A book about President Ho Chi Minh written by German journalist Hellmut Kapfenberger was published on May 19 in Vietnamese translation to commemorate the late leader's 120th birthday.
Ho Chi Minh – Mot Bien Nien Su (Ho Chi Minh – A Chronicle) was published by the The Gioi (World) Publishing House. The book
was first published in German last year and translated into Vietnamese by Dinh Huong and Thien Ha.
Kapfenberger, former correspondent for the East German news agency ADN and New Germany newspaper in Vietnam during 1970-73 and 1980-84, recalled the day when he joined thousands of Germans lining the streets to welcome President Ho Chi Minh on his visit to the Germany in 1957.
"Writing about Ho Chi Minh is not easy at all because he devoted his life and career to national liberation, a life of action with many events," said Kapfenberger.
The author based his work on the documents of politicians, cultural experts, scholarly research in Vietnam , Laos , China , France and the US , among others.
The resulting book reflects the life and personality of Ho Chi Minh, an incredible but also simple man, said Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Do Quy Doan.
By the end of the book, the author concluded that Ho Chi Minh had gone from being a mere person to embodying a concept – a thought, an era, a culture and a moral code.
"That concept will live forever with the development of the nation and the modern world," Doan said. "The book is a concise and lively documentary portraying Ho Chi Minh as a great leader struggling tirelessly for independence, freedom and happiness for his people and all oppressed nations in the world, and as an example of revolutionary morality."
"Stories about Ho Chi Minh are never old," said The Gioi Publishing House director Tran Doan Lam. "The book in German helps the younger generation in Germany understand more about the leader while the Vietnamese version helps Vietnamese readers understand how a foreign journalist has reported about the President's life"./.
Ho Chi Minh – Mot Bien Nien Su (Ho Chi Minh – A Chronicle) was published by the The Gioi (World) Publishing House. The book
was first published in German last year and translated into Vietnamese by Dinh Huong and Thien Ha.
Kapfenberger, former correspondent for the East German news agency ADN and New Germany newspaper in Vietnam during 1970-73 and 1980-84, recalled the day when he joined thousands of Germans lining the streets to welcome President Ho Chi Minh on his visit to the Germany in 1957.
"Writing about Ho Chi Minh is not easy at all because he devoted his life and career to national liberation, a life of action with many events," said Kapfenberger.
The author based his work on the documents of politicians, cultural experts, scholarly research in Vietnam , Laos , China , France and the US , among others.
The resulting book reflects the life and personality of Ho Chi Minh, an incredible but also simple man, said Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Do Quy Doan.
By the end of the book, the author concluded that Ho Chi Minh had gone from being a mere person to embodying a concept – a thought, an era, a culture and a moral code.
"That concept will live forever with the development of the nation and the modern world," Doan said. "The book is a concise and lively documentary portraying Ho Chi Minh as a great leader struggling tirelessly for independence, freedom and happiness for his people and all oppressed nations in the world, and as an example of revolutionary morality."
"Stories about Ho Chi Minh are never old," said The Gioi Publishing House director Tran Doan Lam. "The book in German helps the younger generation in Germany understand more about the leader while the Vietnamese version helps Vietnamese readers understand how a foreign journalist has reported about the President's life"./.
