Scientist of passion and dedication

Teacher Ngoc was born in a poor coastal village in the Northeast of the country - "the poorest commune of the poorest district in Northern Vietnam" - as he often said about his hometown Hung Tien, Vinh Bao, Hai Phong. The waves and rivers of the coastal region have molded strong young men with brown skin, good at swimming, brave, resilient and daring to think and do. Teacher Ngoc's childhood, like that of many other young swimmers in that "windy and windy" land, was spent herding buffaloes and cutting grass on the dike, jumping off the river bridge and diving in the salty water of the tide under the shimmering summer sun, wearing straw hats and red scarves while carrying books to school in the boiling atmosphere of the whole nation struggling to resist the US. Born into a large family, teacher Ngoc inherited his father's handsome appearance, sharp intelligence and resolute, strong personality, but also received the kindness and affection of his mother. Those outstanding privileges, coincidentally, also placed/inherited on his shoulders very early the responsibility of the eldest son in the family, when his older brother - martyr Nguyen Quang Thu - sacrificed his life in the year of Mau Than 1968, leaving behind a deep loss in the hearts of his parents.

Professor, Doctor, People's Teacher Nguyen Quang Ngoc

With his intelligent nature, Mr. Ngoc soon completed his studies in his hometown with an aptitude for natural sciences, especially Mathematics. A coincidence but fate brought him to the History Department, Faculty of History - University of General Sciences, in which it is impossible not to mention the role and great influence of the senior professors Phan Huy Le and Tran Quoc Vuong. It was the first lectures of the two teachers in "Four pillars" kept Mr. Ngoc at the Faculty, and it was not a coincidence that the names of modern Vietnamese History such as Phan Huy Le and Nguyen Quang Ngoc all started out as "people" of Mathematics and Physics. In September 1969, when he enrolled at the Faculty of History, his K14 class no longer had to go to the evacuation area of ​​the University in Thai Nguyen. But in the first years of returning to the Capital after the destructive war of the US, the facilities of the Faculty and the School were still very lacking with beds being mats on a cement floor, desks being knees for each class hour, and meals for boarding students consisting of only a bowl of corn rice, flour cakes or "national" vegetable soup. However, the lack of material things did not diminish the belief and enthusiasm for learning, exploring and researching of him and his classmates and peers. Under the direct guidance of Professor Phan Huy Le, Mr. Ngoc, along with a friend specializing in Ancient History, later Dr. Do Duc Hung, He once carried a backpack and walked along the traces of Trung Trac and Trung Nhi in Ba Vi and Dan Phuong; boldly asked the village elders, thoroughly examined Han Nom documents, and contributed significantly to the research on the Trung Sisters' uprising in the history of the nation. It can be said that the country's difficulties in the war could not stop the scientific footsteps of the teachers and students of the Faculty of History, including the excellent student Nguyen Quang Ngoc, until he was ordered to join the army in the fall of 1972.

Putting down his pen to answer the call of the Fatherland, Mr. Ngoc devoted all 4 years of his 20s to the army uniform, "guarding the garrison" in Muong Leo, Song Ma district, Son La province. It was during this time that the romantic soul of the young soldier in "the moon hangs on the gun barrel" has confided in clear, emotional poems, filled with love for the homeland, country, and youthful aspirations. Few people know that Mr. Ngoc has a whole collection of poems in the army, some of which were published in magazines.Border guardsunder the pen name Ngoc Quang, the rest has long been kept for himself, quietly, discreetly, and without fanfare. The poetry is good, but it seems that only a few of his friends get to enjoy it, and few people know that behind that tough, resolute, sharp and eloquent exterior lies a delicate, sensitive and soaring inner self. Not only that, it was also the time in the army that forged the "soldier poet" with a rock-solid fortitude, a steely spirit and a steadfast will in the face of any harsh challenge in life and career.

Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc was Head of the Department of History (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) (1996-2004); Director of the Institute of Vietnamese Studies and Development Sciences, VNU (2004-2012); President of the Hanoi Historical Association (2004-2014); Vice President of the Vietnam Historical Science Association (2010-present).

It is difficult to summarize in just a few pages the entire life of scientific research, which has now been nearly 40 years of dedication, of Professor - People's Teacher Nguyen Quang Ngoc. However, there are 6 main highlights in his personality and career that we, as his students, feel it is necessary to affirm.

First of all, he is one of the few people who were assigned important responsibilities and positions with the role of organization, contribution and responsibility to the collective from a very young age. After the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, Mr. Ngoc returned to the Faculty of History to complete his fourth year of university, specializing in the History of Ancient and Medieval Vietnam and was retained as a lecturer immediately after that. Despite the extremely difficult context of the country and the life of civil servants in the second half of the 1970s, under the guidance of Professor Phan Huy Le as well as his own determination and self-planning, Mr. Ngoc soon followed the path of science, passionate about his profession, and made efforts to cultivate his knowledge and skills to become a great scholar of Vietnamese History. However, his leadership qualities were soon revealed, although its owner did not intend to show off, and he was appointed Secretary of the Teaching Staff Youth Union, then Secretary of the Youth Union, a young Party member with great potential to succeed the next generation.Four pillars of the court" and the Faculty Leadership Board. Also because Mr. Ngoc was once the Secretary of the Youth Union, teachers, students, and colleagues in the History Faculty, up to now, have followed his example to strive, and consider this task to be more valuable and meaningful than ever. Moreover, since the 80s of the last century, Mr. Ngoc has soon taken on the position of Deputy Head of the Department of Ancient and Medieval Vietnamese History, a group with a long tradition and gathering great scholars of the History Faculty; then joined the Faculty Leadership Board and became the Head Professor for nearly a decade during the transition from the 20th to the 21st century. Once, his late friend, translator Cao Xuan Tu, over a glass of wine on a winter afternoon in Amsterdam, recounted his prediction: "A talent like Ngoc, no matter what kind of person he is born to be a leader!" And even more noble, he is a leader in expertise and academia, a scientist who, no matter what position he holds, his heart is always directed towards his personal research career, and of the collective.

Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc (far right) with colleagues from the Faculty of History

Second, Professor Ngoc's scientific career focused on exploring and solving major issues of Vietnamese history, including thorny and topical issues of national sovereignty and territorial integrity. In every research topic, he left his mark of contribution, with monographs and articles of great scientific value. That isHistory of the Medieval Vietnam Warwith booksBach Dang victory in 938 and 1288(1988),Overthrew Lord Trinh, defeated the Qing Dynasty(1994),Lam Son uprising and establishment of the Le dynasty(2008),Ngoc Hoi - Dong Da victory in 1789(2009) with a series of articles on the Tay Son uprising (bachelor thesis topic 1977), the Hai Ba Trung uprising, the Bach Dang victory in the journals Historical Research, Military History from the 70s, 80s continuously until recently (with the workThe Trung Sisters' Uprising after 1970 years looking back- 2010). In particular, Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc's name is associated with the study of Vietnamese villages and rural areas, a topic that he, along with two outstanding scholars Phan Huy Le and Phan Dai Doan, has explored since the 1980s, with major works such asLearn about Vietnamese villages(1990),About some trading villages in the Northern Delta in the 18th-19th centuries(1993),Learning about the experience of rural management organization in some regions of East Asia and Southeast Asia(1995),Rural management in our country today - Some problems and solutions(1996),Pluralistic and Strict Vietnamese Village(2006), andSome issues about Vietnamese villages(2009).

Although he is an expert in village research, Mr. Ngoc does not limit himself to specialized scientific topics. He is always actively "reclaiming new land" for himself and for the unit's field of study. Among them,Urban History and Urbanismis one of such topics. If counting from the first research paper on the origin of Hai Phong urban formation (1985) and Thang Long Imperial Citadel during the Ly - Tran period (1986), Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc has had 30 years of continuous interest in researching issues of Vietnam's urban history. His extensive scientific contributions to this topic can be mentioned asCo Loa Gazetteer(2007),1000 years of Ly Dynasty and Thang Long Capital(2009),Perfecting the model of organization and urban management in Hanoi: Arguments and solutions(2010),Management and development of Thang Long - Hanoi(2010),Ancient Hanoi Land Register(2010),Atlas Thang Long - Hanoi(2010),History of Thang Long - Hanoi(2011),Quang Yen Urban Area: Tradition and development orientation(2011),Sustainable development of Hanoi capital(2012), or the research topics that Mr. Ngoc and his multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary natural - social colleagues have completed and have just completed:The seaport system of the Northern coastal region in the 11th-19th centuries(2008),Research on building a specific model of state organization and management for centrally-run cities in our country(2010),Wetlands in the socio-economic development of Hanoi city…

Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc and young colleagues from the Faculty of History

Mr. Ngoc often modestly says: "I am a rural person studying urban areas", but those who are experts know that this is one of his strengths, thanks to which scientists have a comprehensive view of the urban entity they are studying, of the rural-urban relationship, of the process from "village" to "street" typical of traditional and contemporary Vietnamese urban areas. People chose him to take on the position of Director.Center for Hanoi Studies and Capital Development, even if the teacher wants and has reached the age to retire from management, is completely justified.

Regarding urban and village issues, Mr. Ngoc, along with the Professors of the Department, Faculty, and School, especially Professor Phan Huy Le, also explored the economic, social, and cultural issues in Vietnamese history in addition to the topic of fighting against foreign invaders since the 70s of the last century. The great works of this complex of topics can be mentioned:Social structure in the development process of Vietnamese history(1995),Traditional values ​​and Vietnamese people today(1994-1996),Commodity economy of Thang Long - Hanoi: Characteristics and development experience(2010),Traditional Vietnamese cultural values(2010), or books on Vietnamese handicrafts (The talented hands of our ancestors- 1988,Bat Trang pottery 14th-19th century- 1995), or a series of articles on economic structure, rural commerce, and land ownership in Vietnamese villages in the journals Historical Research, Economic Research, and Sociology in the late 1980s and early 1990s made his name.

In particular, what makes Mr. Ngoc's personality is that he is not afraid to confront thorny and complicated research topics, and even because of dedicating himself to science, speaking the voice of a scientist, sometimes he is more or less influenced himself. Since the 1990s, Mr. Ngoc has presided over the topicHistory of Vietnam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sain the East Sea - Islands research program (with researchers Nguyen Thua Hy, Tran Ba ​​Chi, Vu Van Quan). It can be said that, in the modern Vietnamese historical community, he is the pioneer in opening up the issue of national sovereignty over the archipelagos in the East Sea. In the 2000s, when the issue of security and sovereignty of Vietnam over the two archipelagos of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa became heated, this was also the time when Mr. Ngoc contributed a voice with academic weight, almost representing historians, standing up to fight to affirm and protect the sacredness and territorial integrity of our ancestors. A series of in-depth articles by him were published, discussing the maritime strategy from King Ly Anh Tong to the Tay Son dynasty, about Vietnam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa in the 17th-18th-19th centuries; research topics assigned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ("Document system on sovereignty over Truong Sa - Hoang Sa” 2010); as well as scientific papers published at domestic and international forums. The determination, straightforwardness, enthusiastic and genuine heart and mind of a scientist, as well as the steely spirit of a soldier in him have overcome all the distortions and falsifications of the truth of the world's mouths. Personally, I have never felt too worried about my teacher in such moments, because I still remember clearly what my father (the late Dr. Do Duc Hung - Institute of History) said when he was alive: "Nothing can shake and defeat Ngoc's will and spirit, because Ngoc possesses a strong, tough nature, and was trained in the armed police environment while in the army...". I know my father always loved and admired that classmate and colleague!

Professor Ngoc's excellence in research is also demonstrated in both aspects: the ability to summarize history, as well as the ability to conduct in-depth research, which is a characteristic of the field of Archaeology and Ancient History. Over the age of 40, he has been assigned to edit and manage textbooks, textbooks, major topics, and state-level summaries of Vietnamese history. The textbookThe Process of Vietnamese HistoryThe book, compiled by Mr. Ngoc, has been reprinted many times and has become an indispensable subject material in teaching at Hanoi National University in particular and the whole country in general.History of Vietnam, consisting of 4 volumes (2012), is the result of the KX Project that he is the head of, and has been the most effective summary of national history to date, before a set of National History of the Ho Chi Minh era is taking shape, in which he is also a key scholar. Besides works of great general scope are his in-depth research on the Ly Dynasty (2009, 2010), on the ancient citadel of Thang Long (1986-2012), on place names, characters, inscriptions, ancient cities, and villages in the South (2006)...; or local research programs headed by him such asNam Dinh Gazetteer(2004),Dong Anh address(2014)… It can be said that Mr. Ngoc is one of the professors and scientists who always closely follows his profession and develops his personal and collective research career, even though his time and effort have had to be shared a lot for contributions to units, organizations and society.

Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc and generations of teachers and scientists of the Faculty of History.

Third, Mr. Nguyen Quang Ngoc is a person who has made great contributions to each unit he heads, to the Department, Faculty, School, and field of study, opening up new fields and sectors. His two terms as Head of the History Department were an important pivotal period for the Department, with opportunities, challenges, and many difficulties. This was a period of 10 years after Doi Moi, the country was moving towards integration and development, the National University was established (1995), and great professors and scholars of the Department were shared to build many new units in the National University and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. But this was also a period of the turn of the century and the convergence of many noble achievements of the Department in development and international integration, in which the leading leader - Mr. Nguyen Quang Ngoc played a significant role. The 40th and 45th anniversaries of the Department (1995, 2001) and the reception of the Title were held respectively.Hero of the Renovation period(2000) has brought the prestige and position of the Faculty of History to a new height. It can be said that the “work that comes to hand” of Professor Ngoc is always a great responsibility and a reform role: he moved to become Deputy Director (2002), then Director of the Center for Vietnamese Studies and Cultural Exchange (2003), then the Center developed into the Institute of Vietnamese Studies and Development Science (2004), the task set out is not only science but also training Masters, then PhDs in Vietnamese Studies; the formation of the Center for Hanoi Studies under the Institute could not be without the role of Professor Ngoc; the Department of Cultural Studies and Vietnamese Cultural History of the Faculty of History also relies on him in the revolution of postgraduate training... His fundamental contributions to Vietnamese Studies, Regional Studies, Hanoi Studies, interdisciplinary research, and Vietnamese Cultural History also come from here. And more importantly, Mr. Ngoc is not an overly ambitious person, so he has never been far from science. His composure and serenity are always present, and his pensive expression, if anything, is his concern for the common work of the group, for the research programs he is responsible for.

Fourth, Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc is a scientist with great influence in the Vietnamese and world academic circles. Since the 1990s until now, Professor Ngoc has had international relations not only with the Eastern European and East Asian world but also with the Western academic world. These include: Center for Vietnamese Studies at Texas Tech University, University of Hawaii, George Washington University (USA); University of Tokyo, Hiroshima University, Kyoto University, Osaka University, Nagoya University, Showa University, Waseda University (Japan), Australian National University; University of Passau, Humboldt University, University of Göttingen (Germany), Leiden University (Netherlands); Seoul National University, Inha University, Institute of Korean Studies (Korea); University of Paris VII, French School of the Far East (France); Moscow State University, Saint Petersburg State University (Russian Federation); National University of Laos; UniversityGothenburg(Sweden)... It is because of the prestige of the head of the History Department that many lecturers of the Department have been sent to study and exchange abroad such as in the Netherlands, Canada, the US, Australia, Germany... Or right in Vietnam, a generation of lecturers born in the 70s and 80s has achieved the current level of proficiency in foreign languages, largely thanks to the encouragement and facilitation of Mr. Ngoc.

Fifth, with that great influence, People's Teacher Nguyen Quang Ngoc taught, guided and trained many generations of students in the History field. He was always enthusiastic to give his students the opportunity to swim out to the big ocean. Personally, when I was still looking for a way to go abroad under his introduction, I witnessed how he fought strongly for a senior of his to be able to study abroad in Western Europe. Thanks to that, many people have now become famous, becoming Associate Professors, Doctors, lecturers, young scientists, or postgraduates studying abroad. Many of Mr. Ngoc's students have followed in his footsteps, participating in management work, leading units of History, Vietnamese Studies, Urban Studies, and Cultural Studies throughout the country. The meaningful 1827 Brussels World Atlas that he brought back to the Fatherland (in 2014) also started from the accidental discovery of one of Mr. Ngoc's students studying abroad (France).

Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc and his life partner - Doctor of History Dang Van Chi

And finally, Mr. Ngoc has a happy, fulfilled family, and has always been by his side in every step of his career. His life partner - Doctor of History Dang Van Chi, daughter of Historian Dang Huy Van, a descendant of the famous Dang family of Hanh Thien village - has accompanied Mr. Ngoc since the difficult days of his life as a lecturer in the 1980s, together with him researching the ancient village of Gia Vien and Thuy Nguyen commune, Hai Phong - a land that has many ties to both the teacher and the teacher, and wholeheartedly taking care of her husband's scientific career. The family that the teacher and the teacher have built for the past 3 decades has been the driving force and solid support for the teacher's sublimation in research and dedication. The two children of the teacher have both been and are on the path of academic education. The young geographer, Master Nguyen Quang Anh, has continued his father's career, but in his own way: applying remote sensing technology (GIS) to history and regional studies. As a meaningful coincidence, Quang Anh's research results have supplemented and reinforced his teacher's scientific hypotheses.

It will never be enough to write about the portrait of the teacher, historian Nguyen Quang Ngoc, a person who does not often talk about his titles and achievements. All of his records and resumes are collected and updated by his colleagues and wife. A truly complete list of his works and articles is still missing for 10 years without statistics. And these pages of my emotional and heartfelt descriptions and narratives are completely beyond his "permission" and "cooperation"!