Cultural scholar Nguyễn Hữu Ngọc is the author of over 30 valuable books on Vietnamese culture in English and French. — File photo

HÀ NỘI — Cultural scholar Nguyễn Hữu Ngọc, regarded as a symbol of intellectualism who bridged Vietnamese knowledge and culture with the international community, has passed away at the age of 107.

Born in Hà Nội in 1918, Ngọc was fluent in multiple languages, including French, English, German and classical Han Chinese. He tirelessly wrote and compiled over 30 valuable books on Vietnamese culture in English and French. His works played a significant role in introducing the image and culture of Việt Nam to international friends.

Besides books, he also introduced Vietnamese culture through articles in magazines, newspapers, and translations, showcasing his profound knowledge, dedication and admirable passion. He was a columnist for Việt Nam News for nearly 20 years.

In 2020, at the age of 102, he continued to work diligently and released a research book of two volumes with nearly 1,000 pages that introduces the lives and thoughts of over 180 distinguished figures from East and West, spanning various fields. It is not only a monumental academic work but also the culmination of a lifetime of research, aimed at introducing Vietnamese culture to the world and vice versa.

Ngọc was also a translator of many foreign literary and cultural works from English and French into Vietnamese, with the most notable being the classic book Grimm's Fairy Tales.

Cultural scholar Nguyễn Hữu Ngọc received Bùi Xuân Phái Grand Prize for Love of Hà Nội in 2017. — Photo thethaovanhoa.vn

Some of his notable works on culture include Phác Thảo Chân Dung Văn Hóa Pháp (Sketches of French Culture), Mảnh Trời Bắc Âu (North European Skies), Văn Hóa Thụy Điển (Swedish Culture), Hồ Sơ Văn Hóa Mỹ (Cultural Profiles of America), Phác Thảo Chân Dung Văn Hóa Việt Nam (Sketches of Vietnamese Culture) and Khám Phá Văn Hóa Việt Nam (Exploring Vietnamese Culture).

He held various positions as editor-in-chief of foreign-language newspapers, including L'Étincelle (The Spark) in French, the first newspaper after the August Revolution of 1945. He also served as editor-in-chief for several external affair publications and as the director of the Foreign Language Publishing House for many years.

For his significant services, he was awarded the Order of Independence by the Vietnamese State, the Order of the North Star by the Swedish Government, and the Order of Academic Palms by the French Government.

He also received the Vietnam Book Gold Award in 2006, the Vietnam Book Bronze Award in 2015, the National Vietnam Book Award in 2017, the GADIF Award in 2008 from the group of Francophone embassies and organisations in Việt Nam, the National First Prize in 2015 for Foreign Information, and the Bùi Xuân Phái Grand Prize for Love of Hà Nội in 2017. — VNS