A dedicated teacher

His passion for his field and dedication to the profession of "nurturing future generations" has made the professor forget his old age, allowing him to "rejuvenate" alongside his beloved students and the nascent scientific disciplines in which he is one of the leading experts who helped establish them in Vietnam. These include Statistical Linguistics, Semiotics, and an interdisciplinary field: Logic and the Vietnamese Language. These are the "specialty" subjects he has taught for decades at various universities.

Originally a mathematics teacher (he graduated from the Department of Mathematics, Hanoi Pedagogical University in 1957), after earning his doctorate in Poland, Professor Nguyen Duc Dan returned to Vietnam and became a leading figure in statistical linguistics at the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University, from the 1970s onwards. His strong mathematical thinking enabled him to quickly grasp the fundamentals of linguistics, which later allowed him to develop his skills, work, and research into a brilliant researcher in many specialized and interdisciplinary fields, with 18 published research papers (including co-authored works) and 40 professional articles published in scientific journals both domestically and internationally. Notably, his works include those on Statistical Linguistics, Dictionaries, Logic-Semantics and Syntax, Logic and the Vietnamese Language, Pragmatics, etc. It is noteworthy that, nearly half a century ago, when many researchers still championed the theory of focusing on "narrow specialization" with the spirit of "the narrower, the deeper," Professor Nguyen Duc Dan already recognized the necessity of interdisciplinary research. Therefore, from the very beginning, beyond his highly specialized field (statistical linguistics), he aimed for a scientific horizon where close collaboration among many scientific disciplines was necessary to deeply understand the essence of the subject. With this astute perspective, he boldly delved into various aspects of the "enormous" subject of the Vietnamese language, researching it from multiple perspectives at the levels of words, syntax, and texts. His research and scientific papers therefore always possess a unique quality that is not easily confused with that of other researchers. It opens up a new direction in Vietnamese language studies alongside traditional, single-discipline research trends.

Professor, Doctor, Distinguished Teacher Nguyen Duc Dan/Photo: Thanh Long

Generations of students trained by Professor Nguyen Duc Dan have consistently absorbed his rigorous research methods and sharp thinking techniques. This is a prominent characteristic of his scientific works. This success stems from his background as a logic expert and his background as a mathematics teacher. His precise data combined with his habit of logical reasoning ensures that his scientific works always possess a complete structure. Every description and analysis is based on solid scientific foundations, supported by clear data. Therefore, many of the new problems he explores, while not always easily accessible to all those engaged in specialized research, remain compelling. Furthermore, some theoretical issues he applies to practice create a unique and captivating experience.

It can be said that throughout his life as a teacher, Professor Nguyen Duc Dan never ceased his research, exploration, and creativity. He always considered research an extremely important task for university education, especially for centers of basic science research such as the former Hanoi University, Ho Chi Minh City University, and currently the Vietnam National University, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Without research, it would be impossible to keep up with the world's scientific standards and to have the "capital" to train students and researchers. Therefore, even three or four decades ago, he, along with many veteran teachers of the Linguistics Department (now the Faculty of Linguistics, University of Social Sciences and Humanities), always paid attention to linking theory with practice, and connecting learning with scientific research within the student body. Many talented students, even in their second or third year, successfully wrote dissertations and scientific reports in their specialized research fields. Some outstanding students whose undergraduate theses (now called bachelor's theses) he supervised had their research published in journals immediately after graduation. Among them, many have now become well-known researchers.

Photo: Jackie Chan

Professor Nguyen Duc Dan was a man who deeply valued affection. This affection wasn't fleeting or boisterous, but profound and enduring. From 1988, due to work requirements, he and several veteran professors of the Literature department moved to Ho Chi Minh City to build and develop a team of scientists in the South after the country's reunification. The two-thousand-kilometer journey never diminished his enthusiasm for the cradle of science where he began his career: the Faculty of Literature at Hanoi University. Every year, he would regularly travel to Hanoi to teach at various training institutions or participate in doctoral dissertation defenses on several state-level doctoral dissertation examination committees. He was also an active member of the postgraduate teaching team and taught basic and advanced courses to high-quality students in the Faculty of Linguistics at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Whenever he traveled to the North, he never forgot his former students who were now working at the school and various agencies and research institutes in Hanoi. He often gave them newly published books as gifts. He was also extremely happy whenever one of his students had a work published. His affection was quiet yet profound, evident in every meeting and every conversation. Not only did he share in joy, but even when someone was sad, facing difficulties, or suffering injustice, he empathized, shared their burdens, and offered encouragement with simple yet deeply moving words.

Professor Nguyen Duc Dan was also a passionate and responsible individual. Even after several decades, many in the Faculty of Literature still remember his significant contributions in fostering international cooperation. In 1979-1980, his teaching at Paris 7 University (France) opened a new chapter in collaborative teaching between Paris 7 University and Hanoi University. Many trips to France by faculty members from the Faculty of Literature began from this point. Simply by creating a bridge for those who followed to continue their overseas careers, he demonstrated a strong sense of responsibility towards his colleagues and the younger generation.

The professor's teaching career spans nearly half a century. Now, throughout the three regions of Vietnam—Central, South, and North—there are students he trained who have become researchers, professors, and doctors. Furthermore, he has contributed to the training of many international students and researchers. To date, he has successfully supervised a total of 10 doctoral and associate doctoral dissertations.

Having been awarded the title of Professor by the State since 1996, he has consistently utilized his professional capabilities to both teach and conduct research, training generations of bachelors, masters, and doctoral students. To date, in addition to articles published in specialized journals, he has also published many valuable research works such as:Dictionnaire de fréquence du Vietnamien,Statistical linguistics:A collection of world jokes,Dictionary of Vietnamese words of French origin(co-authored), Association for Research and TeachingLogic and the Vietnamese Language,Vietnamese: for general university courses,Introduction to Linguistic Statistics,Pragmatics,Linguistic statistics: some applications,Introduction to Formal and Informal LogicFrom incorrect sentences to good sentences.

This year, Professor Nguyen Duc Dan is about to turn 79. Generations of students are still eagerly awaiting his lectures to learn from him his tireless work ethic, dedication, and striving spirit, along with the knowledge he has accumulated throughout a lifetime of passion as a teacher and scientist.