An international workshop on poet Nguyen Du and Truyen Kieu (The Taleof Kieu) has been jointly held by the Korea-Vietnam cultural exchangeassociation and Chosun University in Gwangju city, the Republic of Korea(RoK).

The event was part of activities in a move towards thecelebrations of Vietnamese poet Nguyen Du’s 250th birthday (1765-1820)and the UNESCO’s recognition of the poet as the world’s culturalcelebrity.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to theRoK Pham Huu Chi spoke highly the contributions by the association andRoK scholars, particularly Professor Ahn Kyong-Hwan who translatedTruyen Kieu into the Korean language.

He emphasised the prospects for cultural cooperation between two countries.

Anumber of reports on the work were presented at the workshop with aview to bringing Korean readers closer to cultural values of themasterpiece and the poet.

The work is an epic poem in the Nom(old Vietnamese characters). Originally entitled “Doan Truong TanThanh”, it recounts the life of Thuy Kieu, a beautiful and talentedyoung woman who had to sacrifice herself to save her family.

The masterpiece has been translated into over 20 foreign languages so far.

Nguyen Du was recognised by the World Peace Council as one of the world’s cultural celebrities in 1965.-VNA