The ancient Dong Son period in Vietnam left a treasured legacy of artistic and cultural accomplishments. Two years ago when Tokyo artist Dr. Frederick Harris was setting up a foundation to benefit Vietnamese art students, he gave it the significant name Dong Son. He invited Thi Diu Nguyen to be art adviser in Vietnam to his Dong Son Today Foundation. "I realized that she, without a particular background in art, had an innate sense of what was good and bad, what was right and wrong, what was sincere and fake," he said. "I depend completely on her." On a recent visit to Tokyo, Diu said, "I liked artists before I liked art. They are easygoing, interesting, friendly." Knowledgeable in art matters now, committed to more than one line of work and aspiring, Diu, 31, is married "to an understanding, sharing husband" and is mother of a small baby. Diu is a banker.
Well traveled, she has an unassuming air of quiet competence. She is a senior officer in her bank in Vietnam. That, she says, is not surprising. "My country lost a generation of young men, and women had to develop a sense of responsibility and effectiveness. Many officials in high places are women, at levels of importance probably higher than anywhere else."
Diu considers that her complete mastery of colloquial English is also not surprising. "We had no native speakers to teach us when I was a student, and few exchange programs," she said. "But we all had the desire to open windows to the world. We read books. I wanted to learn, and to be independent." She awakened every morning thinking she wasn't doing enough, and yearning to do more and better.