In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Korea and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the National Library of Viet Nam, under the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST), in the morning of November 16th, 2017, the National Library of Viet Nam (NLV) and the International Cultural Foundation, Korea (ICF) organized the Opening ceremony of the “Children Cultural Library in Viet Nam”.
Attending the ceremony were, from Viet Nam Central agencies: Mr. Huynh Vinh Ai – Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr. Hoang Minh Dao – Director General, the National Assembly Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children, Ms. Vu Duong Thuy Nga, Director General of the Library Department, Mr. Le Ngoc Dinh – Vice Director General of the International Cooperation Department, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Lien – Vice Director General of the Planning and Finance Department, Mr. Le Ngoc Trung – Deputy Director General of the Emulation and Reward Department; From South Korean representatives: Mr. Cho Hyun Jae – President of ICF, Mr. Nam Ik Huyn – Director of the 1% Nanum Foundation, Huyndai Oilbank, Ms. Lee Miyon – Envoy, Embassy of South Korea in Viet Nam, Mr. Yoon Kwang Shik – General Secretary of ICF…; Ms. Kieu Thuy Nga – Director of the NLV; representatives of departments and agencies under the MoCST, representatives of Ha Noi department of Education and Training, international organizations; representatives of libraries and library-information centers, museums, publishing agencies, primary and kindergartens in Ha Noi and the readers.
The Children’s Cultural Library (CCL) is designed based on the idea about children’s dream tree aiming for giving them a bright future. This is a complex space that combines reading with cultural experience activities for children such as music, movies, talent development… CCL is composed of three elements: (1) modern library space with reading and cultural experience supportive state-of-the-art equipment, (2) rich and updated books in three languages: Vietnamese, Korean and English; toys and traditional musical instruments of Viet Nam and Korea, (3) diverse cultural experience activities - practicing music, watching movies, developing talent… Visiting this complex children’s library environment, children will not only be offerred the chance to study, read and participate in such activities that help shape the reading habits and reading skills but also be entertained in an extremely comfortable space, be experienced culture, thereby stimulating creativity, discovery, building the joy and habit of reading.
Speaking at the Opening ceremony, Ms. Kieu Thuy Nga – Director of the NLV stated: In the knowledge based society, library services for children are becoming increasingly important for children and families. Access to knowledge and cultural diversity as well as literacy and lifelong learning has become a priority in the society. A well-functioning children’s library will help children develop their reading habits, be equipped with information literacy and lifelong learning skills, enabling them to participate in and contribute to the society. She also believes that this important milestone will kick off the effective operation of CCL in the future, create a friendly reading environment that can stimulate the reading excitement, cultural experience and well support for studying and healthy entertainment of the future generations of the country.
Mr. Cho Huyn Jae – President of ICF shared: At present, South Korea is the Viet Nam’s largest trading partner – a country with young population of over 50% population at the age of 30. Therefore, CCL will be very important in helping the future generations of Viet Nam cultivate knowledge, nurture dreams, and at the same time contribute to promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Mr. Nam Ik Huyn – Director of the 1% Nanum Foundation, Huyndai Oilbank hoped that Vietnamese children will have diverse experiences and connections at CCL which can help them grow to be bravery global citizens.
Within one year after the CCL’s opening, it is expected that ICF will continue supporting diverse cultural contents and programs for CCL to ensure the management and operation of the library.
Photos of the same event:
Panoramic view of the Opening ceremony of the “Children’s Cultural Library”
Ms. Kieu Thuy Nga – Director of the National Library of Viet Nam delivers speech at the ceremony
Mr. Cho Huyn Jae – President of the International Cultural Foundation, Koreaspeaks at the ceremony
Mr. Nam Ik Huyn - Director of the 1% Nanum Foundation, Huyndai Oilbank gives remarks at the ceremony
Mr. Huynh Vinh Ai – MoCST Deputy Minister presents the Medals “For the cause of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Viet Nam” to Mr. Cho Huyn Jae – President of ICF; Mr. Yoon Kwang Shik – General Secretary of ICF and Mr. Nam Ik Huyn - Director of the 1% Nanum Foundation, Huyndai Oilbank
Mr. Cho Huyn Jae – President of ICF presents Certificates of Merit to Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh – Director General of the International Cooperation Department, MoCST; Ms. Kieu Thuy Nga – Director of the National Library of Viet Nam and Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh – former Director General of the International Cooperation Department, MoCST
Performance by the Korean watercolor artist - Seok Chang Woo
Ribbon cutting to open the Children’s Cultural Library
Children’s Cultural Library Spaces
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News: Thanh Ha; photos: Hung Manh