President greets visiting US writers, researchers

President Nguyen Minh Triet received a delegation of US writers, poets and researchers of the Vietnamese culture led by poet Kevin Bowen, Director of the William Joiner Centre at the University of Massachusetts, in Hanoi yesterday.

The State leader praised and thanked the members of the delegation for their numerous activities to support Vietbam during the war.

"Vietnam always respect human rights because many of its people sacrificed their lives for national independence, which is a foundation for the protection of human rights," he said.

In the last 4,000 years, Vietnam's 54 nationalities had always united to defend the nation, which had become even more imperative in the current situation as hostile forces made every effort to sabotage the country, he said.

Triet said Vietnam was home to various religions, churches and pagodas which operated freely under the law.

He expressed his wish that the writers and poets would convey information about life in Vietnam and the development they had witnessed during their visit to people at home in order to help strengthen the mutual understanding between the two peoples.

The American guests showed their deep feelings for Vietnam, saying more and more young people in America wanted to study the Vietnamese culture.

Kevin Bowen said he was moved at his return to Vietnam after serving as a soldier here during the war.

He has visited Vietnam many times since the end of the war and has written a number of poems and essays about the dignity and soul of the Vietnamese people.

His contributions earned him the Friendship Order from the Vietnamese State.

In recent years, the William Joiner Centre has introduced many Vietnamese literary works to the US public, gradually helping to portray the current Vietnamese culture and society and create good will within the American society.