1945 commencement speech

Towards the 65th anniversary of the tradition of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the University's website respectfully introduces the speech of Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Huyen, Director of the State University at the opening ceremony of Vietnam National University on November 15, 1945. This document was provided by Associate Professor Le Mau Han, based on sources from the Archives of the French School of the Far East, Nguyen Van Huyen's file folder P14, a pencil copy collected by Nguyen Phuong Ngoc (a graduate student in France) and sent to Professor Nguyen Van Huyen's family. Below is the full text of the speech:

SPEECH BY PROFESSOR DR. NGUYEN VAN HUYEN - DIRECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF STATE AFFAIRS - AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ON NOVEMBER 15, 1945

“Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very pleased and moved to see this solemn ceremony opening a new era for the University of Vietnam. Before presenting to you the methods of the University, I would like to, on behalf of the entire University Board, thank the President for taking the time to preside over our ceremony. I also do not forget to thank the representatives of the Allied Powers in Hanoi and our compatriots from all walks of life who came to witness this university opening ceremony. Your presence here adds to the solemnity of a ceremony that is usually just an intimate meeting of Professors and students. But today's ceremony, we, Professors and students, want to be an opportunity to show the world that in this serious moment for the future of our Fatherland, the Vietnamese people, in addition to the bloody struggle on the battlefield, have also strived to participate in the cultural progress of humanity. We want this new university to be a fighting force of the Vietnamese people. We want it to be a stronghold for a long-term resistance to completely restore the territory and liberate the spirit of our nation, a civilized nation with over a thousand years of independent history and self-created a unique civilization on the Pacific coast. Ladies and gentlemen, because I feel the importance of the university, I would like to take advantage of today's meeting to present to you a few words about our work. This national university opened in very difficult circumstances. The world had just buried the fire of war for more than a month when the war and massacre broke out again on the largest and most fertile strip of land in the South. Based on unjust and false theories, the French colonialists went against the common struggle for the freedom of humanity. That invasion was still continuing fiercely, and we were ordered to immediately build the foundation of the national university. Although it was difficult, thanks to the help of everyone, we did not miss the deadline. About the All the students quietly understood their responsibilities and continued to enroll in the departments, and to take the exams to move up to the next level or to graduate, enthusiastically and effectively. That is not to mention the students and young intellectuals who are still in the army or in other combat agencies, not to mention the brothers in the South who are still fighting on the battlefield or still participating in administrative work, the brothers in the Central region who are still hindered by the roads, the brothers in neighboring Cambodia and Laos who are being divided by the French colonialists and have not yet come to help the brothers present here. In any case, with the number of students who have enrolled in the departments, we also see that the University is opening on a positive basis. But we hope that before peace and sacred justice return to this country, the number of students will increase to be worthy of the number of studious citizens and of Vietnam's position in East Asian civilization. Regarding the issue of Professors, we have the responsibility is to establish a new category because the foundation left by the French colonialists was too weak. In choosing Professors who have the supreme responsibility of guiding the progressive intellectual youth of our country during this important historical period, we based not only on qualifications, but also on experience. We paid attention to experts who have a direct connection with the life of the nation, to all fields of activity in the country such as doctors, scholars, engineers. Everyone helped us in this difficult selection task. Everyone was wholeheartedly sacrificing so that the university could quickly produce results. In addition to the experts, we were helped by figures in the diplomatic, political, and cultural circles. Yes, in this new group of Professors, we have enough talented people to participate in the construction work: new scholars, old scholars, veterans, and young people. Everyone is wholeheartedly enthusiastic, not afraid of many tasks, but brings their talents and experience to build a new culture for the nation, trying to We are determined to find appropriate measures for the work of training talents, not to be too attached to old customs, not to blindly take a risk on a newly paved path. In order to give the work of building a solid foundation for the university, we have been permitted by the Government to establish a Board of Directors consisting of experienced Professors and those interested in universities. The Board's task is to find appropriate measures to expand the university and to manage an autonomous budget similar to the autonomous funds at universities in developed countries in Europe and America. This fund is subsidized annually by the Government, and we hope that many benefactors in the country will help, either in cash or with houses and land, so that the university can develop rapidly. This fund must have many people to help because our laboratories and libraries still need to be expanded a lot, especially during the war years when many things were invented and were very important for modern civilization. In short, after many years of restraint, the Vietnamese University needs to urgently make a step forward. long strides. At present, the University in this academic year has five faculties: Medicine, Science, Literature, Social Politics and Fine Arts. The Faculty of Medicine has Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry; the Faculty of Science has all the faculties of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Natural Sciences; the Faculty of Fine Arts has Painting and Sculpture. This whole faculty is currently following the old rules. But within this academic year, a council will be convened to find ways to reform it to be in line with the progress of humanity. Of the two new faculties, Social Politics and Literature, the Social Politics faculty will replace the old Faculty of Law because that framework is not suitable for the needs of all these reformed social sectors. In the 1945-46 academic year, the Faculty of Social Politics has two classes: a special class for students who have already studied Law for two years; a regular class is open to all young people with a high school diploma who want to transfer to all political and administrative sectors. This class lasts two years: the first year will teach the general concepts of civil law, constitution, public law and economics. The first-year graduates will study a second year specializing in either economics and administration, or public law. Later, students who graduate in any major will be able to temporarily apply in all fields of national activities, such as administration, diplomacy, justice, commerce, law, etc. The Faculty of Arts is completely new. The purpose of this faculty is partly to train a number of professors for the secondary school system, and partly to create a solid foundation for young people to be able to participate in research and inventions in all fields of Philosophy, Social Sciences, Literature, History, Geography, and is part of the great work of building the culture of all modern civilized humanity. Therefore, it is urgent that within a period of two years, we will open ten faculties: two faculties of Philosophy, one faculty of Social Sciences, four faculties of Literature, two faculties of History, and one faculty of Geography. These faculties will be arranged into four majors to facilitate the guidance of students in the special fields of activities of the spirit of philosophy, history, geography, and so on. surplus, Vietnamese literature and Chinese literature. Furthermore, because it is observed that in today's world of great unity, no country, large or small, can live in isolation, the University will pay special attention in the coming 1945-46 school year to foreign languages ​​that are important to culture, such as Chinese, English - American, Russian. In addition, thanks to the dedication of the Ministries of Economy and Communications, the Veterinary, Agricultural and Public Works Colleges will also open today. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, That is a summary of the policies of the Vietnam National University in the first year of the democratic republic. With the cooperation of the Professors, with the enthusiasm of the students, with the patriotism and sacrifice of everyone, we believe that we will succeed. And also because we believe that the University is one of the foundations of the national construction, we, brothers, gather here today, with the encouragement of With the solemn encouragement of your distinguished guests, we feel that we have the same responsibility to train the spirit of a number of selected potential people from all walks of life, regardless of whether they are male or female, noble or humble, rich or poor, to help build a new culture for Vietnam. We feel that we have the same responsibility to train a large number of people with enough virtue and ability to lead the masses, gentlemen, if you will allow me to use an old word, in the ancient sense of an Eastern civilization, who both know how to cultivate knowledge so that they can judge all civilized forces, and know how to act practically so that they can immediately apply their knowledge in life to join our compatriots of all walks of life in raising the national flag high in all storms, and in all international meetings on the culture based on peace, justice, freedom, happiness, and brilliant charity of humanity in the future. Therefore, we will hold the opening ceremony of this university in a simple and solemn manner so that All brothers and sisters clearly understand the mission and try together.