'The path to the National Assembly of a French female parliamentarian of Vietnamese origin' introduced by the French President

' The author of the book Road to the National Assembly by the first female French parliamentarian of Vietnamese origin , Stéphanie Do, received an introduction from French President Macron to express gratitude for the author's contributions to both Vietnam and France.

“She has reached this position thanks to her tenacity, her desire to succeed and her dedication to others. […] Stéphanie Do has shown herself worthy of this expectation. She has seized every opportunity that France has offered her and has repaid France a hundredfold,” wrote Emmanuel Macron.

Stéphanie was born in 1979 in Saigon, in a traditional Southern intellectual family. Her great-grandfather was Mr. Do Quang Dau - a famous teacher of the ancient Southern region. A street named after him is located near Ben Thanh market today. The tradition of learning continues through the generations, and Stéphanie Do was "chosen" to be the successor.

In the summer of 1991, Stéphanie Do went to France with her parents and three brothers, of whom only Stéphanie Do's father spoke French; this was a courageous decision by her father, teacher Do Quang Thong.

Always proud to be Vietnamese

Stéphanie Do is a French politician , her term as a member of the French National Assembly ends at the end of 2022, but she is always aware that she is an immigrant and proud to be a Vietnamese woman, so she often appears at many important events in traditional Vietnamese ao dai.

Leaving Vietnam at the age of 11, her Vietnamese language has not been lost. In her newly published memoir, Stéphanie Do recounted that when she was a child, she often watched Hong Kong movies with her grandmother. Through dubbed parts, she taught her granddaughter Vietnamese and "other valuable lessons about human relations, culture,education , and the meaning of life... There were parts that I did not understand, and my grandmother made me watch them again and explained them until I understood." She continued to practice Vietnamese through movies in France, although the time was shorter and the emotions were not the same as when she was at home.

Cover of the book Road to the National Assembly by the first female French parliamentarian of Vietnamese origin , Omega+ and Social Sciences Publishing House, October 2023

Following her grandmother's example, Stéphanie Do also used movies to teach her daughter Vietnamese. She said: "In addition to Hong Kong movies, I also watch Korean movies, dubbed or narrated in Vietnamese." Stéphanie Do's husband is Vietnamese born in France. He did not know how to speak Vietnamese until he met Stéphanie Do at the age of 17. During the time they met and lived together, she taught him Vietnamese. Now he can communicate with Vietnamese people at a basic level.

The story of Stéphanie Do returning to Vietnam for the first time in 2006 is also meticulously told in the new work. She returned to Saigon to take wedding photos in Binh Quoi, Ho Chi Minh City. Before that, her wedding was held in France, which was a beautiful memory and memory for her. Returning to Vietnam after 15 years, everything completely changed in Stéphanie Do's eyes. After that first time, she returned to Vietnam more often, rented a motorbike to ride around the city, a habit she has maintained until now.

Stéphanie Do and her husband pose for a photo with President Emmanuel Macron (center) at the Palais de l'Élysée

Stéphanie Do inherited her father's outstanding qualities and she is very proud that she is like him. With all her perseverance, overcoming her limitations and starting point of not knowing French and having to study later than her peers, Stéphanie Do has overcome through her own efforts and family pride, becoming the first female member of the French National Assembly of Vietnamese origin in 2017.

Writing this book, telling her story, Stéphanie Do hopes that "the brilliant journey by which I rose to a position of national stature, almost instantly, can be an inspiration to some people".

The Road to the National Assembly by the first French female parliamentarian of Vietnamese origin introduced by the French President can be considered a pocket book or a book to carry around, because of its thin capacity, its light content, and the honest storytelling of a child far away from home, missing her homeland and wanting to spread the story of overcoming difficulties and rising up on her own two feet. Over a cup of coffee, in the soft music or in a quiet space, slowly turning the pages of the book, following the journey of knowledge of Stéphanie Do, when closing the book, just as the cup of coffee is about to run out, a few whispers of invitation to step forward echo somewhere in the ear...

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/duong-toi-quoc-hoi-cua-nu-nghi-si-phap-goc-viet-duoc-tong-thong-phap-gioi-thieu-185231021144224889.htm