Department of Party History - 40 Years of Building and Development

A rich tradition

In 1956, Hanoi University of Technology was established. From its very first years, the University recognized the importance of political and ideological education in its training program. In 1963, the Marxist-Leninist Department was established under the University, and from 1965, political theory subjects were mandated as compulsory examinations for students before graduation. The Marxist-Leninist Department was transformed into the Department of Marxist-Leninist Studies, which included...Party History Department,The university taught the subject of Party History to all students. However, prior to 1974, Hanoi University of Technology did not have a faculty or department specializing in training bachelor's degree students in Marxist-Leninist sciences and Party History.

In the 1974-1975 academic year, following the directives of the Central Party Secretariat and the Ministry of Higher Education and Vocational Training regarding the establishment of full-time undergraduate programs focusing on political theory, Hanoi University of Technology established several faculties such as: Political Economy, Philosophy (directly under the University) and the Party History specialization (located in the Faculty of History).

As a unit within the Faculty of History, specializing in the field of Historical Studies (referred to as the Department of Historical Studies).)Established and officially beginning its mission of training bachelor's degree students in the field of Vietnamese History in September 1974, the department has a 4.5-year program, with separate courses starting from the first year. Professor Kieu Xuan Ba, former Deputy Head of the History Department and specialist at the Ministry of Higher Education and Vocational Training (now the Ministry of Education and Training), made significant contributions to the establishment of the Department of Vietnamese History.

From 1974 to 1980, besides Professor Kieu Xuan Ba, the Department only had Associate Professor Le Mau Han (Head of the History Faculty) and Professor Hoang Ba Sach (Head of the Department) as teachers directly instructing specialized courses on Party history. Teaching assistants consisted of young staff members who were former students of the Faculty and were retained as teaching staff.

In November 1985, in response to general demand, the Minister of Higher Education and Vocational Training issued a Decision to establish the Center for Training Lecturers in Marxist-Leninist Theory.(The Center for the Training of Lecturers in Political Theory (BDCBGDLLMLN) is located at Hanoi University of Technology. The Center performs the tasks of the Department of Marxism-Leninism, but also assists the Department in training lecturers in political theory subjects nationwide, including the subject of Party History…

Since 1988, the teachers of the Center's History Department have been transferred to supplement the History Department of the Faculty of History. The Department also recruited a number of new staff. The number of permanent staff in the Department is usually over 10 people.

Thus, since 1988,The Department of Historical Studies of the Faculty of History simultaneously undertakes two tasks: researching and training undergraduate students specializing in Historical Studies according to the Faculty's curriculum and textbooks; and teaching Historical Studies according to the Ministry's curriculum and textbooks to students from all faculties and non-History majors at Hanoi University of Technology.

By 1990, the Department was assigned the additional task of training PhDs, and in 1993, it was assigned to train Master's degree holders in the field of Legal Studies.

In 1995, when the University of Social Sciences and Humanities under the Vietnam National University, Hanoi was established, the Department of Political History of the Faculty of History continued to perform the two functions mentioned above, but taught the subject of Political History (now the subject of the Revolutionary Line of the Communist Party of Vietnam) to the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and the University of Natural Sciences (Vietnam National University, Hanoi). The Center for Training and Development of Political Theory Lecturers of the University of Natural Sciences, Hanoi was transferred to the direct control of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and after having its functions and tasks supplemented, it was renamed the Center for Training and Development of Political Theory Lecturers. The Department of Political History of this Center undertook the teaching of Political History to the remaining units of Vietnam National University, Hanoi (Cau Giay area).

From October 2013, the Center for Training and Development of Political Theory Teachers under Vietnam National University, Hanoi was dissolved, and the teachers of the Party History subject from the Center transferred to work at the Department of Party History of the Faculty of History. The Department still performs its two functions as before, but the scope of teaching the subject "Revolutionary Guidelines of the Communist Party of Vietnam" is now for the entire Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

Proud achievements

Over the past 40 years since its establishment, the Department of Historical Sciences has had 25 permanent staff members. Currently, the Department of Historical Sciences, Faculty of History, has 7 permanent lecturers, including 4 Associate Professors, 1 Doctor of Philosophy, and 2 Master's degree holders.

Along with the permanent teaching staff, to ensure the fulfillment of its mission and improve the quality of training, in addition to its own efforts, the Department has sought the assistance and cooperation of most units and scientists inside and outside the Vietnam National University, Hanoi with the same expertise, such as the Institute of Party History, the Political Academy (Ministry of National Defense), the Institute of History, the Institute of Military History, the Department of Party History of the Political Academy Region I, the Department of Party History of the Academy of Journalism and Communication, the Department of History of Hanoi Pedagogical University, etc.

Regarding training and scientific research activities,From 1974 to 1980 (classes 18-24 according to faculty), the Department trained Bachelor's degree students specializing in Law and Politics from the first year, following its own curriculum. Specifically for the Law and Politics course, the specialized class had up to 150 classroom hours, and all students completed a graduation thesis (now called a dissertation).

By 1980 (24th cohort), the training of Bachelor of Party History graduates was conducted according to the general curriculum framework of the Faculty of History. This meant that the first three years were spent studying together, and only in the fourth year were students separated into specialized classes to study in-depth topics and complete a graduation thesis. After four years, they became Bachelor of Party History graduates. To date, the Department of Party History has trained nearly 900 Bachelors, over 600 Master's students, and 90 doctoral candidates.

Faculty members of the Department also participate in training master's and doctoral students outside of Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Many doctoral and master's theses defended at the Department have been published as books or their main content published in specialized journals, making practical contributions to practice, especially to research and teaching of history. Many graduates have become reputable scientists, holding key positions in scientific institutions and practical leadership at the central and local levels.

Faculty members of the Department have led and participated in the compilation of many textbooks for the Ministry of Education and Training, such asGeneral History of Vietnam, Lectures on the History of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Textbook on the History of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Textbook on Ho Chi Minh Thought, Textbook on the Revolutionary Line of the Communist Party of Vietnam…

Many teachers have been assigned to lead or participate in scientific research projects at the University, VNU, and national levels. The Department of Historical Studies is one of the few units that has hosted several scientific conferences attracting many researchers and reaching national scale.

Every year, the Department organizes field trips for faculty and students specializing in the field to various locations throughout the country, making a significant contribution to expanding practical knowledge and helping faculty and students gain a firsthand understanding of historical events. The Department of History has also independently organized several overseas research and study tours for its faculty, including to China, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Looking back over 40 years of construction and development, it can be affirmed that the Department of History has made many efforts and has excellently completed all training and scientific research tasks in the field of history. The outstanding achievements of the Department include:

Firstly, a high-quality team of officials has been built.Excellent character, sound ideology, firm political stance, and high professional qualifications. Associate Professor and People's Teacher Lê Mậu Hãn, Teachers Hoàng Bá Sách, Phạm Thị Chính, the late Master Vũ Đình Kông, Associate Professor and Doctor Đinh Trần Dương, Master Ngô Văn Hoán, and Master Nguyễn Huy Cát have made many positive contributions to the development of the Department of History, Faculty of History.

Secondly, the Department has developed a systematic, fundamental, and detailed training program for bachelor's, master's, and doctoral students.He compiled numerous textbooks and lectures that effectively served the school's training needs and helped several other units open undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Party History..The Department has been a leader in the entire university sector in training bachelor's, master's, and doctoral students in Law and Politics. The curricula and training programs developed by the Department, after many years of application, have demonstrated high scientific and practical value, not only for the University but also for many other units nationwide.

Thirdly, the Department has successfully completed its task of teaching the subject of Party History (now the subject of the Revolutionary Line of the Communist Party of Vietnam) to generations of students of the School and of Vietnam National University, Hanoi.This is a regular, extremely important, and demanding task due to the difficulty of the specialized content, and it is heavily influenced by socio-economic life both domestically and internationally… The quality of teaching and learning in this subject.The revolutionary line of the Communist Party of Vietnam,According to a survey by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the academic year from 2009 to 2012 was consistently rated as good.

Fourth, the Department has directly contributed to training a large number of qualified staff with bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in History, attracting a large number of students.Although in some years there were only 1 or 2 students enrolled, and many teachers transferred to other units, in recent years the number of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students majoring in Party History has increased significantly, reaching as high as 10 in some years.Over 60% of the students, graduate students, and doctoral candidates of the Faculty of Law.

Fifth, the faculty members of the Department have made great efforts in scientific research, leading many research projects at various levels.The department's staff are key contributors to numerous scientific conferences organized by the University and are familiar contributors to many specialized journals on the history of the Vietnamese Party and revolution. They have led or participated in many scientific research projects at various levels, all of which have been successfully completed with high quality, resulting in hundreds of monographs and research papers published in reputable publishing houses and journals.

Sixth, the teaching staff is increasingly developing a more objective and comprehensive understanding of Party history, and is actively innovating teaching methods.Although not entirely uniform and with differing opinions, generally speaking, officials have adopted a more objective and comprehensive understanding of Vietnamese history, in a way that respects historical truth.

Seventh, regarding international exchange, all staff members of the Department have had the opportunity to participate in advanced training or research, and attend scientific conferences abroad in various forms and for different durations..

Lessons learned

The first,The subjects of Party History and the Party's Revolutionary Line contain very high ideological and political content; therefore, teaching and learning must thoroughly grasp the Party's viewpoints and lines in each historical period as well as in the present day to avoid one-sided or biased perspectives.

Monday,Training and research are the two pillars ensuring the sustainable development of the Department. Effective teaching requires in-depth research, a thorough understanding of the issues, and abundant, multifaceted resources; effective research requires practical experience in teaching, interacting with undergraduate students, graduate students, and doctoral candidates to discover, contemplate, and explain problems.

Tuesday,The Department of History has achieved many successes in undergraduate and postgraduate training, becoming a trusted institution for students due to several reasons, most importantly its advantageous position within the Faculty of History, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. The Department has recognized, utilized, and needs to further develop this advantage in the future.

Wednesday,The teaching staff is a decisive factor in the quality of training. Although the staff is not large, thanks to its ability to expand its connections and collaborate with other units and scientists from many other institutions, the Department's reputation and influence have been increasingly enhanced externally.

Thursday,High-quality programs, curricula, course outlines, lecture notes, reference materials, research topics, journal articles, abundant field trips, the dedication and high professional competence of the teachers, etc., are all factors that ensure the maintenance and improvement of the quality of training and the professional reputation of the Department.

The 40 years of building and developing the Department of Historical Sciences has been a journey filled with difficulties but also with honor and glory. The Department of Historical Sciences, under the Faculty of History, and the Department of Historical Sciences under the Center for Training and Development of Political Science Teachers, have strived to excel in all their tasks. The Department has been honored with numerous commendations from the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, the Ministry of Education and Training, and the Prime Minister. In particular, the Department has been honored with awards from the Party and the State.Third-class Labor Medal.