The Netherlands through the unique perspective of a Vietnamese Ambassador

With a very unique approach, Ambassador Pham Viet Anh takes readers to explore the first 20 letters of unique keywords in the book recording his genuine feelings about the Netherlands.

Recently, the Diplomatic Academy and Tre Publishing House jointly organized an exchange and book launch event The Kingdom of the Netherlands - Keywords that make up the success and uniqueness of former Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands Pham Viet Anh.

Hà Lan dưới góc nhìn độc đáo của Đại sứ người Việt

Ambassador Pham Viet Anh received congratulatory flowers from colleagues and readers at the exchange and book launch on November 24. (Photo: Le An)

The book is like a puzzle, reflecting the colorful people and life of the land of tulips.

This is the result of observations and practical experiences strung together to help readers better understand the thinking, will and tireless efforts of people who know how to "work together", "shove water out of the river to find land to live" and make the Netherlands a prosperous country.

Interesting things in the "lowlands"

With the desire to find as many good things as possible from you to bring back to Vietnam, through each page of Ambassador Pham Viet Anh's book, the Netherlands appears so new with many stories from real life.

The Ambassador shared: “God created the world, and the Dutch created the Netherlands. It is not clear who wrote this saying or when it was made, but it is often mentioned, containing the miracles that create a country, a people, and a culture.”

According to the Ambassador, all the efforts, knowledge and experience of the Dutch people have been accumulated over many centuries, passed down through many generations, serving a single goal: to adapt and survive harsh nature and historical events to reach far and high on their own path.

This “hard-working lowland” gave birth to great scholars, scientific inventions (microscope, telescope, oil painting), talented painters such as Rembrandt van Rijn or Vincent van Gogh. This nation produced generations of businessmen who conquered the world market from the 16th century, starting the stock market and joint-stock companies.

The Dutch have revolutionized digital technology with their great inventions of magnetic tape, CD, VCD, wifi, and super semiconductor chips. The lowlanders have made many things that are normal in other countries sublime in the Netherlands, such as tulips, windmills, cheese, and wooden clogs.

Unlike regular books, Ambassador Pham Viet Anh's books are arranged in order of 20 English letters - implying the keywords that make up the success of the Netherlands, such as: Adaptation, Balance, Circular Economy...

“The issues are arranged in alphabetical order, each item is a problem, concept or real-life fact gleaned from various sources, real-life observations and conversations with native speakers,” he explains.

Therefore, the sub-sections in this book are not independent, but related to each other, to illustrate the unique features of the “land of tulips”. The numbers may not be the most recent, but they contribute to illustrating the stories that run through the success of the Netherlands”.

According to the Ambassador, from a lowland swamp that was not noticed by dynasties and empires, named after the characteristic of "lowland", the community here knew how to join hands to find a way to turn the Netherlands into a prosperous country as it is today.

The Dutch always know how to join forces to create greater values and make a difference; when they believe they are on the right path, when they are properly evaluated, they are determined to do it to the end and pay close attention to bringing added value to their work.

One of the things that makes the Netherlands successful is its constant innovation. Competition is also based on creativity to develop its products together, not to destroy each other, to achieve richness, diversity and sustainability.

The author emphasizes the Dutch people's favorite saying, "It is not the strongest flower, not the most intelligent flower, but the one most adaptable to change that survives" by Charles Darwin.

He shared: “This small book cannot reflect all the special things about the Netherlands, I only hope to bring to readers the feelings that I was lucky to experience during my time working in the Netherlands about the precious things of the people here.”

A meaningful gift for the friendship between the two countries

Ambassador Pham Viet Anh is serving in the Netherlands from 2020 to 2023. The things he writes in the book are very practical and contain a lot of useful information for those who plan to study, settle down, cooperate in business... in the Netherlands, because it is very different from a general travel guide.

In addition to introducing the stature of this country, the author mentions the relationship with Vietnam, through a number of technical and social development programs. He considers the book a small gift to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (1973-2023).

Book cover of Ambassador Pham Viet Anh. (Source: Tre Publishing House)

Talking about the book, Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Cees van Baar expressed: “How to understand your own country better? Let a foreigner tell you stories about meetings, about what he reads in the newspapers, about experiences and especially things that surprise him in your country”.

According to Ambassador Cees van Baar, the book is a vivid introduction to the Netherlands - a country with a relationship of more than 400 years with Vietnam.

Both countries face challenges and benefit from water, becoming growing economies thanks to abundant agricultural products. Water and agriculture bind us together, now working together in a green and sustainable economic transition.

“You can hardly find these things in the popular tourist guides, which focus on tourist attractions and essential information for visitors. But to really understand a country and its people is a completely different matter,” said Mayor of The Hague Jan van Zanen.

Mr. Jan van Zanen said that the author has an open and honest view of the country and people of the Netherlands. In particular, the book, published in 2023, also has the meaning of contributing to fostering friendship and developing the relationship between the two countries in the future.

“For me, the Netherlands always inspires exploration, not because of its mystery or interesting hidden corners. On the contrary, everything is laid out before my eyes, the more I observe and learn, the more interesting things I discover, not only to satisfy my need to know, but also to bring inspiration and a desire to learn. The more I learn and connect the events, the more I see the depth, comprehensiveness, intelligence, sharpness, and practicality in the way of thinking and doing of the Dutch people, which is admirable and worth learning”, Ambassador Pham Viet Anh.

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