Opening speech in 1945

In anticipation of the 65th anniversary of the founding of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the University's website is pleased to present the speech by Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Huyen, Director of the National University of Vietnam, at the opening ceremony of the Vietnam National University on November 15, 1945. This document was provided by Associate Professor Le Mau Han, based on source material from the archives of the French School of Far Eastern Studies, the Nguyen Van Huyen file, folder P14, a pencil manuscript collected and sent to Professor Nguyen Van Huyen's family by Nguyen Phuong Ngoc (a doctoral student in France). Below is the full text of the speech:

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

"Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am deeply pleased and moved to witness this solemn ceremony marking the beginning of a new era for the higher education system of Vietnam. Before presenting to you the methods of the University, on behalf of the entire University Board, I would like to thank Mr. President for dedicating his precious time to preside over our ceremony. I also want to express my gratitude to the distinguished representatives of the Allied powers' delegations in Hanoi and all our compatriots from all walks of life who have come to witness this opening ceremony. Your presence here enhances the solemnity of a ceremony that is usually just an informal gathering of professors and students. But today, we, the professors and students, wish to show the world that in this critical moment for the future of our nation, the Vietnamese people, in addition to the bloody struggle on the battlefield, are also striving to participate in the cultural progress of humanity. We wish that this new university will be..." a fighting force of the Vietnamese nation. We want it to be a bulwark for a protracted resistance to completely restore our territory and liberate the spirit of our nation, a civilized nation with over a thousand years of independent history and a unique civilization built on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Gentlemen, because I feel the importance of the university, I would like to take this opportunity to present to you a few words about our work. This National University was established under very difficult circumstances. The world had just extinguished the flames of war a little over a month ago when a new war of slaughter erupted across this vast and fertile land in the South. Based on unjust and false theories, the French colonialists went against the common struggle for freedom of humanity. This invasion continues fiercely, and we were ordered to immediately lay the foundation for the National University. Although difficult, thanks to the help of everyone, we did not fail to keep our promise. Regarding the Each student quietly understood their responsibilities and continued to enroll in the various departments, participating in the exams for promotion or graduation with enthusiasm and effectiveness. This excludes the students and intellectual youth currently serving in the military or other combat units, those from the South who are still fighting on the battlefield or participating in administrative work, those from the Central region whose roads are still obstructed, and those from neighboring Cambodia and Laos who are divided by the French colonialists and have not yet arrived to help those present here. Nevertheless, with the number of students who have enrolled in the various departments, we see that the University is opening on a promising basis. However, we hope that with peace and sacred justice returning to this country, the number of students will increase significantly to be worthy of the studious nation and of Vietnam's position in East Asian civilization. Regarding the professors, we have a responsibility. We established a completely new faculty because the foundation left by the French colonial era was too weak. In selecting professors, who had the supreme responsibility of guiding the progressive young intellectuals of our country during this crucial historical period, we based our choices not only on qualifications but also on experience. We focused on specialists directly involved in the life of the nation, from all sectors of activity in the country, such as doctors, scholars, and engineers. Everyone helped us in this difficult selection process. Everyone was wholeheartedly dedicated to ensuring the university's rapid success. In addition to specialists, we received assistance from figures in diplomacy, politics, and culture. Yes, in this new faculty, we have enough talented people to participate in the reconstruction: new students, old students, veterans, and young people. Everyone was enthusiastic and willing to work hard, using their talents and experience to build a new culture for the nation. We are determined to find appropriate methods for training talented individuals, without being overly constrained by outdated customs, and without blindly rushing onto a newly forged path. To lay a solid foundation for the university's development, we have been granted permission by the Government to establish a Board of Directors composed of experienced professors and individuals concerned with the university. This Board's task is to find suitable methods for expanding the university and to manage an autonomous budget, similar to the autonomous funds in universities in advanced European and American countries. This fund is subsidized annually by the Government, and we hope that many benefactors in the country will contribute, either in cash or in land and property, to help the university develop rapidly. This fund needs many contributors because our laboratories and libraries still need significant expansion, especially during the war years when many inventions were crucial for modern civilization. In short, after so many years of restraint, the University of Vietnam urgently needs to advance. A long stride. Currently, the University, in this academic year, has five faculties: Medicine, Science, Literature, Social Sciences, and Fine Arts. The Medicine faculty includes Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry; the Science faculty includes Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Natural Sciences; and the Fine Arts faculty includes Painting and Sculpture. All of these faculties currently follow the old rules. However, within this term, a council will be convened to find ways to reorganize them to align with the progress of humanity. Of the two new faculties, Social Sciences and Literature, the Social Sciences faculty will replace the old Law faculty because that framework is unsuitable for the needs of these modern social fields. In the 1945-46 academic year, the Social Sciences faculty has two classes: a special class for students who have already completed two years of Law; and a regular class open to all young people with high school diplomas who wish to switch to any field of politics and administration. This class lasts two years: the first year will teach general concepts of civil law and the constitution. Public law and economics. First-year graduates will spend a second year specializing in either economics and administration, or public law. Graduates in any of these specialties will be able to apply their knowledge to various sectors of national activity: administration, diplomacy, justice, commerce, law, etc. The Faculty of Arts, however, is entirely new. Its purpose is partly to train a number of professors for secondary education, and partly to provide young people with a solid foundation to participate in research and innovation in all fields—Philosophy, Social Sciences, Literature, History, Geography—and to contribute to the great undertaking of building the culture of all modern civilized humanity. Therefore, within a two-year period, we will open ten faculties: two Philosophy faculties, one Social Sciences and Anthropology faculty, four Literature faculties, two History faculties, and one Geography faculty. These faculties will be divided into four specializations to facilitate the guidance of students in the specific fields of philosophy, history, and geography. Furthermore, Vietnamese literature and Chinese literature. Moreover, recognizing that in today's globalized world, no country, large or small, can live in isolation, the University will pay special attention in the upcoming 1945-46 academic year to foreign languages ​​important to culture, such as Chinese, English, and Russian. In addition, thanks to the dedication of the Ministries of Economy and Transport, the Veterinary, Agricultural, and Public Works vocational colleges are also opening today. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a summary of the strategies of the National University of Vietnam in the first year of the democratic republic. With the cooperation of the professors, the enthusiasm of the students, the patriotism and sacrifice of everyone, we believe we will succeed. And also because we believe that the university is one of the foundations of national construction, we, brothers and sisters, are gathered here today, before the encouragement... In the solemn encouragement of our esteemed guests, we feel a shared responsibility to cultivate the spirit of a select group of people from all walks of life, regardless of gender, social status, wealth, or poverty, to contribute to the building of a new culture for Vietnam. We feel a shared responsibility to train a large number of people with sufficient virtue and ability to lead the masses—gentlemen, if you allow me to use an ancient word, in the ancient sense of an Eastern civilization—people who both cultivate knowledge to be able to judge all forces of civilization and know how to act practically to apply their understanding in life, so that together with their compatriots from all walks of life, they can raise high the national flag in all storms and in all international meetings on a culture built on peace, justice, freedom, happiness, and the brilliant fraternity of future humanity. Therefore, we will conduct the opening ceremony of this university in a simple and solemn manner. All brothers and sisters understand their responsibilities and will work together."