Leaving home for Vietnam to study at 18 years old and marrying a Vietnamese woman at the age of 22, the Palestinian ambassador considers him­self Vietnamese at heart. Hoang Oanh interviews Saadi Salama about his love affair with Vietnam.

Why did you decide to come to Vietnam?

My love affair with Vietnam start­ed before I knew and married my wife. In 1980, after graduating from high school, I received a study abroad scholarship from the Palestine Libera­tion Organization (PLO). I could have  chosen Italy or Romania, but I de­cided to come to Vietnam because I am a child of the Palestinian revolution. When I saw the im-age of Vietnam appearing in foreign newspapers, I felt a fondness for it and wanted to come to this country. That choice gave me the opportunity to meet a beautiful Hanoi girl and as a result, we got married and now have four children. I always thought it was a blessing in my life, because I not only became a bridge between the two peoples, but also a Vietnamese son-in-law.

After more than 30 years with a Vi­etnamese wife, what are personality traits of your wife in particular and of Vietnamese women in general in your eyes?

I think that is sacrifice. My wife, after getting married, retired to take care of our children. Currently, my wife is living in France with our two children, so we have little opportunity to meet regularly. But whenever we have time, we still travel together. The Palestinians have a very good saying, similar to a Vietnamese idiom: Men build houses, women make homes.

The man will serve as a pillar and a guide for the children, but the woman is an important factor to create and cultivate the happiness of the whole family. Although this is a traditional viewpoint, I think it suits the culture and ideology of both Vietnamese and Palestinians.

Have you ever felt lonely without any relatives here?

The Palestinian Embassy has six members, of which five are women. They have been working with me since the first days when I got here and I al­ways consider them as my family mem­bers. When I'm sick, they take care of me. When I'm depressed, they learn the reason and we get through it together. They always support me in my work as well as the difficulties that I face when living here. Vietnamese women are very kind. I have no feelings of loneliness when living here.

You enjoy learning about Vietnamese culture and his­tory. In your opinion, how do you see the role of Vietnam­ese women in the develop­ment of Vietnam in each historical period ?

In every development stage of Vietnam, from the time of Hai Ba Trung and Ba Trieu, many Vi­etnamese women have held important positions in the coun­try's political and cultural system.

As a person who has been attached to Vietnam for many years and is very interested in Vietnamese history and culture, I see that women always cre­ate strong inspiration for Vietnamese people to believe in the future.

They have not only been wives and mothers, but also imperial soldiers di­rectly fighting and defending the coun­try, actively contributing to the national liberation. They play an important role in both wartime and peacetime.

Looking at the cultural values of Vi­etnamese people, women are an impor­tant factor to maintain the good values of Vietnamese people. The sacrifice of women is no less than the sacrifice of Vietnamese men.

I am fortunate to have had the op­portunity to meet women who played an important role in the development path of Vietnam in general and Vi­etnamese women in particular, for example, major general Nguyen Thi Dinh, who acted as vice president. She is a strong, patriotic woman, one of the symbols of the resilient struggle of Vietnamese women in wartime. On the political stage of Vietnam today, there are many women holding critical positions in social and political organi­sations such as the chairman of the national assembly and the vice chair­man of the national assembly. I admire and appreciate the fighting spirit and sacrifice of Vietnamese women.

What do you think of women in the present day?

Vietnamese women are not only people who build homes but also make important contributions to the economy. Everyone knows that Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Vietjefs CEO is a famous business woman in the market, and Nguyen Thi Nga, BRG Group chairman, a talented and strong woman. Many banks' leaders and other big group owners in Vietnam are also run by women. They enthusiasti­cally participate in forums, associations, groups and operate very effectively. Any locality in Vietnam has excellent business womens associations.

Is there any similarity between Vietnamese women and Palestinian women?

Due to similar circumstances, Viet­namese and Palestinian women have similarities. The women of our two coun­tries struggle for national independence, for freedom, but it can be said that the role of Vietnamese women in these is­sues is more active in Vietnam than the role of Palestinian women.

The second similarity is the role of women in building homes and educating their children. Whether a Palestinian or a Vietnamese, women always feel proud to see their children succeed. As a saying from the Vietnamese people goes: If the children surpasses his father, the home is blessed. I think the first person who feels blessed will be the mother.

The life of a woman is a life full of sacrifices, not only sacrificing for na­tional independence but also sacrificing to preserve the peace of a family. But it can be affirmed that the Palestinian woman receives more support from her husband in housework than Vietnam­ese women.

Vietnamese women still participate in heavy work such as construction. In a beautiful city like Hanoi, the peo­ple who help keep it green and more beautiful are the women who work in the field of sanitation. There are few women in Palestine who do this work. Therefore, I see Palestinian women have a better and more comfortable life than Vietnamese women and Vietnam­ese women work harder.

Are you saying that Vietnamese women are more disadvantaged than women in other countries?

I don't think so; many women feel very proud to contribute a lot to their families and society. They do not think that they are disadvantaged and are al­ways willing to do everything to be able to contribute more.

Taking care of the family is not only a responsibility, but also a profession, and they must be good to fulfil this role properly. They never complain and never feel disadvantaged. I personally admire and respect them.

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