Vietnamologist gives expats advice on living in Vietnam
Besides academic study, Daria has traveled from the north to the south--and
even to remote mountainous areas--meeting local people and learning about their
culture.
Over two decades into her love affair with this foreign land, Mishukova has
gone from visitor to expert, having authored Vietnam – The Land of Dragons
and Fairies, considered one of the top foreign works on the country in print.
“The more exchange and interchange we have with new environments--the more we
can select the best from this unique cultural experience--the more enjoyable
these months or years will be,” said Daria Mishukova, the 39-year-old Russian
who has 22 year experience in Vietnamese studies.
Knowing the language and culture can enrich immensely the experience of living
abroad, Daria said.
“Speaking the local language makes the world around brighter, sharper. It is
like the focus and other filters in photography. If your approach and attitude
is positive, it will bring more light into the picture, and finally you got a
perfect image of a contemporary cultural context,” she said.
“Cultural backgrounds form typical patterns of thinking and interpreting the
world around us. When we live in a different cultural environment, practised
consciousness of different ways of living can bring us huge benefits,” she
said.
“When living abroad, it is important to create a balance between being open
socially and keeping your own values personally. When swimming in the sea of a
different culture, knowing language and customs will help you polish this skill
to perfection,” Daria added.
After graduating from Far Eastern University in 1998, Daria Mishukova worked in
the university’s Southeast Asia Studies Faculty and later became Deputy Dean of
the Faculty.
By March 2007, with her 11-year experience in Vietnamese studies and travel
throughout the country, Daria Mishukova released her first book about Vietnam named Vietnam
– The Land of Dragons and Fairies, which was translated into Vietnamese by the
author herself in 2013.
The book covers almost every aspect of Vietnam – its geographic and climate
conditions to traditional customs and historical relic sites, and it is
considered to be one of the most interesting books in Russian about Vietnam in
recent years.
“The book is neither a guide book nor a research issue by nature. If a reader
is curious about what is ‘Vietnam,’ the book gives an understanding of primary
values of Vietnamese culture,” said Daria.
The book has been very popular both among professionals in tourism business and
travelers.
“This book, written in a nice and exciting style, presents to its readers a
better understanding of Vietnam and inspires them to learn more about the
diversity of the world cultures,” Dr Ngo Nhu Binh, Director of Vietnamese
Language Programme at Harvard University’s Department of East Asian Languages
and Civilisations, wrote.
In a comment
on her book, Professor Ha Minh Duc, one of the leading literary critics in Vietnam,
said that the book is not only informative, it is also a beautifully-written
work of literature.
An online version of in-flight magazines with Daria’s articles and selected
texts of Vietnam – The Land of Dragons and Fairies, is now available
at www.business-leisure.ru.
Expats and business
can also access to interesting cultural content about Vietnam in Russian posted
here in the chapter “Interesting”.
Daria Mishukova is currently doing professional consulting on branding and
marketing for Vietnamese authorities and businesses. She also has a good
business with consulting services of her own. For the last seven years, Daria
has been a regular resident of Vietnam, staying here even longer than her home
country, Russia.
Besides Vietnam
– The Land of Dragons and Fairies, Daria also published many research papers on
linguistics and Vietnamese cultures in Vietnamese, Russian and English. The
number of copies of her articles published in the above magazines reached more
than a million.
For her great contributions to popularising and promoting Vietnam as an
attractive destination, Daria has received many awards by organisations in Vietnam
and Russia, including the Honorary Medal by Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture,
Sports and Tourism, six certificates of merit by the Department of Culture,
Sports and Tourism in Binh Thuan province, tourism agencies in Vietnam and a
congratulatory letter from the Consul General of Vietnam in Russia. — VNA