“It’s the culture that tells a newcomer the most and the best about the country and its people. I watch with fascination all musical and dance performances, traditional Vietnamese theatre, lacquer painting, national costumes,” said H.E. Mr Martin Klepetko, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Vietnam, when he revealed his feeling about Vietnamese culture on the occasion of the New Year 2014. Anh Son reports.
How would you assess the cooperation between the two countries, especially in economic cooperation?
Cooperation between the Czech Republic and Vietnam can rely on a very solid basis – rich historical ties and a numerous community of people who used to study or work in our country and now either continue to live there or have returned back to Vietnam. Most of these people retained their knowledge of Czech language and also the positive attitude to the country. My concern is how can we profit from these traditional relations today and what will happen with them in the future. From my perception, this potential has, by far, not been utilized. Since there are no official records, the Embassy is trying to map Vietnam’s “Czech community” in all parts of the country and to involve this group more actively into common programmes of cooperation. Business and economic competition in Vietnam is very tough and Czech companies and entrepreneurs alone have very little chance to succeed. Together with their Vietnamese partners – if well chosen, of course – their outlooks multiply. The advantage of Czech side is generally traditional products, better technologies, access to Western markets, local partners can contribute with detailed knowledge of Vietnamese needs, conditions, communication and the important personal relations. In some fields, this natural symbiosis already bears its fruit whereas in others we are still trying to establish the proper connections.
How would you find Vietnamese culture?
I am a big fan of traditional culture and in all countries I was posted so far, I did my best to get in close touch with various art disciplines. It´s the culture that tells a newcomer the most and the best about the country and its people. I watch with fascination all musical and dance performances, traditional Vietnamese theatre, lacquer painting and national costumes. At the same time, Vietnamese are very keen to absorb global cultural developments and are becoming increasingly successful in their application – be it modern art, photography, filmmaking, classical and contemporary music and dance. I also consider cuisine an important part of a country´s culture; in this respect, I don´t miss any opportunity to try something new, special or even strange.
What is your impression about Vietnamese New Year Celebration?
Long before arriving to Vietnam, I was told that Tet is the biggest and most important holiday for all Vietnamese. It wasn’t until last year I could experience it on my own. I was particularly impressed by the preparations for the holiday – people buying and transporting (!) all imaginable sizes of tangerine and peach trees, preparing various sorts of traditional cakes, buying presents for their children, families and friends. Everybody was telling me that I would see completely empty streets of Hanoi during the days of Tet which eventually didn´t quite prove to be true. I was invited by several Vietnamese friends to come to their homes and was able to feel the real atmosphere of celebrations. Together with them, I also visited a few temples and pagodas and could witness the spiritual and ritual dimension of the holidays.
How is your New Year celebration in your country?
Same as Tet for Vietnamese, Christmas and New Year holidays are the most important holidays of the year for most Czechs. Christmas is traditionally connected with decorated Christmas trees, typical dishes, pastries, family reunions, presents, Christmas carols and also with cold weather and snow. Regretfully, we see many of these typical attributes of Christmas slowly fading away – be it due to globalization trends, lack of time, commercialization of our lives or even environmental changes. Only very few people can still remember which were the original customs connected with this holiday season. The amount of money spent on Christmas gifts and celebrations dramatically rises every year, overshadowing more and more the religious and spiritual feel of Christmas. For myself – unable alone to change anything of these developments – Christmas at least means the opportunity to see my family, to give a short pause to the everyday working routine and to think of things for which I usually have no time during the year. Then – on New Year´s Eve – we all together raise our glasses to make a wish that the coming year will be better again.
Đăng ký: VietNam News