Professor, People's Teacher Phan Huy Le - a giant of Vietnamese History
Professor Phan Huy Le was born on February 23, 1934 in Thach Chau commune, Loc Ha district, Ha Tinh province in a family with a long tradition of culture and many great cultural figures such as Phan Huy Can, Phan Huy Ich, Phan Huy Chu. Professor Le's maternal family is also a large family with many famous people such as Cao Xuan Duc, Cao Xuan Tieu, Cao Xuan Huy...
Inheriting the patriotic and cultural traditions of his family and clan, Professor Phan Huy Le Phan Huy Le soon showed his intelligence and studiousness from his youth. In 1951, at the age of 17, he went to Thanh Hoa to study preparatory university, then entered the History - Geography Department of Hanoi Pedagogical University.
Professor Phan Huy Le's famous scientific work "Vietnamese History and Culture: A Partial Approach" and the book about the Professor: "Historical Personality"
After graduating, he was assigned to work at the Faculty of History, Hanoi University of Science. Under the guidance and mentorship of revolutionaries and great cultural figures of the country at that time such as Professors Tran Van Giau, Dao Duy Anh, etc., young teacher Phan Huy Le quickly matured and became the first generation of cadres, the generation that contributed to building the foundation of the Faculty of History and Hanoi University of Science.
Since he started working at the Faculty of History (in 1956) until his passing, Professor Phan Huy Le had more than 60 years of continuous research and teaching, activities and contributions to the development of History and education in the country. In particular, with his outstanding achievements in research and training, the Professor, together with teachers Dinh Xuan Lam, Ha Van Tan, and Tran Quoc Vuong, created a "Synthetic" school of History, with a legend about the "Four Pillars": Lam - Le - Tan - Vuong. That legend has become the pride not only of the Faculty of History, Hanoi National University in the past and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University today, but also the common pride of those who study History and do History in the country.
As one of the great figures of modern Vietnamese history, Professor Phan Huy Le has had achievements and outstanding contributions in many different fields of research from economic history, patriotic tradition, tradition of fighting against foreign invaders to values and characteristics of national culture, etc.
Professor Phan Huy Le and Professor Dinh Xuan Lam at a conference in 2008
His first major monograph wasLand regime and agricultural economy in the early Le dynastywas completed and published in 1959 when he was only 25 years old. That book is still a research work of high scientific value and topicality for the times and for anyone studying the history of land and agricultural economy in Vietnam. In the past two decades, as an organizer, proposing research goals and ideas, applying modern methods and techniques in exploiting land register documents, he has made many new discoveries, not only about the land regime, but also about the entire rural society of Vietnam in the late Middle Ages, opening a new direction, a new approach in exploiting this extremely rich and especially valuable source of documents.
Since the 1980s, the Professor has deeply researched the traditional values of the Vietnamese people, from the tradition of patriotism to the characteristics of the Vietnamese people and culture; on that basis, he affirmed:Vietnamese patriotismis the core, typical and most prominent traditional value of our nation, the origin, driving force and law of motion and development of Vietnamese history throughout the process of building and defending the country.
Although not born in Hanoi, Professor Phan Huy Le loves Hanoi very much and has been interested in researching Hanoi since very early on. He has published many excellent research works on the history of Thang Long - Hanoi, as well as on preserving and promoting the values and cultural heritage of the capital Thang Long - Hanoi.
Professor Phan Huy Le and Professor Nguyen Van Khanh in 2011
The professor also chaired and successfully organized the event.State-level research project on history and culture of the Southern region. The results of this Project not only have scientific significance in providing new, scientific understandings of the historical origins of the Southern region, but also contribute to overcoming erroneous and distorted perceptions about the formation process and role of this region in the history of Vietnam. In the past three or four years, despite his advanced age and declining health, because of his love and responsibility for the history of the nation and the country, Professor Phan Huy Le has happily taken on the responsibility of presiding over the task of directing research and compiling the set ofHistory of Vietnamentrusted by the Party and the State. This is the national history of the Ho Chi Minh era (abbreviated as the National History) which has been systematically and on the largest scale since the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam up to now.
As a talented and exemplary teacher and pedagogue, he was very interested in and had great contributions in training generations of historians, especially having a great influence on generations of students and researchers in both academic and personality aspects. He directly trained and contributed to nurturing many talented teachers, scientists, historians, and good managers in central and local agencies. In Professor Phan Huy Le, the careful and serious style of a scientist is naturally blended with the generosity, kindness, and altruism of a virtuous and talented pedagogue, always close, respectful, and ready to listen and share opinions with colleagues and students.
Prof. Phan Huy Le and Prof. Vu Minh Giang at the conference "French École Française d'Extrême-Orient with Vietnamese social sciences and humanities" at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU in 2014
With the far-sighted and comprehensive vision of a talented scientist, the Professor is also a pioneer in proposing the construction and development of new scientific fields of Hanoi National University as well as of the country such as Oriental Studies and Vietnamese Studies... During his years as Head of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, founder and first Director of the Vietnam Research Cooperation Center (now the Institute of Vietnamese Studies and Development Sciences under Hanoi National University), Professor Phan Huy Le made important and great contributions in establishing and promoting academic exchange between Vietnamese scholars and international scientists when the country was just entering the period of Renovation and integration.
Besides contributing to the construction of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, a leading scientific and training center in the country, Professor Phan Huy Le also participated and had many important opinions in building directions and implementing activities of the University.National Council of Education, Central Theoretical Council, National Heritage CouncilFrom his erudite and solid professional perspective, the Professor has advised and directly contributed to supplementing and completing the dossiers on Hoi An urban area, Ho Dynasty Citadel and especially Thang Long - Hanoi so that the Ministry of Culture - Information and the State can propose to UNESCO to recognize them as cultural heritages of humanity. For the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, in his capacity as ChairmanPolicy Advisory CouncilDuring his tenure at the university, Professor Phan Huy Le made directional contributions in researching and proposing recommendations to the Party and State on policies and strategies for the development of science and education, especially education in the country's history, contributing to the preservation and promotion of national cultural values as well as in the task of maintaining the country's independence and sovereignty.
Not only is he a leading teacher and scientist admired and respected by his students, colleagues, and the domestic scientific community, Professor Phan Huy Le also has great international prestige and influence, and is admired and especially trusted by the Vietnamese research community around the world. The Professor is the first social scientist and one of the very few Vietnamese to have been awarded theFukuoka Prizeprestigious Japanese award-winningAcademic Palmand especially honored to be elected as a corresponding member of theInstitute of Epigraphy and Fine Artsbelong toAcademyFrance. Hundreds of researchers from many countries who have had the opportunity to come to Vietnam and have met or worked under the help and guidance of Professor Phan Huy Le cannot forget the image of a scientist who is enthusiastic but calm, erudite, strict but very sincere and approachable.
Born into a family with a very famous tradition of mandarins and scholars, but educated and trained under the new regime, Professor Phan Huy Le became a true revolutionary historian. He devoted himself to serving the country and the people with his profound wisdom and all the enthusiasm of a communist. In science, he was always meticulous and careful; at the same time, he was very exemplary in ethics, style, lifestyle and always excellently completed the tasks assigned by the Party and the State. Thanks to his great and outstanding contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation, he was awarded many noble medals and orders, the most prominent of which are:Ho Chi Minh Prize for Science and Technology and Third Class Independence MedalMost recently, in mid-May 2018, he was still enthusiastic about visiting the Truong Sa archipelago and became the oldest scientist to be present in this stormy place of the Fatherland to directly survey and research... But for him, the most precious reward is not necessarily the medals and prestigious awards at home and abroad, but the respect for scientific truth, and the trust, respect and love that people, friends, colleagues and students in both Vietnam and many countries around the world have given him.
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While many tasks were still unfinished, especially the task of compiling the National History, which needed all efforts to be expeditiously completed, the Master suddenly fell seriously ill and had to leave this world. He left all of us to return to his ancestors in the eternal world, bringing with him his unfulfilled aspirations and wishes.
The sudden passing of the Teacher is an irreparable loss to the country's History and Education; it has left a void, sorrow and endless grief for his family, colleagues, friends and generations of students. May his soul rest in peace in the paradise; and in the afterlife, he can smile for what he has done, contributed and left for today and for future generations. Continuing his career and following his example, his students and colleagues will continue to strive to realize and make his dreams and noble wishes soon come true.
Author:Prof. Dr. People's Teacher Nguyen Van Khanh (Former Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi)
