Professor, Doctor, and People's Teacher Nguyen Van Khanh - the pioneer of knowledge

Professor, Doctor, and People's Teacher Nguyen Van Khanh was born in 1955 in Hai Duong. Originally a lover of natural sciences and aspiring to become a doctor, fate led him to the Faculty of History at Hanoi University – a school with a long tradition of training and research, a breeding ground for many generations of Vietnamese intellectuals. From there, Hanoi University ignited his passion for national history, as he later confided:C"Vietnamese people need to understand their national history to know what the traditions, identity, and strengths of the Vietnamese people and nation are. Studying history is about understanding oneself and others, nurturing and cultivating love for one's homeland and country, and fostering national pride."

Professor, Doctor, People's Teacher Nguyen Van Khanh/Photo: Bui Tuan

After graduating from the Faculty of History in 1976 with outstanding academic achievements, he was retained as a lecturer and sent by the university to pursue postgraduate studies in the Soviet Union. During the 1980s, amidst the turbulent political and social context in the Soviet Union and other socialist countries, the young lecturer Nguyen Van Khanh overcame all difficulties and temptations to remain loyal to his profession, focusing on research and successfully defending his doctoral thesis in 1990. Returning to his alma mater, Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh continued to work with his teachers and colleagues to build and develop the Department of Modern and Contemporary Vietnamese History, Faculty of History. With his sharp intellect, management skills, and professional work style, he not only held a management role in the Faculty but was also entrusted with the position of Vice Rector, and later Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. During his two terms as Rector, spanning 10 years, Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh left a profound impression as a serious, dedicated, exemplary, and creative leader who was also very approachable. The 20-year journey of development—from the difficult early days of separating from Hanoi University (1995) to becoming a leading institution nationwide in creating, disseminating knowledge, and training high-quality human resources in social sciences and humanities—with numerous prestigious awards from the Party and State such as the Hero of Labor title during the đổi mới (renovation) period (2005), the Ho Chi Minh Order (2010), etc., undoubtedly bears the imprint of Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh as the highest-ranking leader. Since 2013, Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh has taken on a new role – Director of the Institute of Policy and Management, with the mission of working with the institute's staff to train, develop, and provide human resources in management and research, policy analysis, and management; and to develop the field of policy and management science.

He is a leading expert on modern and contemporary Vietnamese history.

Despite his busy schedule as an administrator, Professor Nguyen Van Khanh remains deeply committed to teaching. He rarely misses the department's scientific activities; participates in compiling textbooks and lecture notes; enthusiastically guides and reviews dissertations, theses, and doctoral dissertations; and has been and continues to teach specialized courses.Socio-economic transformations in Vietnam during the modern period,Some issues concerning Vietnamese intellectuals throughout history.For undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Faculty, whenever students brought manuscripts to Professor Khanh for review, every detail—from punctuation and comma to spelling errors—was meticulously corrected, along with careful annotations, sometimes even in different colors of ink, to ensure the students/graduates understood easily. The appeal of Nguyen Van Khanh's teaching style lies in its seriousness, meticulousness, and scientific approach, which are also the factors that helped him achieve success in his research.

For many years, Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh has been recognized as an expert in modern and contemporary Vietnamese history with his unique contributions. Belonging to a generation of Vietnamese intellectuals born and raised amidst war, struggling with post-war difficulties, and grappling with the path to reform, Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh's research focuses on the characteristics, roles, and positions of Vietnamese intellectuals throughout history, seeking directions and solutions to leverage this intellectual resource for national rejuvenation. In this area of ​​research, he has published dozens of articles in specialized journals, two monographs, and led one state-level scientific research project (received with excellent results in 2011), including his notable work.Vietnam's Intellectual Resources: History, Current Status, and ProspectsHis works, edited by Professor Nguyen Van Khanh, won the Outstanding Scientific Work Award of Hanoi National University and the Silver Award for Best Book in 2013. Professor Nguyen Van Khanh also paid particular attention to the socio-economic issues of colonial Vietnam; land, agriculture, rural areas, and farmers in the modern and contemporary periods. These are all core issues of Vietnamese history, with profound scientific and practical significance. Professor Nguyen Van Khanh's monographs include...Socio-economic structure of Vietnam during the colonial period (1858–1945),The Vietnam Nationalist Party in the history of the Vietnamese revolution...All of his works have been reprinted and are indispensable reading for those studying modern and contemporary Vietnamese history. To date, Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh has published (alone, as editor, or co-author) over 20 books and nearly 100 articles in specialized journals both domestically and internationally. Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh's scientific works, like the man himself, are always serious, careful, and honest. Even manuscripts that had already been prepared for revisions, he would still request to correct a few sentences to ensure the highest level of objectivity and honesty.

During his two terms as Rector, spanning 10 years, Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh left a profound impression as a serious, dedicated, exemplary, and innovative leader who was also very approachable. The 20-year development journey of the University undoubtedly bears the imprint of Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh as its highest leader.

In the photo: Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh, Prof. Dr. Vu Minh Giang, Assoc. Prof. Pham Xuan Hang receiving National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Faculty of Literature (2010) / Photo: Thanh Long

Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh welcomes the Governor General of Canada - His ExcellencyDavid Lloyd Johnston (November 2011)/Photo: Jackie Chan

His contributions to research and training have been honored by the State with prestigious titles: Associate Professor and Distinguished Teacher (both in 1996), Professor (2007), and People's Teacher (2014). In 2015, Professor, Doctor, and People's Teacher Nguyen Van Khanh was one of the collectives and individuals honored in the "Glory of Vietnam" program of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor. Another honor, not in the form of titles, but equally valuable, is the affection of his teachers, friends, colleagues, and students. Whenever Professor, Doctor Nguyen Van Khanh is mentioned, Professor Dinh Xuan Lam – his mentor in the field of modern and contemporary Vietnamese history and one of the "four pillars" of contemporary Vietnamese historiography – never hides his affection and pride. Friends and colleagues admire his skill in managing his time to handle many tasks simultaneously. His students are grateful for his dedication, simple and approachable style, strict yet tolerant nature. This affection stems not from titles or positions, but from his heart for his profession and for people. As an educator, scientist, and administrator, above all, he always radiated the character of a true intellectual. Professor, Doctor, and People's Teacher is the source of knowledge, contributing to an intelligent and glorious Vietnam.