At President Ho Chi Minh Monument in France. (Photo: VNA) London (VNA) – Katrin Kandel, voluntary CEO of the Facing the World (FTW), a UK-based charity organisation that has been operating in Vietnam since 2007 to support children with congenital craniofacial deformities, has talked with the Vietnam News Agency about Ho Chi Minh's thought and his works on the occasion of his 133rd birth anniversary (May 19, 1890).
Asked why she, a western woman working in charity, was interested in Ho Chi Minh Thought, Katrin said around 10 years ago, during a discussion on Vietnam’s political system with the then Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Van Thao, she learned that the country was very much based on the teachings and writings of President Ho Chi Minh.
Having a passion for Vietnam, Katrin wanted to understand how the country was based on Ho Chi Minh’s writings so she read all of them, everything she could find in English.
Katrin said it was extraordinary that Ho Chi Minh had gone aboard for close to 30 years and really studied many of the West’s forms of government, then brought back what was most appropriate to Vietnam to enable freedom for the country, which had hundreds of years of being invaded from various countries. It was also important that the Vietnamese people developed a way that they could became autonomous.
Ho Chi Minh had made this completely clear as the reason he did those was very much towards national liberation, Katrin said, pointing out that it was Ho Chi Minh who went abroad, studying and deciding what was most appropriate to enable liberation for the country.
Katrin attributed the teachings of President Ho Chi Minh to the achievements of Vietnam, a country that has suffered so much over so many centuries, has been able to develop its own identity and its own peace, becoming an extraordinarily peaceful and welcoming country.
Having read Ho Chi Minh Thought, Katrin found it very interesting that the Vietnamese leader’s approach of finding the way to national liberation is what FTW is doing in term of medicine.
Katrin Kandel, voluntary CEO of the Facing the World (FTW) She said choosing an approach that is not prescriptive, the foundation is sending Vietnamese doctors to the top hospitals in the world to show what they are doing, really enabling the Vietnamese doctors to choose what is most effectible to Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese doctors who decide what they think most appropriate for Vietnam, then bringing back the techniques that will help Vietnamese people.
She stressed this is the reason why it has been really important for FTW to maintain and develop a relationship with not only good doctors but also the government of Vietnam because this should really be seen at partnership between all of the foundation’s hospitals in West and Vietnam.
Having operated in Vietnam since 2007, FTW has helped treat thousands of Vietnamese children with craniofacial birth effects. To date, the foundation has sent more than 100 doctors to top medical institutions in the UK, Canada, the US and Australia to observe and learn new techniques and approaches. It has also donated £2.4million worth of telemedicine equipment and technology its partner centres in Vietnam and close to £10 million in other medical equipment to the same partner hospitals.
In the next 5 years, FTW plans to enable 40,0000 operations to be performed by its trained Vietnamese doctors. The foundation expects to send at least another 200 Vietnamese doctors abroad for training and continues to donate medical equipment which is considered to be game changing.
President Ho Chi Minh Monument in Vladivostok (Photo: VNA) Meanwhile, Aleksandr Sokolovskyi, a scholar of Vietnamese studies, head of the Department for South and Southeast Asian Countries at the Russia’s Far Eastern Federal University's Institute of Oriental Studies and Honorary Chairman of the Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association in Primorye province, said President Ho Chi Minh has had a profound impact on the Vietnamese people. He is a shining example of dedicating his entire life to liberating the people from colonial rule.
On May 17, a delegation from the Vietnamese Embassy in France and leaders of France’s Montreuil suburban city offered incense to the late President at Montreau park.
Later, they visited the Ho Chi Minh Space located within the Living History Museum where numerous artifacts and materials related to him are preserved.
At an incense-offering ceremony in Laos (Photo: VNA) An incense-offering ceremony was also held in Ho Chi Minh memorial site in Xieng Vang village, Nongbok district, the central Lao province of Khammoune.
On the occasion, the delegates also offered incense and laid a wreath at the Laos-Vietnam Fighting Alliance Monument.
Speaking at the special programme “Diplomatic World” of Venezuela’s Radio Mundial on May 17, Vietnamese Ambassador to Venezuela Vu Trung My affirmed that Vietnam always values traditional solidarity and friendship with friends and important partners in Latin America, including the Vietnam-Venezuela comprehensive partnership.
He committed his utmost efforts to push forward the bilateral ties, especially at a time when the two nations are looking toward the 35th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties next year./.
