Story about Russian mother in memory of former Vietnamese student

TP - On the occasion of President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to Vietnam, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Canh Toan recalled the tearful stories he experienced during the years immersed in the Russian atmosphere. He said that the precious things that the two countries and peoples have experienced together have helped preserve that sentiment through many ups and downs and fluctuations of the world.

At the invitation of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a State visit to Vietnam from June 19-20. On this occasion, Tien Phong reporter had an interview with Prof. Dr. Nguyen Canh Toan, who used to work at the Institute of European Studies and is currently a lecturer at Thang Long University. This will be the 5th time President Vladimir Putin has visited Vietnam. According to him, what is the significance of the visit to the relationship between the two countries? Prof. Dr. Nguyen Canh Toan: President Vladimir Putin's visit to Vietnam is of great significance to the relationship between the two countries, demonstrating the importance that the two countries place on developing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the highest level of cooperation that Vietnam trusts with Russia. The visit is also an opportunity to promote economic, military, cultural, scientific, technical, and new technological cooperation between the two countries. Regular exchanges and cooperation between Vietnam and Russia are completely normal, contributing to strengthening peace, stability and common development of the two countries, the region and the world.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong met Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Russia in 2018. Photo: VNA

The visit took place in the year the two countries celebrated the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on the basic principles of bilateral friendship. Could you point out some of the outstanding achievements during that period? In my opinion, the brightest point is the economic picture, in which the Vietsovpetro oil and gas joint venture and the Hoa Binh hydropower plant stand out. The Soviet Union trained us many high-ranking officials, with hundreds of thousands of students, postgraduates, interns... Rarely has any country trained a team for Vietnam that later returned to form a team during the same leadership term. No country has been able to do so yet. In your opinion, what factors have helped Vietnam and Russia build and maintain a good cooperative relationship over the past decades, despite many fluctuations in the world situation, especially in the current period? Vietnam and Russia both have to face wars of aggression from very strong enemies. Without the October Revolution, Russia would not have had the August Revolution. Without the August Revolution, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the first worker-peasant state in Asia, which the Soviet Union was the first to recognize, would not have been born. The Soviet Union helped us in the war against French colonialism, in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, so that we could win. Without the Dien Bien Phu Victory, there would not have been the event of April 30, 1975, unifying the entire territory. During the two resistance wars, the Soviet Union gave everything it could to Vietnam. Without that help, it would have been difficult for us to win. Of course, there was also help from other brotherly countries, but the most important was the Soviet Union. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia inherited it and forgave our debt. The remaining part was very small and the interest was low, but the interest was used to train 1,000 Vietnamese students to study abroad each year. Russia and the former Soviet Union have always stood by Vietnam in all international relations, defending Vietnam's viewpoint. The tearful letter After many years of studying and living in the Soviet Union and Russia, what impressed you the most? I lived in the Soviet Union for 25 years, and only returned home in 2010. In 1985, I once watched a movie about the Great Patriotic War of the Russians, and I cried. Some old people came close to hug me and asked, "Why are you crying?". I told them, "The story in the movie is so similar to our country." When I returned home, I wrote my memoirs and translated them into Russian to send to Russian scientists on the anniversary of the victory over fascism (May 9). They immediately wrote back to me, saying that their whole family had read it, from grandparents, parents to children, all cried. They said that the soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army fought the enemy just like the Soviet Red Army fought and defeated Nazi Germany. Therefore, they share, sympathize, and feel close, even though they are thousands of miles apart. The Russians have a saying: “A good old and trustworthy friend is worth more than two new friends.” Russians consider new friends to be silver, and old friends to be gold, meaning that old friends have been tested and trained in practice, and the older they are, the more valuable they are. One summer, I went to the Russian countryside to play, where there were many kinds of trees, such as apples, pears, plums, cherries, kiwis... I was walking when I heard a voice calling, “Son! Come here!”. I looked around and saw no one but me. I went closer and the woman gave me three apples and said, “These are my apples, eat them, they are very sweet.” I accepted the apples and stood chatting with her. She said, “You are Vietnamese, right? Vietnam is very good! It is right for you to come here to study, to study instead of your parents who cannot study.”

“Russians have a saying: “A good and trustworthy old friend is worth more than two new friends”. Russians consider new friends as silver, and old friends as gold, meaning that old friends have been tested and trained in practice, the older they are, the more valuable they are” Prof. Dr. Nguyen Canh Toan , lecturer at Thang Long University

I am old, but many Russians still think I am young, so they still call me son, even though I do not know them. Therefore, I always feel extremely close when I am in Russia. From 1945 to this year, how many Vietnamese people have traveled to many countries in the world, but is there any country that Vietnamese people mention so much and have as much affection for as Russia? Many people ask me why do you guys love Russia so much? Simply because of the Russian soul, the Russian character. The former Soviet Union and Russia have always helped Vietnam sincerely. Do you appreciate those who love you, who help you sincerely? Of course. Do you trust those who help and protect you in times of difficulty and adversity? I trust them very much. Thank you.

Thu Loan (performed) - Tienphong.vn

Source: https://tienphong.vn/chuyen-ve-nguoi-me-nga-trong-ky-uc-cuu-du-hoc-sinh-viet-nam-post1647184.tpo