HÀ NỘI — A book has been published revealing stories of famous Vietnamese and international figures as seen through the perspective of journalist Nguyễn Thị Bích Yến (Yen Platz) from Austria.

Yến is a PhD in journalism and has many years of experience working as a journalist in Việt Nam and other countries. In her opinion, each good person can be a piece of mosaic to create a wonderful whole.

Entitled The Mosaics of the King, the book was released in Hà Nội last week.

“The 700-page book includes many ‘mosaics,’ emotions, opinions, attitudes, life experiences and philosophies,” said Phan Xuân Sơn, professor at the Hồ Chí Minh National Academy of Politics.

“Despite many events, stories and figures, the book is still coherent, divided into three parts. Various subjects are mentioned in an attractive way.”

"After finishing the book, I was engrossed in the stories, fates, reflections and messages of a journalist who is full of enthusiasm and responsibility," said Sơn. "The author has made meaningful connections between Việt Nam and the international community."

The arts and culture category tells 38 stories of people devoted to art, film, literature and music such as Hollywood action star Arnold Schwarzenegger, Spanish sculptor Alberto Corazon, French actress Emmanuelle Beart and Vietnamese director Đặng Nhật Minh.  

In the second part, Yến writes about politics, society and journalism. She also talks about relations between nations in modern times, exploring the origin of wars and migration. Characters in this section include Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, former President Nguyễn Minh Triết, Russian President Vladimir Putin, former President of Serbia Tomislav Nikolic and former Austrian President Heinz Fischer.

In the business section, she talks about the successes of many Vietnamese entrepreneurs inside and out of the country and of expatriates in Việt Nam.

As a journalist, Yến had a chance to attend many events and interview many important people. She wrote the book with inspiration from The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527).

“The book discussed the most basic principles of nation ruling like talent, courage, responsibility and enthusiasm, but when reading and feeling it with sincerity, we can feel that even a civilian can have a vision of the King,” said Yến. “Many people I met and interviewed in Việt Nam and abroad have qualities of a king. Each one has part of a mosaic to make a true king. So I decided to publish the book with the aim of introducing these characters from 30 countries to the public.”

“I think that their achievements will act as reference materials for the readers, or inspire people in the field in which they are interested,” Yến said.

Georg Heindl, Austrian Ambassador to Việt Nam, said he appreciated Yến’s efforts in publishing the book. He remarked that the book plays in important role in cultural exchange between the two countries. — VNS