Darya Mishukova (PhD candidate)
Vietnam. The Land of Dragons and Fairies
 
New book about Vietnam!

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia
Vladivostok city representative

THE REVIEW OF THE BOOK BY D. D.MISHUKOVA
Vietnam. The land of Dragons and Fairies

Philosophers can talk a lot about the form and the content, however, we cannot deny that, quite often, it is the fancy cover that attracts attention to a book. Having taken the book by Daria Mishukova Vietnam. The land of Dragons and fairies into his or her hands for the first time, any person would notice the author's wonderful design of the book and its excellent printing that stirs the desire to get down to reading as soon as possible. From the first pages the reader enters the amazing world of the Vietnamese culture. The author's complex approach to the material presentation and her all-round knowledge of Vietnam are quite impressive. The book Vietnam. The land of Dragons and fairies is a beneficial source of information about Vietnam for diplomats, representatives of foreign missions of different departments and agencies of the Russian Federation abroad and specialists in the field of foreign relations, all of whom are experts in the oriental world irrespective of the specialization in any particular country of Asian Pacific region. The contents of the book depicting the different aspects of life of the Vietnamese people help to systematize the earlier-obtained data on Vietnam. This book renews and expands the professional knowledge due to the extension of the understanding of the particularities of the Vietnamese people's national character and also due to familiarization with this country's individuality and elaboration on the certain aspects of the Vietnamese state's modern life.
The first close encounter with Vietnam for my family and me coincided with the reading through the book Vietnam. The land of Dragons and fairies, and for me there is something mystical in that, since all the coincidences and randomness of life are just pieces of the single objective reality. Being familiar, on account of reading this book, with the Vietnamese historical and cultural monuments we were able not only to improve our own sightseeing but we also turned out to be the most well-informed travelers, never tiring of sharing this new-found knowledge with our Russian fellow tourists in Vietnam.
Any culture can reveal many concepts that seem insignificant at first sight but that acquire a special charm and meaning within the cultural context. The understanding of the principles of oriental cuisine and of the rules for mixing spices helped us to feel the taste of Vietnamese dishes in a better, fuller way. The knowledge of the order of eating tropical fruits opened the world of the new exotic flavors to us.
There are many ways of brewing coffee in the world, but in my mind I always recall the flavor and the smell of Vietnamese coffee, brewed by a simple drop method. The secret of that method is disclosed in the corresponding chapter of the book. My interest in a process of creating lacquer paintings, the typical art for that region (I read about it in the chapter devoted to the Vietnamese art), brought me to the artistic workshop. Watching the creative process helped me to a better comprehension and a higher appreciation for the work of the Vietnamese artist.
The book is full of useful recommendations both for the first time visitors to Vietnam and for those who have been to that country before on many occasions. The value of the book is also noted by many Russians who have been living and working in Vietnam for a number of years but who are not fully aware of some of the aspects of Vietnamese culture. So they are not always able to interpret the concepts and the reasons of the culture that surrounds them. This book helps everybody to discover the new edges of the Vietnamese nation's traditional and contemporary way of life.
When traveling abroad our nationals are not always concerned about keeping up with the ethical norms of the country of their travel or residence. Mostly it happens because of their lack of awareness or because of their pre-formed misconceptions and stereotypes of the standard behavioral patterns in the countries with tropical climate. These misconceptions are mirrored most of all in their clothing manner, especially during their visits of historical, cultural and religious sights. The book gives recommendations on presenting oneself when traveling in Vietnam and speaks about how to behave in different real-life situations. Keeping those simple guidelines would help to form a positive image of Russians travelling abroad.
The whole book implies that traditionally Russia and Vietnam have been friends and never lacked understanding. As a matter of fact Russia and Vietnam have a lot in common. The history of friendship between our countries holds not only a story of semi-centennial diplomatic relationship, established in 1950, but also invaluable cordiality between Russians and Vietnamese. A lot of Vietnamese citizens got excellent education in our country. At present, those citizens determine the strategy of political and economical development of Vietnam; they hold the leading posts in the public authority, educational system and healthcare, academic science, culture and art. They all have hearty memories of Russia. Many Vietnamese love Russian classical literature, poetry and music, good old songs and movies, Russian salad and bread kvass [a traditional fizzy drink of brown color]. Kind-hearted and sincere attitude towards Russians is a pleasant surprise for everyone who comes to this country for the first time. This kind relationship is an excellent foundation for further development of Russian-Vietnamese relationship, whether on the highest political level or within the boundaries of inter-regional cooperation, in collaborative investment projects and progress of business and trade relations.
In this connection I would like to note the impact of the Vietnamese company Nhat Minh that supported the publication of this wonderful book about Vietnam in Russian. Vietnam. The land of Dragons and fairies by D.D.Mishukova can be lawfully called a serious contribution into development of Russian-Vietnamese friendship. For such a valuable contribution, the author was awarded an honorary certificate by the municipal authorities of the city of Vladivostok in honor of 147th anniversary of the city foundation.

"You have to live your life wandering, - [the famous Russian writer] K.G. Paustovskiy observed, - knowledge and wandering are inseparable."
The book "Vietnam. The land of Dragons and fairies" combines these two remarkable human passions: the passion for knowledge and the passion for traveling. 222 printed pages and numerous illustrations set us on an imaginary journey to Vietnam, the land as if seen in an inconceivably beautiful dream.
What genre this exclusive work of its author and compiler D.D.Mishukova and the publishing group of Nhat Minh company can be referred to? It was planned as a guidebook but both its expressiveness and excitement allow to refer it to the genre of prose and narration. The text of the book is not merely a tour of the extremely exotic and mysterious Vietnam, it is a collection of novels about the country and its people, their culture, their obsessions, their openness and kind-heartedness, their love for their home country, its history, and its architectural and natural monuments.
Here is a little essay. It is called "The Cave of Wonder". This cave is neither a piece of folklore nor a fable of local historians. It really exists. It is one of Vietnamese miracles. It took the author just several lines to describe its sights. Nonetheless, after reading the description a reader gets a strong feeling that he or she has gotten really acquainted with the masterpiece created by nature. As if he or she were there and saw that natural wonder with his or her own eyes. The imagination snapped into action, awakened within the reader by visual and poetical description!
The same can be said of other Vietnamese attractions presented in this book: the old railway station in Dalat, Ponagar Temple, Hoian ancient town, Halong bay islands, protected by UNESCO, and the green island of Katba. These examples are plentiful. They are almost on every page. You will be charmed by Indo-China at once, as soon as you open the book and submerge into reading.
This book introduces its reader to mysterious places, amazingly beautiful natural monuments, unique architectural complexes, ancient cultural and religious sacred places. Their description is not a kaleidoscope of impressions, not a chain of picturesque images but a part of a well-planned system of the country's presentation. Being exposed to it the reader forms quite a strong idea of Vietnam as the land with rapidly developing economy. Tourism business is one of the priorities of that development. You may conclude that this business is splendidly developed and is inferior to no other high-class tourist business from reading the well thought-out information in every topical part of the book. This information is on hotels, health resorts, entertainment and ethnical handicrafts. There is just the right amount of it. It is complete but unobtrusive, so that the reader is enticed to definitely use his newfound knowledge in practice. Thus, the book gracefully and easily serves the commercial purpose of this publishing project, which is not only to stir the imagination of the reader but also to equip him with everything of the utmost importance and necessity for the practical part of any trip.
The author sees fit to mention in her foreword that Vietnam leaves no soul indifferent: "Most of the visitors fall in love with this country at first sight." Closing the last page of the book Vietnam. The land of Dragons and fairies you are thinking that you have also fallen in love with this country. Your trip to Vietnam is going to be your second encounter with it. The first one happened when you were reading the book. You have gotten acquainted with Vietnam and loved it. Now the point is to test your feelings in real life.

A.G.Bryuhanov
The Director of the Gorkiy State Public Library
of Primorskiy Region