Launching the book "Nguyen Lai - A Collection of Literary Works" on the first anniversary of the teacher's passing.

Professor Nguyen Lai, former Head of the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University - a beloved and highly respected teacher of many generations of Literature students - passed away on September 27, 2019 (August 29, Year of the Pig) in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province. He departed this world exactly one year ago.

Professor Nguyen Lai's passing has left behind in the memories of colleagues and students everywhere the image of a passionate friend and teacher, always optimistic and full of compassion. He was a brilliant scientist with the soul of a great artist.

Throughout his scientific career, Professor Nguyen Lai published hundreds of works, both large and small, that were highly regarded by academics both domestically and internationally. But alongside his vast scientific legacy that established his reputation as a linguist, there is also a significant body of literary work that reflects his artistic sensibility. These are prose works which, as he shared, were “mostly written during the difficult years of the war against the US to save the country. Therefore, what is called art here is certainly, at times and in some pages, merely a collection of events and sentiments.” However, according to him, “those events and sentiments themselves already possess the beauty and aesthetic value of art.” And he wrote persistently because he believed that “what has passed needs to be recorded as something useful.”

Before his passing, the teacher had one wish: that his works be compiled and published as a book. Through this book, he hoped to convey his boundless love for his homeland, his country, for life, and for the career to which he had dedicated his entire life.

To fulfill that aspiration, with the support of the Vietnam Linguistics Association and the Department of Linguistics, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, a group of Professor Pham Van Tinh's students in Nha Trang and Hanoi (led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Van Tinh) joined forces and, in a very short time, organized the manuscript and publication (including securing the publishing costs).

Attending the book launch were many teachers from both departments - the Department of Literature and the Department of Linguistics, including many former teachers who had worked closely with Professor Lai in the past. The Department of Literature was represented by Prof. Nguyen Kim Dinh, Prof. Le Huy Tieu, Assoc. Prof. Pham Gia Lam, and Dr. Nguyen Thu Hien; the Department of Linguistics included: Prof. Le Quang Thiem, Prof. Hoang Trong Phien, Prof. Dinh Van Duc, Prof. Nguyen Thien Giap, Prof. Vu Duc Nghieu, Prof. Tran Tri Doi, Prof. Nguyen Van Hiep, Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Hong Con, Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Thi Viet Thanh, Assoc. Prof. Trinh Cam Lan, Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Huu Dat, Assoc. Prof. Dao Thanh Lan, Assoc. Prof. Hoang Anh Thi, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Binh, Assoc. Prof. Tran Hong Hanh, Dr. Le Thi Thu Hoai, Dr. Duong Xuan Quang, Dr. Truong Nhat Vinh…; and the Vietnam Linguistics Association was represented by Prof. Nguyen Van Khang, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Hoa, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Huu Hoang, Dr. Pham Thi Coi, MSc. Pham Hai Trieu, Dr. Tran Dai Nghia, MSc. Dao Van Hung, MSc. Vu Xuan Hien, Dr. Bui Thi Ngoc Anh...; Dr. Nguyen Phuong Anh (Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi); Mr. Bui Tuan (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), Ms. Nguyen Thi Diep (Center for Heritage of Vietnamese Scientists)... Notably, the meeting was also attended by the eldest son and his wife, who traveled from Nha Trang.

This book, published on the first anniversary of the Teacher's passing, is a heartfelt tribute to the respected friend and teacher of colleagues, students, and all those who admired Nguyen Lai's scientific integrity and artistic soul.