National identity is the strength for Vietnamese people to integrate internationally.

The book is the second travelogue by the author, who is also a poet and translator, recounting her journey of “opening the door to travel” since she was a student, opening the door to study abroad for herself. And that was also the foundation for her to set foot in more than 40 countries around the world.

Sharing about the name of the book, Que Mai confided: "The name of the book isSalt Grain PlayBecause I have traveled to more than 40 countries in the world and the more I travel, the more I feel small in the ocean of culture, the ocean of knowledge of the world. The more I travel, the more I realize that it is the stories of the indigenous people that enlighten me, so that I know that I am just a small grain of salt in that vast ocean...”.

Poet Nguyen Phan Que Mai signs books for young readers

Ms. Khuc Thi Hoa Phuong - Director of Women's Publishing House also introduced the birth of the travelogue.Salt Grain Play, that is the spiritual sympathy between Que Mai and the publishing team working with her. Talking about the meaning of the book cover, Ms. Hoa Phuong shared that this is a very meaningful work by artist Ngo Xuan Khoi. The background color of the book cover is the blue of the vast ocean, the character drawn in a soaring way on that background is the image of Que Mai in a Vietnamese ao dai, a small Vietnamese girl in the middle of the ocean, a Vietnamese child who always looks towards tradition.

Teacher Phan Ho Diep, a “fan” of Ms. Que Mai, also revealed that, in every event or humanitarian activity, Ms. Que Mai is always seen simple but impressive in the Vietnamese ao dai. Today, Ms. Que Mai still carries the same style, the further she goes, the more she tends towards tradition.

And the first pages of the book were shared by the female author, opening before the readers' eyes an image of a small, skinny girl from Bac Lieu who came to Saigon to study with only two worn-out sets of clothes. Passionate about English, combined with her own perseverance and aspirations, she dreamed of a future studying abroad since she was a university student and tried her best to get a scholarship. If in Bac Lieu, Que Mai attended a free English class taught by teacher Truong Van Anh, then when she came to Saigon, she tried to study by herself, study by all means, study through the radio, go to the library to find books, find tourists and guide them for free, in return for learning how to speak like foreigners. And she encourages young people to step into other doors outside their comfort zone, not waiting for all the conditions to do it, start with what you have. Answering students’ questions about how to be confident about the image of Vietnamese people in the world outside the country, Nguyen Phan Que Mai emphasized national identity and affirmed: “Our national identity is our strength when going abroad. I often wear Ao Dai, read poems in Vietnamese instead of reading English translations at literary and artistic exchanges in many countries. I also still keep my Vietnamese nationality, although there were times when I had to endure more hardships and disadvantages than if I had the nationality of another country.” Relying on Vietnamese culture, the petite female author has made many foreigners admire her.

Mr. Graham Alliband - former Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, currently Director of the Vietnam - Australia Human Resource Development Program, the predecessor of the Australian Government Scholarship Program - which awarded scholarships to Nguyen Phan Que Mai many years ago, was very proud that scholarship recipients like her have become successful and global citizens who do useful things for society in general and Vietnam in particular. At the same time, he hopes that the recent Australian scholarships will continue to be the goal of young people. Mr. Graham Alliband revealed that in 2017, the number of Australian government scholarships will decrease, so the competition among candidates will increase. Moreover, the requirements for the scholarships will be higher, especially in terms of English proficiency, when applicants must achieve a minimum of IELTS 6.5 or equivalent TOEFL iBT, not 4.5 as in previous years.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen (Head of Public Relations Department) took a souvenir photo with the guests.

Before concluding the discussion, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen reiterated the reasons for organizing the discussion, summarized the content of the discussion as well as expressed her gratitude to Women's Publishing House, Ms. Nguyen Phan Que Mai and Mr. Graham Alliband. They are the three peaks of a triangle with the same purpose of coming to this discussion to share information, feelings, create motivation, strengthen dreams, ambitions, and open new doors for young people. The MC of the discussion, teacher Phan Thi Ho Diep - mother of the youngest translator in Vietnam, Do Nhat Nam, skillfully guided and connected the speakers and listeners. And the students of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication were honored to be the first audience, receiving all the scholarship information from the Australian government and more than that, the message that Ms. Nguyen Phan Que Mai wanted to send to you through the book that was just released.

The discussion attracted not only young people but also older readers.

From left to right: Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen (Head of Public Relations Department), poet Nguyen Phan Que Mai, Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huong (Head of Journalism and Communication Department)