(VNF) - Dr. Giap Van Chung, a Vietnamese translator of Hungarian literature, has been awarded with the Golden Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit (Magyar Arany Érdemkereszt), in recognition of his years of arduous and commendable efforts in promoting the cultural exchange between Vietnam and Hungary.

Chung received the award from Novák Katalin, State Secretary of the Ministry of Human Resources, at a ceremony held in Hanoi, on September 25^th, within the framework of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s official visit to Vietnam from September 24^th to 26^th.

Dr. Giap Van Chung receives the Order from Novák Katalin, State Secretary of the Ministry of Human Resources. (Photo: Vietnam+)

The event was attended by Dang Thi Bich Lien, the Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with a large crowd of officials and friends.

According to the decision signed by the Hungarian President Áder János on July 24^th, the granting of the noble award to Dr. Chung aims to recognise his efforts in spreading Hungarian literature in Vietnam, in addition to deepening the friendly and cultural relationships between the two nations.

Born in 1953, Chung was an alumnus of the Transportation Faculty of a Budapest technical university in 1970-1976. In 1988, he returned to Hungary to pursue a doctorate, and decided to choose the land as his second home.

He has been absorbed in reading books and translating since he was young and has translated a number of Hungarian poems and short stories into Vietnamese. His translating career started to boom when he translated and released the novel ‘Candles Burn to the End’ by novelist Marai Sandor in 1997.

Since then, he has translated successfully dozens of books, of which the most striking are ‘Fateless’ and ‘Kaddish for an Unborn Child’ by Kertesz Imre who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2002 and ‘Four Seasons’, ‘Casanova and Bolzano’ and ‘Memoir of Hungary’ by Marai Sandor.

Chung also translated the book introducing Hungarian businessmen in science, culture and society named ‘Nobel Prize Winners and Famous Hungarians’ by Bodok Zsigmond, and the collection ‘The world is an open book’ by Levai Balazs.

Dr. Giap Van Chung (M) and delegates pose for a group photo. (Photo: Vietnam+)

In addition to translating Hungarian works into Vietnamese, Chung is also the translator of many of Vietnam’s short stories into the Hungarian language, which have been published in literary journals in Hungary.

Chung has also joined in with many cultural and literary exchange activities between Hungary and Vietnam. His unceasing efforts to advertise and introduce the Hungarian culture abroad were highly appreciated by the Hungarian State with the Pro Cultural Hungarica 2011 certificate, presented to him in August 2011.

“I am very happy to receive this prize. I think culture is the shortest and most proper way for peoples who live in different terrains with different cultures and history to understand together,” said Chung.

He said that this award will encourage him to translate more Hungarian books into Vietnamese./.

VNF