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Dr Ian Simm arrived this year and went on to become the longest serving Director in Vietnam so far. At the end of his four years here the Vietnamese Ministry of Education awarded him a medal for services to education in Vietnam. During his time here he saw the increased expansion of our activities and projects in all parts of the country including moving to new offices in Hanoi in 1996 and Ho Chi Minh City in 1997.
For many of us, the British Council really came of age when it moved into its characterful offices in Hanoi’s Cao Ba Quat Street. With its courtyard, classrooms and space for an Information Centre we were able to deliver a full range of services. There was one disadvantage to this new home though. As many Hanoi residents know, the street is prone to flooding and the heavy rains this and the following year caused serious flooding problems for our staff and customers. However, undeterred, our colleagues still arrived for work and English students still tried to attend their classes knee-deep in water!
The spacious Information Centre on the third floor enabled us to join the technological age and set up computers with English language software, information resources and internet connections for Hanoi students. It proved so popular that from day one membership was over subscribed and we had to set up waiting lists! The official opening in August was marked by one of the biggest storms of the year and had to be delayed because of power cuts, although people still braved the weather to attend!
The first UK film we screened in Vietnam was called 'In The Bleak Midwinter' as part of the 3rd Hanoi International Film Festival in November 1996. About a local amateur production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the parochial, quick-fire language was difficult to translate and the slow moving storyline did not appeal widely to Vietnamese audiences. After this somewhat shaky start, things picked up in following years with screenings of more popular films including; Brassed Off, The Remains Of The Day, Fairytale, Little Voice, Iris, Land Girls, Notting Hill, Billy Elliot and in 2003, the very popular Bend It like Beckham.
Did you know?
Even though the Hanoi premises in Cao Ba Quat Street were seriously flooded in the rainy seasons of 1996 and 1997, students still waded to their English classes, some in a makeshift boat!
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