Huu Ngoc was born in 1918. He has a profound knowledge of French, English, German, and ancient Chinese. Born and raised in Thuan Thanh, Bac Ninh province, a cradle of Vietnamese culture, Huu Ngoc showed a great passion for culture from a young age. Later, he had many opportunities to travel, which gave him an opportunity to introduce Vietnamese culture to international friends. Huu Ngoc has written many books, including a prized book entitled “A Sketch of Vietnamese Culture” in French and English. The book was given by the Vietnamese Government as a special present to the heads of state at the 7th Francophone Meeting in Hanoi in 1997.   Among his books on Vietnamese culture, the ones on Hanoi are noteworthy, with four works, namely ‘Sketches for a portrait of Hanoi’ in French; ‘My Hanoi’ in Vietnamese, and ‘Portrait of Traditional Hanoi’ and ‘Hanoi, Who Are You’ in English. Each of Huu Ngoc’s pieces is a little story that takes the readers from one surprise to another in the rich Vietnamese culture. He is a culturist whose research covers Vietnamese culture, Oriental culture, and the cultures of Western countries. Some say Huu Ngoc is “a cultural importer and exporter”. He never considers himself a culture expert, just someone who enjoys culture, has traveled a lot, and has written and conveyed his passion to others who want to know different cultures.-VNA