Tran Van Dinh
Encyclopedia
Tran Van Dinh is an American – Vietnamese diplomat, author, professor.
, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, was born and raised in Hue
, the former imperial capital of Vietnam
.
He came from a family of Confucian scholars, Buddhist philosophers and Taoist poets. In his youth, he participated in the anti-colonial struggle against the French. Later, he became a diplomat and has served in Thailand, Burma (Minister plenipotentiary
), the United Nations (observer), Argentina, Mexico (nonresident ambassador) and the United States of America (Minister Counselor, Charge d'affaires
).
In 1963, Tran was in charge of the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington DC as well as non-resident Ambassador to Argentina.
/Old Westbury and the DagHammarskjold College at Columbia, MD. From 1971 to 1985, he taught International Politics and Communications and chaired the Department of Pan-African Studies at Temple University.
at the George Washington University.
.Nuong Van-Dinh Tran, a Founding Member of the Washington Printmakers Gallery, has her work featured in The National Museum of Women in the Arts, The National Museum of American Art, The Smithsonian Institution
, the Corcoran Gallery of Art
, The Library of Congress Fine Prints Collection, the Permanent Collection of the Pushkin Museum
, Moscow, and in many private collections.
He was a contributor (for Asia) and editorial advisor to The International Encyclopedia of Communications.
In recent years, he frequently visited Southeast Asia and Vietnam and has written an article on his native city of Hue in the November 1989 issue of the National Geographic Magazine. He co-authored an Insight Guides book on Vietnam which was translated into several languages (including German and French).
Early life
Dr. Tran Van Dinh, professor emeritus (international politics and communications) at Temple UniversityTemple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, was born and raised in Hue
Hue
Hue is one of the main properties of a color, defined technically , as "the degree to which a stimulus can be describedas similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow,"...
, the former imperial capital of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
He came from a family of Confucian scholars, Buddhist philosophers and Taoist poets. In his youth, he participated in the anti-colonial struggle against the French. Later, he became a diplomat and has served in Thailand, Burma (Minister plenipotentiary
Plenipotentiary
The word plenipotentiary has two meanings. As a noun, it refers to a person who has "full powers." In particular, the term commonly refers to a diplomat fully authorized to represent his government as a prerogative...
), the United Nations (observer), Argentina, Mexico (nonresident ambassador) and the United States of America (Minister Counselor, Charge d'affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
).
Diplomatic career
After serving for 10 years in the Vietnamese diplomatic service in Southeast Asia, Tran Van Dinh joined the Embassy of Vietnam in Washington DC in 1961. From their post in Washington, the Van Dinhs took in the events of the growing Civil Rights Movement, in particular the 300,000 person March on Washington led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. These events would have a profound impact on their relationship with the United States, and would foreshadow their own immersion into the ongoing struggle for liberation around the globe.In 1963, Tran was in charge of the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington DC as well as non-resident Ambassador to Argentina.
Academic career
He resigned at the end of 1963 to pursue full time his passion for peace and social justice work. This included teaching courses in Asian Humanism at the State University of New YorkState University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
/Old Westbury and the DagHammarskjold College at Columbia, MD. From 1971 to 1985, he taught International Politics and Communications and chaired the Department of Pan-African Studies at Temple University.
Marriage
His wife is Nuong Van Dinh Tran. While Tran was pursuing his work in the political and academic arenas, Nuong was exploring her many interests in the world of visual art.Nuong Van-Dinh Tran, a Fine Art artist, was trained as a painter and a printmaker at the Corcoran School of Art, and earned her MFAMFA
MFA may refer to:An academic degree or professional field:* Masters of Finance and Accounting* Master of Financial Analysis* Master of Fine Arts* Material Flow Accounting* Material Flow AnalysisA concept or phrase:* Made For Ads...
at the George Washington University.
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
.Nuong Van-Dinh Tran, a Founding Member of the Washington Printmakers Gallery, has her work featured in The National Museum of Women in the Arts, The National Museum of American Art, The Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, the Corcoran Gallery of Art
Corcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
, The Library of Congress Fine Prints Collection, the Permanent Collection of the Pushkin Museum
Pushkin Museum
The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour....
, Moscow, and in many private collections.
Publications
His publications include hundreds of articles and essays, two major textbooks :Independence Liberation Revolution: An Approach to the Understanding of The Third World; Communication and Diplomacy in a Changing World. He also wrote two novels about the Vietnam War: No Passenger on the River (1965) and Blue Dragon White Tiger (1983).He was a contributor (for Asia) and editorial advisor to The International Encyclopedia of Communications.
In recent years, he frequently visited Southeast Asia and Vietnam and has written an article on his native city of Hue in the November 1989 issue of the National Geographic Magazine. He co-authored an Insight Guides book on Vietnam which was translated into several languages (including German and French).