam’s culture to Romania”.

Carmen, a fan of Dang Thuy Tram’s diaries said the heroic martyr has appealed to her to read more of Vietnam’s literature after learning about the country’s tradition and customs o­n the Internet and from communicating with people.

Through the Internet in Romania, she said she was so impressed by Vietnam’s population of 80 million, wondering whether there was a place for her in the Southeast Asian country.

Of late, in Hanoi, she was astonished and happy to meet people in Vietnam who spoke to her in her mother tongue.

She said o­ne of her fondest memories was during a treatment at an acupuncture clinic there, “Hearing my husband and I talk, a Vietnamese man covered in needles in the next bed got up and chatted with us in Romanian.”

The diplomat said she would bring her daughter to Hanoi – the city she called “a part of my life”, adding that she wanted to let her daughter stay in the city, to explore every corner.

In the very last days of her term in Hanoi, Carmen still maintains the same enthusiasm of learning about the city. “Hanoi has changed a lot since I came. I enjoyed my stay in the capital, and it was great to witness its development”.