The world's most popular search engine, Google, today [February 1] paid tribute to Suong Nguyet Anh, the first female editor-in-chief of Vietnam's first feminist magazine, by running her animated portrait on its home page.
The Google Doodle portrait of Nguyet Anh was illustrated by Camelia Pham, an American guest artist in Hanoi. In honor of one of her most famous poems based on apricot blossoms, the Doodle artwork is nuanced by apricot flowers and an apricot color palette.
Google Doodle honors the first female editor-in-chief of Vietnam's first feminist magazine, Suong Nguyet Anh on February 1. Screenshot: Anh Kiet/ The Hanoi Times |
“I tried to find symbols in one of her most famous poems, apricot blossoms, to put in the illustration. I also mixed a flat graphic style with retro colors, which adds a sense of nostalgia while remaining modern,” Camelia Pham said.
On February 1, 1918, the first issue of "Nu Gioi Chung", known as "Women's Bell" in English, a magazine of which Nguyet Anh was editor-in-chief, went on sale.
Nguyet Anh was born on March 8, 1864, in the southern province of Ben Tre. His father was Nguyen Dinh Chieu, a renowned poet, and teacher of Vietnamese history. She began writing poetry at an early age. Upon her father's death, she, then 24 years old, and her brother took over the Chieu School.
She became the country's first female editor-in-chief by founding the newspaper "Nu Gioi Chung" in Saigon under the pseudonym of Suong Nguyet Anh. Many issues of the newspaper focused on the role of women in Vietnamese culture and society.
Nguyet Anh is best remembered for her brilliant mind and personality, as well as her resilience in the face of adversity. She was a pioneer among the country's women writers and publishers and paved the way for generations to come.
She had connections with people from all walks of life and treated everyone with respect, before eventually passing away on January 9, 1922, at age of 58.
There are several streets named after Nguyet Anh in cities across the country, including Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat, and Vung Tau, among others.
"Suong Nguyet Anh was a feminist before the term 'feminist' really existed as she actively made effort to build her own newspaper for women. I just want more people to know about Vietnamese women and their struggles with societal norms," Camelia Pham said.
