Vietnamese and Chinese youths strive to boost friendship
With their professional skills and sense of responsibility, Vietnamese and Chinese youth work as young cultural ambassadors to strengthen the friendship.
THE HANOI TIMES — Vietnamese and Chinese youths are those helping promote the relations between the two socialist neighbors to a new height.
This was affirmed by General Secretary To Lam at the program “Meeting Vietnamese and Chinese students of all periods” in Hanoi on March 20.
A small stone on the bridge of friendship between Vietnam and China
At the program, Tran Thien Tu, a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, China, earned a standing ovation from the audience when she sang the folk song Beo dat may troi (Water-Fern and Wandering Clouds - a traditional folk song from the northern province of Bac Ninh – the cradle of UNESCO-recognized quan ho (love duets) singing) in Chinese.
Once a famous child actress, Tran Thien Tu, a Vietnamese girl who is passionate about Chinese language and culture, has become more endeared to the public by singing Vietnamese songs with Chinese lyrics on the social networking platform TikTok.
Actress Tran Thien Tu aka TikToker Tu Man Thau's Chinese-Vietnamese songs go viral. Photo: Thien Tu
Thien Tu's TikTok channel was born in 2021, when the Covid-19 pandemic was in full swing. There, she posted her videos performing famous Vietnamese songs in Chinese, with a desire to share with an audience that is passionate about singing and translation.
"My TikTok channel followers come to listen to music, talk about language, and contribute good translations. Many people have commented that watching my videos has given them more motivation to learn Chinese," she said.
Speaking to The Hanoi Times, Thien Tu expressed her wish to be a small brick in building a big bridge between the two nations.
Love begins with the Vietnamese ao dai
Huang Xiao Long, Ph.D. in Linguistics, emotionally expressed her wish to be one of the young people who actively promote friendship between Vietnam and China.
A native of Guangxi Province, where "mountains and rivers are connected" with Vietnam, she has been attracted to the image of graceful, gentle, and charming Vietnamese women in ao dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress) since childhood. Her mother also has Vietnamese classmates, so Vietnam is very close to Huang.
Dr. of Linguistics Huang Xiao Long (second from right) at the meeting. Photo: Vietnam News Agency
"During my college years in Vietnam, I have many warm memories. I always received help and kindness from the teachers. They taught me to cook Vietnamese dishes when they knew I was interested in cuisine. I also explored the cuisine of Hanoi's Old Quarter with my Vietnamese friends and drank coffee near St. Joseph's Cathedral," Huang said.
She will return to China to continue her educational career, teaching Vietnamese to Chinese students, spreading the love and responsibility of an international student, so that young people can inherit the Vietnam-China friendship and contribute to making it "forever green, forever sustainable", she said.
Impressed by Vietnamese culture steeped in identity
Talking to The Hanoi Times, Bao Tan (born 2003), a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, expressed his honor as he took a souvenir photo with General Secretary To Lam at the two countries' friendship event.
Since high school, Bao Tan has been a big fan of Vietnamese culture. He decided to learn more about Vietnamese culture after visiting Nha Trang and experiencing firsthand the warmth and natural beauty of the Vietnamese people.
Bao Tan says he's interested in traditional Vietnamese culture. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times
The young man from Zhejiang Province decided to leave his family to study Vietnamese at Yunnan University for Nationalities, 2,000 kilometers away from home.
"Vietnam is a nation undergoing rapid economic expansion. Vietnam and China are becoming closer partners in various fields. Therefore, I believe that learning Vietnamese will open up many professional opportunities for me," said Bao.
When he came to Vietnam, Bao was passionate about learning Vietnamese culture. From the first song he heard, Chiec khan pieu (The brocade scarf), Bao now has a fair amount of knowledge about cheo (traditional operetta), tuong (classical drama), cai luong (reformed theater), quan ho (love duets), and many other traditional art forms of Vietnam.
The tolerance and kindness of the Vietnamese people are evident in Vietnamese literary and cultural works, he said.
Bao has only been in Vietnam for four months, but he feels at home. He particularly likes Vietnamese food because it is inexpensive, low in fat, and shares many characteristics with the cuisine of Zhejiang where he grew up.
