ICAV Chairwoman Poldi Sosa Schmidt (Photo: VNA) Buenos Aires (VNA) – Culture always serves as a bridge between nations, fostering closer connection among them, Chairwoman of the Argentina-Vietnam Culture Institute (ICAV) Poldi Sosa Schmidt told Vietnam News Agency in a recent interview in Buenos Aires.
Known as a great friend of the Vietnamese people, Poldi Sosa has dedicated 27 years since the establishment of ICAV to passionately introduce and popularise Vietnam's history, culture, and people to the Argentinean people.
In 1967, Poldi Sosa went to work in the UK where she first learned more about the war in Vietnam. Later, she actively joined movements protesting the war in Vietnam, alongside young people and students in the UK and France. Despite spending many years in Europe, Chile, Cuba, and eventually returning to her homeland in Argentina, she always keeps the impression of the indomitable spirit of the Vietnamese people's struggle against foreign invaders.
Visiting Vietnam for the first time in 1997, she was invited by the Vietnam Women's Union to attend its eighth Congress to honour her contributions to the solidarity movement with Vietnam and Vietnamese women in particular.
Upon her return from Vietnam, she established the ICAV on December 18, 1997, with 25 members who shared a deep affection for the Southeast Asian country. The mission of ICAV is to introduce the Argentinean culture to Vietnam and vice versa.
Having made nearly 30 trips to Vietnam with Argentine friends at the invitation of Vietnamese leaders and mass organisations, she expressed delight at witnessing firsthand the rapid and miraculous transformation in Vietnam over the past three decades under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
While highlighting the significance of disseminating Vietnam's images, people, and culture, Poldi Sosa affirmed that alongside political, economic and trade diplomacy, cultural and people-to-people diplomacy play a crucial role in strengthening solidarity and friendship among nations.
She was awarded the Friendship Order by the Vietnamese State during an official visit to Argentina in April 2023 by National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.
According to the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, ICAV arranged visits to Vietnam for 21 delegations comprising parliamentarians, doctors, lawyers, and university professors and social activists from Argentina during 1997-2019 to gain insights into its history, culture, and socioeconomic development./.
