Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi, former Deputy Director-General of the Viet Nam Administration of Seas and Islands, and Permanent Vice President of the Viet Nam Fisheries Society. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

Vietnam Pictorial, a Cultural Bridge with the World

The impression that Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi gives is not just his academic titles or his journeys to more than 70 countries, but the energy of a scientist who has dedicated more than 50 years to study the sea. At 75, he remains keen to connect Viet nam’s seas with the world’s oceans.

Hoi’s journey started in the early 1980s when he was a postgraduate student in Warsaw, Poland, who, in his free time, often shared Vietnam Pictorial magazines with Polish colleagues and children. Through vivid stories and photos of the magazine, Hoi wanted to spread the image of a post-war Vietnam defined by a warm hospitality, rich culture, and vitality. Those pages of the photography magazine became the very first cultural bridge the young scholar used to connect Viet nam to the world.

Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi reviews research materials. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

 

A Solid Bridge Connecting Vietnamese and International Seas

Hoi’s love for the sea inspired him to become first a Vietnamese culture ambassador and later an international marine scientist who has promoted Viet Nam’s marine diplomacy throughout his scientific career.

In 1998, Hoi was elected Chairman of the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Marine Science and Technology (SCMSAT) and later Chairman of the ASEAN Working Group on Coastal and Marine Environment (AWGCME) for three consecutive terms until 2012. The re-elections reflected the high esteem in which regional forums held his expertise and reputation.

Books on Viet Nam's seas and islands chief-edited by Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

 

Within ASEAN, Hoi left a distinct mark with an integrated approach to ocean governance. Asked about the role of Laos, the only landlocked nation in ASEAN, he offered a concise yet profound argument: “All rivers flow to the sea.” In his view, marine management cannot be separated from river basin management, and marine and inland environments are interconnected.

Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi represents a generation of pioneering marine scientists who combine solid theoretical expertise with a deep engagement in national maritime strategy. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi reviews research materials from his personal collection. Photo: Tran Thanh giang/VNP

Hoi also proposed to rename the ASEAN Sub Committee on Marine Science into the ASEAN Sub Committee on Marine Science and Technology (SCMSAT), highlighting the essential role of science and technology in research into, and management and sustainable exploration, of the oceans.

Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi speaks about Viet Nam's marine economic development at a seminar. Photo: Files

Beyond ASEAN, he served on the Steering Committee of the Global Ocean Forum (GOF) as National Coordinator for the Mangroves for the Future (MFF) initiative from 2010 to 2015. He also joined the drafting of the 2005 Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan for Ha Long Bay.

 

From a young researcher introducing Viet nam to Europe through Vietnam Pictorial pages to an ASEAN expert shaping the regional ocean policy, Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi embodies a profound truth: Viet nam’s seas are connected with the world not only through policies, but through scientists who devote their lives to their homeland and its seas./.