Teacher of many generations of Vietnamese Archival Studies

The one who laid the foundation for the field of Archival Science

Born and raised in the traditional Bac Giang countryside, Associate Professor Nguyen Van Ham studied the major of Archives at the Faculty of History - Hanoi University of Science. Since graduating in 1967, he has always been considered one of the first people to explore and lay the foundation for the training of Archival Studies in our country. The initial difficulties from books, information, to living conditions during the war could not prevent his enthusiasm and dedication to the field of Archival Studies. Going back in time, he often told us young cadres about the extremely difficult evacuation period in Thai Nguyen, but the teachers were very determined to research a new field of study to compile the first lesson plans for the field of Archival Studies. During the war, there was not enough food and books were not available, but every day, the teachers still worked hard with the officers of the Archives Department of the Prime Minister's Office to exchange and discuss enthusiastically about professional expertise. Now, with time and practical experiences of teachers, the theory of Archival Studies has become more and more complete and perfect.Textbook of Theory and Practice of Archival Work;Archive Terminology Dictionary;Publication of documents; General Text and Archival Studies… Besides, he is also a veteran contributor to the Vietnam Archives Magazine since its first days of operation with more than 50 published articles.

Filled with memories of Thai Nguyen, very humorous, the teacher told stories about when going downhill on a bicycle, he tied a leafy branch to reduce speed; when the tire blew out, he temporarily caught a toad on the side of the road to peel off its skin to patch the tire… When he had his own family, life was still full of deprivation, growing vegetables and raising pigs were still the jobs that teachers often did… Most of us young cadres are from the 70s, 80s, 90s, it is difficult to clearly imagine the hardships of the previous generations, but deep down we all appreciate everything that the teachers have created for the Faculty, for the field of study that we are now the successors of.

Associate Professor, Meritorious Teacher Nguyen Van Ham

Head of the Department of Archival Studies and Office Administration (1996 - 2004), Head of the Department of Archival Studies (1993 - 2010)/Photo: Hieu Luong.

Passionate about young staff

When we came to work at the Faculty, the field of Archival Studies had a long way to go. What we have achieved today is just the continuation of the journey that our teachers had opened up in the early difficult days.

Since 1996, when the Faculty was established, there were only 5 staff members. Up to now, the Faculty has had 16 lecturers and administrative staff members. Almost all of my young colleagues are full-time students who were retained to be trained to become lecturers. From being the Head of the Faculty for 2 consecutive terms (from 1996 - 2004) to being the Party Cell Secretary (from 2004 - 2010) and up to now, with any young staff member, he has always kindly reminded and taught about the spirit of modesty in learning in science, style, lifestyle, and discipline to be worthy of the position of a teacher. As for me, I was fortunate to be assigned to work in the Department of Archival Studies, when he was the Head of the Department, he guided me in every lecture, corrected me in every word, every way of speaking so that today I can confidently stand on the podium.

During conversations with young cadres, he told us about the part-time job of teachers during the subsidy period, which was “going to edit for hire”, meaning going to agencies to help them edit archival documents. Thanks to that job, the economy improved, life was less difficult, but importantly, the rich practical knowledge would foster a more solid and complete theory! He advised us young cadres to try to immerse ourselves in reality to accumulate experience as well as to discover gaps that needed to be researched, thereby becoming more mature in science.

Our department had many opportunities to go on business trips with him. Wherever he went, he would wake up at 5am to walk and exercise and then return home to read books. He was always the first to arrive at all the department's events. We young staff probably need to practice this serious and disciplined style for many more years!

Associate Professor, People's Teacher Nguyen Van Ham has nearly 50 years of research and training in the field of Archival Studies.

He is the teacher of many generations of cadres, students and trainees in the field of Vietnamese Archival Studies/Photo: Hieu Luong

The simple teacher

As one of the pioneers in building the field of Archival Studies in Vietnam, having spent half a century researching and training in Archival Studies, however, we rarely hear him talk about the achievements he has made. His sons, daughters, daughters-in-law, and sons-in-law are all very successful people, we know he is very proud but he rarely says it.

From the time he was in office until his retirement, he was still simple in very simple and "old" clothes. This year, he is in his "seventies", but on days when he has to go to class or has work for the Faculty, he takes the bus to school even though the bus is always crowded and the passengers do not always pay attention to that old teacher!

The first day I arrived at the Faculty, I was surprised to see him sitting and arranging the blank sheets of paper, clipping them together into a stack and placing them in the corner of the cabinet. It was not until he asked me to type articles, lesson plans, comments, acceptance papers, etc. that I realized the reason for this. The strong, decisive lines appearing on each page of "resourced" paper made me admire him even more for his thrift and simplicity.

Associate Professor Vuong Dinh Quyen and Associate Professor Nguyen Van Ham - two leading experts in Archival Studies

Leading scientist in the field of Archival Science

As someone with nearly 50 years of research and training in the field of Archival Studies, he has participated in and cooperated with many agencies such as: Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National Academy of Public Administration, Hanoi University of Home Affairs, Vietnam Archives Magazine, Central Party Office Archives Department, State Archives Department... Almost every agency has former students of the Faculty, they often mention Mr. Ham - the person who has guided many generations of students since the Department of Archives - History in the Faculty of History, Hanoi National University.

With the main research direction being administration, history of organization of state agencies, publication and archival studies, he has been invited to participate in many councils to evaluate master's theses, doctoral theses, approve outlines; accept topics... Wherever he is, he always receives respect for his personality and scientific knowledge.

At an age when he should have been resting, with the passion and responsibility of a scientist, he and his colleagues participated in the Editorial Board.Timestamp Magazine– a publication of the Vietnam Archives Association with articles specializing in documents, archives and historical documents.

In recognition of his continuous contributions since his early days in the field of research and training, in 2005, he was awarded the Third Class Labor Medal. In 2006, Associate Professor Nguyen Van Ham was awarded the title of Meritorious Teacher. In addition, he was also honored to receive medals such as the Medal for the Cause of Education, the Medal for the Cause of Vietnam Archives, and the Medal for the Development of Hanoi National University. These are worthy recognitions to acknowledge the great contributions he has made to science, education, and the entire Archives sector of our country. Our Faculty always feels honored and proud of the titles he has achieved.

With all the knowledge accumulated and passed on to the next generation; with the exemplary ethics and style, we wish to express our gratitude to the contributions of the teacher - the teacher of many generations of Vietnamese Archival Studies!