An international workshop on poet Nguyen Du and Truyen Kieu (The Tale of Kieu) has been jointly held by the Korea-Vietnam cultural exchange association and Chosun University in Gwangju City, the Republic of Korea (RoK).

Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Pham Huu Chi (third from the right, the front row) takes a photo with the two countries' professors and scholars at the workshop. Photo: Vietnam+

The event was part of activities in a move towards the celebrations of Vietnamese poet Nguyen Du’s 250th birthday (1765-1820) and the UNESCO’s recognition of the poet as the world’s cultural celebrity.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Pham Huu Chi spoke highly the contributions by the association and RoK scholars, particularly Professor Ahn Kyong-Hwan who translated Truyen Kieu into the Korean language.

He emphasised the prospects for cultural cooperation between two countries.

A number of reports on the work were presented at the workshop with a view to bringing Korean readers closer to cultural values of the masterpiece and the poet.

The work is an epic poem in the Nom (old Vietnamese characters). Originally entitled “Doan Truong Tan Thanh”, it recounts the life of Thuy Kieu, a beautiful and talented young woman who had to sacrifice herself to save her family.

The masterpiece has been translated into over 20 foreign languages so far.

Nguyen Du was recognised by the World Peace Council as one of the world’s cultural celebrities in 1965.

Source: VNA