A scientist of passion and dedication.

Mr. Ngoc was born in a poor village on the northeastern coast of Vietnam – “the poorest commune in the poorest district of Northern Vietnam” – as he often said about his hometown of Hung Tien, Vinh Bao, Hai Phong. The storms and rivers of the coastal region forged strong, tanned young men who were skilled swimmers, courageous, resilient, and daring. Mr. Ngoc's childhood, like that of many other young swimmers from this land of "wind and waves," consisted of days spent herding buffalo and cutting grass on the riverbanks, jumping from bridges to dive in the salty water under the bright summer sun, wearing straw hats and red scarves, carrying books to school amidst the fervent atmosphere of the nation's resistance against the Americans. Born into a large family, Mr. Ngoc inherited his father's handsome appearance, sharp intellect, and resolute, strong character, but also received in no way the kindness and affection of his mother. These exceptional privileges, coincidentally, also placed/inherited upon him from a very young age the responsibility of being the eldest son in the family, as his older brother - martyr Nguyen Quang Thu - had sacrificed his life in the Tet Offensive of 1968, leaving a deep and agonizing loss in the hearts of his parents.

Professor, Doctor, People's Teacher Nguyen Quang Ngoc

With his exceptional intelligence, Mr. Ngoc completed his education early in his hometown, with a strong inclination towards natural sciences, especially mathematics. A fortunate coincidence led him to the History Department at the University of Hanoi, a field in which the significant role and influence of his senior professors, Phan Huy Le and Tran Quoc Vuong, cannot be overlooked. It was their first lectures in...Four Pillars"This kept Professor Ngoc at the Faculty, and it's no coincidence that prominent figures in modern Vietnamese historiography like Phan Huy Le and Nguyen Quang Ngoc all started out in Mathematics and Physics. In September 1969, upon enrolling in the History Faculty, Professor Ngoc's K14 class no longer had to go to the evacuation area of ​​the University of Thai Nguyen. However, in the early years after returning to the capital following the American bombing campaign, the Faculty and University's facilities were very inadequate, with beds made of mats on cement floors, desks made of knees for each class, and meals for resident students consisting only of corn rice, wheat flour cakes, or the "nationwide" vegetable soup. Nevertheless, this lack of material resources did not diminish the faith and enthusiasm for learning, research, and exploration of Professor Ngoc and his fellow students. Under the direct guidance of Professor Phan Huy Le, Professor Ngoc, along with a friend specializing in Ancient History, later known as Dr. Do Duc Hung, He once carried a backpack and walked to trace the traces of Trung Trac and Trung Nhi in Ba Vi and Dan Phuong; boldly interviewed village elders, meticulously surveyed Han Nom documents, and made a significant contribution to the study of the Trung Sisters' rebellion in national history. It can be said that the difficulties of the country amidst the flames of war could not stop the scientific progress of the teachers and students of the History Department, including the outstanding student Nguyen Quang Ngoc, until he was ordered to enlist in the army in the autumn of 1972.

Putting aside his studies to answer the call of the Fatherland, Mr. Ngoc dedicated four years of his twenties to military service, "guarding a military outpost" in Muong Leo, Song Ma district, Son La province. It was during this time that the romantic soul of the young soldier was nurtured in this place.gun barrel hanging moon"He has poured his heart and soul into these pure, emotional poems, brimming with love for his homeland and the aspirations of youth. Few people know that Mr. Ngoc has an entire collection of poems from his time in the military, some of which he published in magazines."Border GuardUnder the pen name Ngoc Quang, the rest of his work has long been kept private, quietly, discreetly, and without ostentation. His poetry is excellent, but it seems only a select few of his close friends have had the opportunity to appreciate it, and few know that behind his outwardly strong, resolute, sharp, and eloquent exterior lies a refined, sensitive, and imaginative inner self. Moreover, his time in the military forged in this "soldier poet" an unwavering character, an iron spirit, and an unyielding will in the face of any harsh challenge in life and his career.

Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc was the Head of the Department of History (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) (1996-2004); Director of the Institute of Vietnamese Studies and Development Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (2004-2012); President of the Hanoi Historical Society (2004-2014); and 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, spanning nearly 40 years, of Professor and People's Teacher Nguyen Quang Ngoc. However, there are six key points that stand out in his character and career, which we, as his students, feel it is necessary to affirm.

First of all, he was one of the rare individuals who were entrusted with important responsibilities and positions at a very young age, contributing to and taking responsibility for the collective. After the liberation of South Vietnam and the reunification of the country, Professor Ngoc returned to the History Department to complete his fourth year of university, specializing in Ancient and Medieval Vietnamese History, and was retained as a lecturer shortly thereafter. Despite the extremely difficult circumstances of the country and the lives of civil servants in the latter half of the 1970s, under the guidance of Professor Phan Huy Le, as well as his own determination and self-planning, Professor Ngoc soon embarked on a scientific path, passionately pursuing his specialization, diligently cultivating his knowledge and skills to become a great scholar of Vietnamese history. Even so, his leadership qualities were evident early on, though he did not intentionally show them off, and he was appointed Secretary of the Faculty Staff Youth Union, then Secretary of the Youth Union, a promising young Party member, a successor to the next generation.The Four Pillars of the Court" and the Faculty Leadership. Because Professor Ngoc had previously served as the Secretary of the Student Union, the faculty and students, and all the staff in the History Department, have, to this day, followed his example to strive for excellence, considering this task more valuable and meaningful than ever before. Furthermore, since the 1980s, Professor Ngoc had already taken on the role of Deputy Head of the Department of Ancient and Medieval Vietnamese History, a department with a long tradition and a gathering of prominent scholars in the History Faculty; then he joined the Faculty's Executive Board and became the Head Professor for nearly a decade during the transition from the 20th to the 21st century. Once, his close friend, translator Cao Xuan Tu, over a glass of wine on a winter afternoon in Amsterdam, recalled his prediction: "With a talent like Ngoc's, he was born to be a leader!" And even more noble is that he was a leader in his field, academically, a scientist whose dedication, regardless of his position, was always focused on his personal research career, and of the collective.

Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc (far right) with his colleagues from the Department of History.

Secondly, Professor Ngoc's scientific career focused on exploring and solving major and important issues in Vietnamese history, including the thorny and topical issues of national sovereignty and territorial integrity. In every research topic, he left his mark with valuable scholarly books and articles of great scientific value. These areHistory of the Medieval Vietnam Warwith the booksThe Battle of Bạch Đằng in 938 and 1288(1988)Overthrowing the Trinh lords and decisively defeating the Manchu Qing dynasty.(1994)The Lam Son Uprising and the Establishment of the Le Dynasty(2008)The victory at Ngoc Hoi - Dong Da in 1789(2009) along with a series of articles on the Tay Son Rebellion (bachelor's thesis topic 1977), the Trung Sisters Rebellion, and the Battle of Bach Dang in the journals Historical Studies and Military History from the 70s and 80s continuously until recently (with the workThe Trung Sisters' Uprising: A Retrospective After 1970 Years- 2010). In particular, Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc's name is closely associated with research on Vietnamese villages and rural areas, a topic that he, along with two outstanding scholars, Phan Huy Le and Phan Dai Doan, explored from the 1980s, with major works such asLearn about Vietnamese villages.(1990)Regarding some trading villages in the Northern Delta region in the 18th-19th centuries(1993)Exploring the experiences of rural organization and management in several regions of East Asia and Southeast Asia.(1995)Rural management in Vietnam today - Some issues and solutions(1996)Vietnamese Villages: Pluralistic and Compact(2006), andSome issues concerning Vietnamese villages and communes.(2009).

Although a specialist in village studies, Professor Ngoc doesn't limit himself to specialized scientific topics. He is always actively exploring new issues, both for himself and for the academic field of his institution.Urban History and Urban StudiesThis is one such topic. If we consider his first research paper on the origins of Hai Phong city (1985) and Thang Long Imperial Citadel during the Ly-Tran dynasties (1986), Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc has continuously researched issues of Vietnamese urban history for 30 years. His extensive scientific contributions to this field include:Ancient Loa Gazetteer(2007)1000 Years of the Ly Dynasty and Thang Long Capital(2009)Improving the organizational and management model of Hanoi's urban areas: Arguments and solutions.(2010)Management and development of Thang Long - Hanoi(2010)Ancient land registers of Hanoi(2010)Atlas Thang Long - Hanoi(2010)History of Thang Long - Hanoi(2011)Quang Yen Town: Tradition and Development Orientation(2011)Sustainable development of Hanoi capital city(2012), or the research topics that Professor Ngoc and his multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary natural and social science colleagues have completed:The coastal port system of Northern Vietnam in the 11th-19th centuries(2008)Research on developing a specific model of state organization and management for centrally-administered cities in Vietnam.(2010)Wetlands in the socio-economic development process of Hanoi city...

Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc and his young colleagues from the Department of History.

Professor Ngoc often humbly says, "I am a rural person researching urban areas," but those in the field know that this is one of his strengths, enabling him to gain a comprehensive understanding of the urban entities under his study, the rural-urban relationship, and the transformation from "village" to "city" characteristic of traditional and contemporary Vietnamese cities. He was chosen to take on the role of Director.Hanoi Studies and Capital Development CenterEven if the professor wanted to and had reached the age to retire from management, it was entirely justified.

Regarding urban and rural issues, Professor Ngoc, along with other professors from the Department, Faculty, and University, especially Professor Phan Huy Le, also explored socio-economic and cultural issues in Vietnamese history, alongside the topic of resistance against foreign invasion, starting from the 1970s. The major works encompassing this complex of topics include:Social structure in the historical development of Vietnam(1995)Traditional values ​​and the Vietnamese people today(1994-1996)The commodity economy of Thang Long - Hanoi: Characteristics and development experiences.(2010)Traditional Vietnamese cultural values(2010), or books on Vietnamese handicrafts (The skillful hands of our ancestors- 1988,Bat Trang pottery from the 14th-19th centuries(1995), or the series of articles on the economic structure, rural commerce, and land ownership in Vietnamese villages published in the journals of Historical Studies, Economic Studies, and Sociology in the late 1980s and early 1990s, made his name.

In particular, what defines Professor Ngoc's personality is his willingness to tackle challenging and complex research topics. Even in his dedication to science and his voice as a scientist, he is sometimes negatively affected personally. Since the 1990s, Professor Ngoc has led research projects.The history of Vietnam's sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands.In the East Sea - Islands research program (along with researchers Nguyen Thua Hy, Tran Ba ​​Chi, and Vu Van Quan), it can be said that, in the modern Vietnamese historical community, he was a 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 Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos became tense, it was also when Professor Ngoc contributed his voice with significant 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 maritime strategy from King Ly Anh Tong to the Tay Son dynasty, on Vietnam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries; research projects assigned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (“Documentation system on sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel Islands.“2010”; as well as scientific papers published at domestic and international forums. The resolute, straightforward, passionate, and genuine heart and mind of a scientist, as well as the steely resolve of a soldier, in him overcame all the distortions and misrepresentations of the truth by the world's tongues. Personally, I have never felt overly worried for my teacher during such times, because I still vividly remember my father's words (the late Dr. Do Duc Hung - Institute of History) during his lifetime: “Nothing can shake or defeat Ngoc's will and spirit, because Ngoc possesses a strong, unyielding nature, and was trained in the armed police environment during his service…”. I know my father always admired and respected that fellow student and colleague!

Professor Ngoc's excellence in research is demonstrated in two aspects: his ability to summarize history, as well as his capacity for in-depth research, which is characteristic of the fields of Archaeology and Ancient History. Beyond the age of 40, he was entrusted with the role of chief editor and project leader for textbooks, major national-level research projects on summarizing Vietnamese history. This textbook is one such example.The Historical Process of VietnamThe book series, compiled under the leadership of Professor Ngoc, has been reprinted numerous times and has become an indispensable teaching resource at Hanoi National University in particular, and throughout the country in general.History of VietnamThe four-volume work (2012), the result of the KX project that he chaired, has been and continues to be the most effective summary of national history to date, before a comprehensive national history of the Ho Chi Minh era is taking shape, in which he is also a key scholar. Alongside these works of broad scope are his in-depth studies on the Ly Dynasty (2009, 2010), on the ancient citadel of Thang Long (1986-2012), on place names, figures, inscriptions, ancient cities, and villages in Southern Vietnam (2006)...; or local research programs led by him such asNam Dinh Gazetteer(2004)Dong Anh Gazetteer(2014)… It can be said that Professor Ngoc is one of the professors and scientists who always closely follows his expertise and develops his personal and collective research career, even though he has had to share much of his time and effort with contributions to his unit, organization and society.

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

Thirdly, Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc made significant contributions to each unit he headed, to the Department, Faculty, University, and the field of study, pioneering new disciplines and fields. His two terms as Dean of the History Faculty were a pivotal period for the Faculty, presenting opportunities, challenges, and considerable difficulties. This was the 10 years following the Doi Moi (Renovation) period, when the country was transforming towards integration and development, the National University was established (1995), and the leading professors and scholars of the Faculty were divided among many new units within the National University and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. However, this was also a period of transition between centuries and a convergence of many noble achievements of the Faculty in development and international integration, in which the leading role of the Dean played a significant part. He was successively honored with the 40th and 45th anniversaries of the Faculty (1995 and 2001) and received the prestigious title.Heroes of the Renovation Era(2000) brought the prestige and position of the Faculty of History to a new level. It can be said that Professor Ngoc's "tasks" always involved great responsibility and a reformative role: he became Deputy Director (2002), then Director of the Center for Vietnamese Studies and Cultural Exchange (2003), which developed into the Institute of Vietnamese Studies and Development Science (2004), with the task of not only scientific work but also training Master's and Doctoral students in Vietnamese Studies; the Hanoi Studies Center under the Institute was formed, and Professor Ngoc's role was indispensable; the Department of Cultural Studies and Vietnamese Cultural History of the Faculty of History also relied on him in the revolution of postgraduate training… His foundational contributions to Vietnamese Studies, Area Studies, Hanoi Studies, interdisciplinary research, and Vietnamese Cultural History also stemmed from this. More importantly, Professor Ngoc was not overly ambitious or driven by self-importance; therefore, he never strayed from science. A sense of calm and serenity was always present, his thoughtfulness perhaps stemming from concerns for the collective work of the team and the research programs he was in charge of.

Fourth, Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc is a highly influential scientist in Vietnamese and international academia. From the 1990s to the present day, Professor Ngoc has maintained international connections not only with Eastern Europe and East Asia but also with Western academic circles. These include: the Center for Vietnamese Studies at Texas Tech University, the University of Hawaii, and George Washington University (USA); the University of Tokyo, Hiroshima University, Kyoto University, Osaka University, Nagoya University, Showa University, and Waseda University (Japan); the Australian National University; Passau University, Humboldt University, and Göttingen University (Germany); Leiden University (Netherlands); Seoul National University, Inha University, and the Korean Studies Institute (South Korea); Paris VII University and the French School of Far Eastern Studies (France); Moscow State University and Saint Petersburg State University (Russia); the National University of Laos; and other universities.Goteborg(Sweden)... It is precisely because of the prestige of the Head of the History Department that many faculty members have been sent to study and exchange programs abroad in countries such as the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, Australia, and Germany… Or even in Vietnam, a generation of lecturers born in the 70s and 80s have achieved their current level of foreign language proficiency largely thanks to the encouragement and support of Professor Ngoc.

Fifth, with that same significant influence, People's Teacher Nguyen Quang Ngoc has taught, guided, and trained many generations of history students. He was always extremely enthusiastic in giving his students the opportunity to venture into the wider world. Personally, when I was still seeking opportunities to study abroad with his introduction, I witnessed how strongly he fought to ensure that one of his seniors could successfully study in Western Europe. Thanks to him, many have now become successful, becoming associate professors, doctors, lecturers, young scientists, or postgraduate students studying overseas. Many of Professor Ngoc's students have followed in his footsteps, participating in management work and leading units in history, Vietnamese studies, urban studies, and cultural studies throughout the country. The meaningful 1827 Brussels World Atlas that he brought back to the country (in 2014) also originated from the accidental discovery of one of his students studying abroad (in France).

Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc and his wife, Dr. Dang Van Chi, historian.

And finally, Professor Ngoc possesses a happy and fulfilling family, always by his side throughout his career. His wife, Dr. Dang Van Chi, daughter of historian Dang Huy Van, a descendant of the famous Dang family from Hanh Thien village, has been with him since the difficult days of his life as a lecturer in the 1980s, accompanying him in research on the ancient village of Gia Vien and Thuy Nguyen commune in Hai Phong – a region deeply connected to both of them – and wholeheartedly supporting her husband's scientific career. The home they have built over the past three decades has been a driving force and a solid foundation for his success in research and contribution. Both of their children have pursued academic studies. The young geographer, Master Nguyen Quang Anh, has continued his father's legacy, but in his own way: applying remote sensing technology (GIS) to history and area studies. In a meaningful coincidence, Quang Anh's research findings have supported and strengthened his teacher's scientific hypotheses.

It would never be enough to write about the portrait of Professor and Historian Nguyen Quang Ngoc, a man who rarely spoke of his titles and achievements. All of his records and biographical information were compiled and updated by his colleagues and wife. A truly complete list of Professor Ngoc's works and writings is still missing, with no comprehensive list compiled for over 10 years. And these pages of emotional and heartfelt portrayal and self-narrative are entirely without his "permission" and "cooperation"!