Prof. Dr. People's Teacher Hoang Trong Phien: the founder of teaching Vietnamese to foreigners in Vietnam

  Professor, Doctor, and People's Teacher Hoang Trong Phien was born on January 2, 1932 (his official records state his birth year as 1934) into a small family in Khue Bac village (now Bac My An ward, Ngu Hanh Son district, Da Nang city). Born in a poor suburban area where the people's lives depended mainly on fishing and farming, but being intelligent and eager to learn, from a young age Phien was favored by his elders to participate in writing eulogies for village festivals. His love for the national language grew subtly within him.
During the final years of the resistance war against the French, student Hoang Trong Phien left his family and went to the Trung Man resistance zone (Hoa Vang district) to study and participate in the resistance. Le Khiet High School, where he studied, was a once-renowned school that contributed many great educators, scientists, and cultural figures to the country, such as professors Le Dinh Ky, Le Tri Vien, Pham Duy Hien, Hoang Tuy, and Nguyen Ngoc…
After the Geneva Accords were signed (in 1954), like many of his classmates, young Hoang Trong Phien relocated to North Vietnam and completed his secondary education at the Central University Campus (Nanning, China). Returning to Vietnam in 1956, he became part of the first cohort (K1) of the Faculty of Literature (Hanoi University). During his student years, he excelled academically while actively participating in various student movements and organizations: becoming the Secretary of the Student Union and then the first Secretary of the Youth Union of Hanoi University.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1959, Professor Hoang Trong Phien was retained by the University as a lecturer in Linguistics, a relatively new social science discipline. His love for literary works provided a natural basis for him to confidently pursue a "new path," easily "accepting" a "new subject," and soon after, dedicating his love entirely to it.
Professor Hoang Trong Phien belonged to the first generation of scientists who received systematic and thorough training in linguistics. In 1964, he went to Moscow State University as a postgraduate student, driven by a desire to learn from the world's leading schools of linguistic research. Following the example of many successful senior scholars who achieved fame through self-study, such as Nguyen Tai Can, Cao Xuan Hao, Phan Ngoc, and Nguyen Kim Than, he spent four years diligently researching and studying in Russia. His doctoral dissertation, written in Russian, was evaluated as excellent by the Council of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in 1968. Subsequently, he was the pioneer in introducing research in Vietnam on issues of semi-affixes, word formation, stylistics, syntax, etc., in the field of Oriental linguistics, and organized and participated in translating two works from Russian.Fundamentals of General Linguistics” (1984) and “Semantics and linguistic structure"(1996). Generations of students still remember Professor Phiến for his unique and engaging teaching style in many specialized subjects such as: Vietnamese Stylistics, General Linguistics, Vietnamese Syntax, and Journalistic Language. Many of his textbooks, reports, and scientific works, or those he co-edited, have long become valuable reference materials for researchers in linguistics and students in related fields such as:Vietnamese grammar theory(1976)Modern Vietnamese language learning style(1976)Vietnamese syntax(1980)Fundamentals of Linguistics and the Vietnamese Language(editor-in-chief - 1990)Basic Linguistics Exercises(1994),Vietnamese language textbook for foreigners, Japanese place names.(2001),Vietnamese Dictionary of Function Words(2003) and more than 100 scientific reports… In 3 years, from 1996 to 1999, Professor Hoang Trong Phien also chaired 2 state-level sub-projects on Southwestern border place names and Vietnam's sea and island place names…
At 90 years old, with over 70 years of Party membership and more than half a century of dedicated contributions to science and teaching, Professor Hoang Trong Phien has also made significant contributions to the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language (formerly the Vietnamese Language Group of Hanoi University) and to the University as an administrator. From 1971 to 1973, he was the Head of the Linguistics Department (Faculty of Literature) and from 1973 to 1984, he held the position of Head of the Vietnamese Language Department (Hanoi University). Afterward, he transferred to work at the Linguistics Department (University of Social Sciences and Humanities). He was also a professor at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (Japan) from 1989 to 1992. In every position he held, he performed his duties exemplaryly, and his greatest reward, higher than any medals or certificates, was the love and admiration of his family, friends, colleagues, and students. In a way, he was like a talented artisan skillfully navigating the boat laden with knowledge through the most turbulent and stormy stretches of the river. Many foreign scholars say that even after meeting him for the first time, they were left with a lasting positive impression of a simple linguistics professor with a flowing, artistic hairstyle, a warm and endearing Quang Nam accent, and especially a profound knowledge displayed in a youthful, relaxed, generous, and tolerant style; foreign students often affectionately called him "Our Professor Hoang."  
The Department of Vietnamese Studies has developed significantly, becoming a prestigious center for Vietnamese language research, now known as the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language. This is not simply a name change, but an expansion of its scope. Through the Vietnamese language, foreigners can access Vietnamese civilization and culture. Understanding the history, customs, festivals, way of life, and way of thinking of the Vietnamese people, Professor Hoang Trong Phien made a great contribution to establishing the Vietnamese language teaching program for foreigners. And through language, he presented to international friends a diverse, profound, and positive image of Vietnam; spreading Vietnamese cultural identity to the international community. Professor Hoang Trong Phien once shared: “Everyone who entered the Faculty of Literature dreamed of reading novels, enjoying and exploring the monumental works of H. Balzac, Ch. Dicken, L. Tolstoy, A. Chekhov, J. London, W. Shakespeare, Lu Xun, Ba Jin, Tagore… but in the end, I chose Linguistics, a dry and difficult-to-understand field. Looking back now, it turns out I lived fully with what I initially thought was a challenge. Living and working with talented and dedicated professors like Nguyen Tai Can, Cao Xuan Hao… was a great stroke of luck. These seniors not only gave me linguistic knowledge, but above all, a passion. Following in their footsteps, I began to focus, find my own direction, and discover my own interests.” And in turn, he left behind for generations of students not only a vast treasure of knowledge but also the exemplary image of a model teacher and, above all, a burning passion and dedication to science.
With utmost respect, we bid farewell to our Teacher.
Professor, Doctor, and People's Teacher Hoang Trong Phien has passed away, but in the hearts of his students, the image and memories of a teacher who was incredibly respected and deeply cared for his students will forever remain!