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Former director Bui Hong Phuc during the seminar “Consular Affairs and Me” in 2015. |
I knew Uncle Phuc had been ill for a long time, but the news of his death still seemed sudden to me. I know that “birth, old age, illness and death” are part of the natural order of things and that “life is only a fleeting existence”, but the loss of another close friend leaves me with a great void.
For me, Ambassador Bui Hong Phuc was not only a leader, but also a very close father figure. He worked alongside my wife’s parents during their overseas assignments and even held her when she was a baby. Later, I had the opportunity to work closely with him within the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which later became the Consular Office.
At the beginning of 1989, I obtained a scholarship to do a master’s degree in the Federal Republic of Germany. It was the first time I set foot in a capitalist country, and also the first time I crossed the Berlin Wall, at a time when the world was still divided and Germany was not yet reunified.
I took a train from Berlin to Erfurt, waited there for several hours, then boarded a West German train to Bonn. I still remember very well the strange, exciting and slightly distressing feeling I experienced at that moment; It’s probably an experience I’ll never have again.
At that time, Mr. Phuc was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to the Federal Republic of Germany. The embassy was located in the quiet, clean and tree-filled diplomatic district of Bad Godesberg, which created a very peaceful atmosphere.
The embassy allowed me to temporarily stay for a few days in the reception room on the ground floor, while I bought my train tickets to Heidelberg. Thereafter, every Christmas or New Year vacation, and even after finishing my studies and returning home, I would go to the embassy to eat my meals in the kitchen.
Later, upon the reunification of the two Germanys in 1990, the embassy to the German Democratic Republic in Berlin closed and Ambassador Bui Hong Phuc was appointed as the first ambassador to the reunified Germany, but the embassy remained in Bonn at that time.
After completing his term in Germany and returning to Vietnam, my uncle was appointed by the ministry as director of the consular department, the same department where I work. Thanks to our close collaboration, we had the opportunity to work together.
Drawing on his extensive management experience acquired as deputy minister, chief of staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ambassador to Germany, he professionalized the unit, transforming it into an organization assisting the ministry for the state management of consular affairs. In concert with the management of the department, he proposed the creation of the administrative and management department (which subsequently became the Consulate Office) and strengthened the latter’s general affairs department.
Also during the tenure of Ambassador Bui Hong Phuc, the consular department was transformed into a consular office (in 1994), and Ambassador Bui Hong Phuc became its first director until his post as ambassador to China.
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| Former consular directors, from left to right: Ambassador Nguyen Minh Vu, Ambassador Bui Hong Phuc, Ambassador Nguyen Huu Trang, Ambassador Nguyen Dinh Bin and Ambassador Bui Dinh Dinh during the “Early Consular 2015” event. |
During this period, I was an intern within the department, holding the position of assistant director of foreign affairs. I learned a lot from his leadership and management style. He was always quick-witted and decisive, but also a good listener, particularly in legal and consular matters.
He generally processes submitted documents very quickly, rarely leaving a backlog of files on his desk. Thanks to his experience and the knowledge acquired during his time in Bonn, he is also very attached to the development of consular cooperation with Germany.
I remember that after I returned from Heidelberg at the end of 1990, my uncle mentioned several times that he wanted me to come to Bonn to work as a consul because he knew that I was studying law in Germany.
In November 1994, I was promoted to deputy director of the consular department. This provided me with a new opportunity to serve you, assisting you with professional matters and unit development.
But at that time, all the members of the department, and even those who came to work there, were surprised to find that alongside a dignified director, there was always a deputy director who seemed young and who still called him “uncle”.
At the age of 92, after a brilliant diplomatic career covering many areas, he left us peacefully, leaving behind immense pain for his family and the gratitude of many generations of consular agents trained and supervised by Ambassador Bui Hong Phuc.
Farewell, uncle, first director of the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Source : https://baoquocte.vn/dai-su-bui-hong-phuc-va-ky-uc-ve-mot-the-he-ngoai-giao-tan-tam-395869.html
