This month, we honor Mrs. TRAN THI Hoang Mai, Ambassador of Vietnam to the Francophonie. We asked her a few questions about her background and her vision between Africa and Asia. We let you discover all this in this exclusive interview!
Hello Mrs. TRAN THI Hoang Mai
You are Vietnamese and today you are posted in Lomé (Togo) in Africa as a representative of La Francophonie, a continent you are discovering. Can you tell us briefly about your career?
" Before joining the IOF in October 2020, I had a 30-year career in Vietnamese diplomacy. My last position was Vietnam's Ambassador to UNESCO and the Personal Representative of the President of the R.S. of Vietnam to the Permanent Council of La Francophonie.
My activities in these two international organizations provided me with opportunities to make friends with many Africans. But what brought me closer to the Francophonie, especially to Africa, was earlier. I was in fact a scholarship student from Canada for my master's degree in International Relations at Laval University, a French-speaking university in Quebec City, where I met several African students. In addition, my father was a professor in several African universities in the 80's and he told me some great stories about his students, his African colleagues. My late husband also worked for the IOF until his death and among his friends and colleagues, who have become my friends and colleagues today, many are African. What I am doing with the OIF today is for me the continuity of what my husband did and the strengthening of cooperative relations between Asia and Africa in the Francophone space. In fact, with my current position I would say that I spare no effort, it is this continuity of what my father did in the natural order of things! "
Can we say that there are common points between Africa and Asia?
" Yes, there are similarities between Africa and Asia. And the richness that we still have to discover from these two great continents in terms of nature, human resources, culture, history is an incredible strength but also a great challenge mainly because of its cultural diversity! We have many things in common. On the political level for example, despite the very early appearance of humanity on these two continents, most of the countries had to lead long struggles for independence and thus to be recognized not so long by the whole world, and continue valiantly to make their place in a developing world. (It is not fair that even today the history of Africa and Asia is not taught and known like that of Europe! ).
There is another similarity that I find very interesting with regard to several traditional values of Asia and Africa. It is the sacred notion, in both our societies, of community, family and harmony between man and nature. It is true that modernization has caused these values to be lost somewhat, but they are still held especially in our vast countryside. This similarity makes me feel "at home" today in Lomé!"
Photo 1 : Madam Ambassador with H.E. the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Togo
Photo 2 : The Ambassador with Mrs Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO
If you could give one piece of advice to our association AfrikAsia culture, what would it be?
" May the solidarity between Africa and Asia be consolidated every day, may it become a common force! May there be more concrete actions, small or big, no matter, that they are carried out to facilitate better understanding, cultural, commercial, investment exchanges between Africans and Asians ...
And finally, that the youth of today and of course tomorrow be aware of this bridge between Africa and Asia!
As a Vietnamese, I would like of course that many of these actions are intended to strengthen the relations between African countries with Vietnam, between Africans and Vietnamese! "
Thank you very much Ambassador for answering our questions. We look forward to work with you in the near future on future projects in Africa and Asia .
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