“Maybe I have become a special Vietnamese expatriate”

VHO - Editor's note: Mikhail Osin (Minh) is the interpreter of the Vietnamese delegation participating in the Intervision 2025 International Music Competition. Minh witnessed the sublime moments on stage, the simple yet warm backstage stories, and above all, the warm affection that touched his heart, leaving in him "a waterfall of unforgettable memories". Van Hoa respectfully introduces his article in Vietnamese.

Minh interpreted for singer Duc Phuc after his coronation.

My name is Mikhail Osin, a third-year student at the Institute of Asian and African Studies, Moscow State University (Lomonosov University). My Vietnamese friends call me Minh, the name I chose for myself after a year of internship in Hanoi . Intervision 2025 has ended, but the memories of 12 days living with the Vietnamese delegation in Moscow are still as fresh as yesterday.

I came to Intervision by chance. At first, it was just a request to translate a meeting of the producer. I struggled with a mountain of specialized vocabulary, it was difficult but I still overcame it. Unexpectedly, a few weeks later, the people from that day contacted me again, asking me to become an interpreter and attaché for the Vietnamese delegation. I agreed without a second's hesitation.

It was only when I sat down to reflect that I realized the heavy responsibility that was placed on my shoulders: helping a group of artists from a faraway land feel at home. I imagined them: Who would they be, would they be approachable, would I be able to get along, could I fulfill my duty? My heart was a mixture of happiness, excitement and anxiety. I knew I was about to embark on a special journey, one that could change my life.

The day the Vietnamese delegation arrived in Moscow, I began a long series of days of non-stop work from dawn to midnight, with an unimaginable amount of work. But strangely, I did not feel tired, because I was surrounded by energetic and enthusiastic people. We stayed in the same hotel, ate at the same restaurant, participated in cultural programs, practiced, rehearsed, filmed…

Each day was a series of events so intense and memorable that I often lay awake and exclaimed: “Today is truly a magical day!” During that time, they were no longer a “delegation” but truly a family. We called each other by our nicknames, shared every meal, every little story. The day I saw the delegation off at the airport, I shed tears, the rare tears of a grown man. I realized that after this journey, my life would never be the same again.

There is a Russian song that I really like: “Do not despise the moments” by Tariverdiev. The song says that every moment has its own reason, its own resonance, its own mark; and from those seemingly small pieces, a whole rain of memories is woven, and then the waterfall of memories from above just keeps pouring down, fierce and gentle. I find it an exact reflection of my journey.

It was the moment we ate ice cream together at GUM, or the moment we stepped into the Bolshoi Theatre, a place even I, a Muscovite, had never been to. It was when we sat in the middle of the bustling Izmailovsky market, listening to our Vietnamese friends marvel at the local colors. And it was the late evenings when the whole group gathered together, exhausted but still chatting animatedly and smiling brightly.

I still remember clearly their strange bond: Each person has a hobby, a personality, but the differences do not separate them, on the contrary, they are all united in the consciousness that they are shouldering the mission of bringing glory to the Fatherland. It is the harmony between individual personalities and common responsibility that has created an extremely beautiful and outstanding image. In addition, it is the affection from the Vietnamese community in Russia. They do not know anyone in the group, but still come, bring home dishes, sit together as if Moscow suddenly turned into Hanoi.

Some people followed the group for many days after the victory, just because of a simple sentence: "Because they are our fellow countrymen". That sentence still makes my nose sting and reminds me of the words of encouragement of Mr. Thang (Mr. Ha Minh Thang, Deputy Director of the Department of Performing Arts, Head of the group) to encourage singer Duc Phuc and the dance group before going on stage: "Tens of millions of compatriots are standing behind you to support you, try your best to bring glory to the Fatherland".

If there is one performance that I will always remember, it is Phu Dong Thien Vuong . I witnessed with my own eyes how much effort went into it: the dancers practiced diligently, Duc Phuc sang his heart out every day during rehearsal, the crew paid attention to every detail. An Intervision director told me: "Vietnam's performance was so perfect that there was not a single beat missed during rehearsal."

I was honored to be the one to translate the lyrics into Russian. There were some sentences that were almost impossible to translate, but I tried to keep the spirit: from “Con Rong Chau Tien” to Thanh Giong. Every time I listen to it, I get goosebumps. Interestingly, Russian audiences also feel the familiarity, because our country also has epics about Bogatyr heroes, young men with extraordinary strength since childhood. When the legends of the two nations meet, the audience seems to find a sympathetic thread. I believe that it is this harmony that makes the Vietnamese performance so warmly loved.

On the final night, I was an interpreter on stage. Just a few seconds but I unexpectedly received a series of congratulations from social networks, from friends, and even from strangers. On television, my face suddenly appeared before the whole world . Those few seconds, to me, were a miracle. It urged me to move forward, learn more, and live more fully.

I used to joke: “Maybe I have become a special Vietnamese expatriate”. Actually, it is no longer a joke. I love the Vietnamese language, culture and people. In the next two years, I want to continue practicing the language, helping my Vietnamese friends when they come to Russia, and after graduating, I will return to Vietnam to start my career. Currently, the plane tickets are too expensive for me to return immediately. But I believe, just like how Intervision came to me, fate will lead me back to Vietnam.

The Russians have a saying: “Know the language, travel the world”. For me, Vietnamese is the key that opens that path. The most valuable thing I realized after Intervision is the power of language in connecting people. I love learning Vietnamese, love telling my Vietnamese friends about Russia, and above all, I believe it is the most beautiful form of “people’s diplomacy ”.

Surprise with How the Steel Was Tempered

While leading a Vietnamese delegation to the Izmailovsky flea market on the outskirts of Moscow, I asked Minh to find a Russian copy of How the Steel Was Tempered , a bedside book for generations of Vietnamese youth. The market couldn’t find it anywhere. Minh half-jokingly said, “The whole market knows I’m looking for this book.”

The story seemed to have ended, until the day the group parted, Minh suddenly appeared with a familiar smile, holding in his hand a printed copy of How the Steel Was Tempered published in 1977, with a beautiful cover, white paper and intact after nearly half a century. It turned out that, that day at the market, someone had looked for Minh and showed him a small bookstore hidden deep in the alley. Minh quietly bought it and kept it as a gift.

NGOC TRUNG

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/co-le-toi-da-tro-thanh-mot-viet-kieu-dac-biet-172033.html