A compassionate and forgiving teacher

Professor Nguyen Cao Dam was born on October 24, 1930 in Bac Giang town (now Bac Giang city, Bac Giang province). He joined the revolution early. In 1950, he was an officer of the Military Medical Department, Ministry of National Defense. But because of his affinity with education, he switched to teaching until his retirement. In 1953, Nguyen Cao Dam was transferred to work as a specialist in the Department of Vocational Education of the Ministry of Education. Two years later (1955), he was sent to study at Lomonosov University, Moscow, the former Soviet Union. As a party member and an experienced manager, he was assigned by the Vietnamese embassy in the Soviet Union to be in charge of the international students. Here, he had the opportunity to meet two future colleagues, Professor Nguyen Ham Duong and Professor Hoang Thi Chau, who also went to study at Lomonosov University a year later. This fateful encounter created a rare camaraderie among three senior professors of Linguistics. All three grew up in a socialist country and returned to work in the same department, the Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature, Hanoi National University. When talking about the history of linguistics, no one can forget the contributions of the three professors from the early days of this field.

Professor, Doctor, Meritorious Teacher Nguyen Cao Dam (1930-2013)/Photo: Thanh Long

A special point that generations of students, graduate students and researchers have noticed in Professor Nguyen Cao Dam is the kindness, openness and carefreeness that radiates right from his face. It seems that from his smile, his eyes, to his words and gestures, everyone who meets him for the first time feels warm and approachable. During the years of war, he and his colleagues evacuated students everywhere. Sometimes in Ha Tay, Ha Bac, sometimes in Dai Tu (Thai Nguyen)..., wherever he was, he and his team members always applied the motto of teaching and learning closely linked to practical practice, overcoming all difficulties and hardships to complete professional work well. Thanks to that, during the difficult years, despite the fierce attacks of the American invaders, the Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature, Hanoi National University still completed elaborate and impressive collective research projects, the most typical of which was the research project on the Tay-Nung language. Through these field trips, students of the linguistics major not only had the opportunity to penetrate into real life but also knew how to apply their specialized knowledge to serve life and society.

As a teacher and researcher, Professor Nguyen Cao Dam always shows his enthusiasm for teaching and scientific research. With a simple nature, he always quietly devotes all his abilities and passion to science. In the study of Vietnamese grammar, he has his own point of view besides other points of view and perspectives. The difference in his concepts and academic debates can lead to small consequences for the professor himself and his students. Pham Duc Duong - a leading professor of Linguistics in Vietnam, who was a student whose thesis was guided by Professor Nguyen Cao Dam, received a score of 3 - (three minus) on a scale of 5 at that time. When he was alive, sometimes recalling this story, Professor Nguyen Cao Dam said:

- It is true that when defending, Pham Duc Duong almost failed. The problem is scientific viewpoint! It is very complicated and difficult to distinguish clearly. But the most important thing is that reality has confirmed it later. Pham Duc Duong is a professor with many valuable and recognized works.

Such is the quality of Professor Nguyen Cao Dam. In life, he is a gentle, mild person, in science he is also a gentle but steadfast and consistent person. During his decades of research, he has many articles focusing on the sentence patterns in Vietnamese on two levels of structure and semantics from a unique perspective and point of view. In addition to in-depth research in the field he is in charge of (Vietnamese grammar), he also pays attention to building sets of tool books to serve the teaching of Vietnamese and learning foreign languages. Those are books such asPractical Vietnamese,Practical Vietnamese for foreigners,Vietnamese – Japanese – English vocabulary analysis dictionary(Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan, 1975). In addition, he also published a number of monographs such asDestiny Theory and The Tale of Kieu(printed in Japanese at Dong Minh Hoi Publishing House 1978-1980), comparative research book on Vietnamese-Japanese culture...

With many contributions, Professor Nguyen Cao Dam has received many noble titles: Professor, Doctor, Meritorious Teacher, Third-class Victory Medal. Second-class Resistance Medal, Third-class Labor Medal. Medal for the Cause of Education, Medal for the Cause of Science and Technology. Medal for the Cause of Science and Technology Associations. Badge for International Duties.

Now that the Professor has passed away, his colleagues, friends, and later generations will always remember a handsome, gentle professor who was silently steadfast in science and for generations of students.