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Interview: Phan Ngok Thiet, deputy head of Vietnamese delegation
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7/7/2009
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Serbian national anthem the Vietnamese Way
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Delegations from the four corners of the world are in University Village and each one of them is, in their own way, trying to get acquainted with the culture and customs of their hosts. Phan Ngok Thiet, deputy head of Vietnamese delegation had to undergo special preparations for the trip to Belgrade.
- I had to learn your national anthem. I must admit that I found it very hard and that I have not been able to memorize all the words. To be honest, I only know the first stanza. I am sorry for that, but it was just too hard – explained the deputy head of the Vietnamese delegation, adding that he finds that “Bože Pravde” has a very nice melody.
Phan Ngok Thiet said for ub2009.org that the majority of free time, he spends on his collection of model planes. Besides that, he has one other rather unusual hobby – learning the lyrics of national anthems of the countries he has visited. He has managed to learn 56 national anthems, but the number is constantly increasing because Phan Ngonk Thiet travels extensively. He admitted to the ub2009.org team that it was very hard to learn an anthem in a foreign language.
- There were occasions when I had to learn as many as five or six national anthems a month. People usually ask me how it is possible to learn the lyrics and pronunciations so well. My secret is the site, YouTube, where it is possible to find clips with national anthems of almost every country in the world. I also use sites where there are words of national anthems. By combining the text and pronunciation I learn from YouTube it is easy to learn new anthems – explained Phan Ngok Thiet.
- By learning the national anthem, the symbol of a country, I learn a lot about the history and culture of the country I am about to visit – explains Phan Ngok Thiet. He admittes that he doesn’t have a favorite anthem, except for his country’s anthem – “The March to the Front”.
- I like all national anthems. They mirror their countries. A lot of them bring together their culture and their history. The national anthem of my country speaks of people’s fight for freedom and independence; that is why we all honor it – said the Vietnamese official at the 25th Summer Universiade in Belgrade.
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