Two women, a Korean American and a Vietnamese, will share their personal visions of daily life in Vietnam through a photography book Vietnam Moment, to be released on February 28.

The book features a collection of over 100 photos taken in Vietnam by Brenda Paik Sunoo between 2002 and 2008. Each image is accompanied by a traditional Vietnamese proverb, poem or song selected by Ton Thi Thu Nguyet.

Though the women grew up in countries with vastly different cultures, they shared views about the creation of Vietnam Moment.

Brenda Paik Sunoo is a third-generation Korean American writer and photojournalist. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Antioch University.

Her memoir on loss and healing, Seaweed and Shamans-Inheriting the Gifts of Grief, has been published in English, Korean and Vietnamese.

Sunoo began taking Vietnamese language lessons with Nguyet, who is an English language teacher at Vietnam National University in Hanoi. They quickly became friends and shared a passion for travel, photography and poetry.

Nguyet was born in the central province of Quang Ngai. She is currently a lecturer of English at Vietnam National University in Hanoi, where she also received her undergraduate and master’s degrees. In 1996, Nguyet established the Needy Students Support Programme which has assisted more than 1,000 university students throughout the country.

The two women have collaborated on several projects to foster cultural relations between Vietnam, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and the United States since 2003.

“Our book is unique because it juxtaposes contemporary visual impressions of a Korean American, and words from traditional Vietnamese culture,” says Sunoo. “The collaboration has been very enriching.”

“Even though people these days seem to work non-stop, we still find time for simple pleasures. The photos and sayings try to capture those moments,” says Nguyet.

Vietnam Moment is the first book of its kind, said Kim Hyung-geun, director of Seoul Selection Publishing House. “I hope the book will deepen the friendship between Koreans and the Vietnamese. There are thousands of Vietnamese immigrants living and working in the RoK”.

In order to reach a broad audience, the text is provided in English, Vietnamese and Korean. The Korean Cultural Centre in Vietnam will make public a book on Feb. 28 at 49 Nguyen Du Street, Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi.

Vietnam Moment will be available in Vietnam by contacting Sunoo at b13sunoo@aol.com. Otherwise, those interested in purchasing the book online may go directly to www.seoulselection.com or amazon.com.