Professor Dinh Gia Khanh: a pioneering educator and scientist.

Growing up through self-learning

It's hard to believe, but it's absolutely true that our teacher, Mr. Dinh Gia Khanh, doesn't have a university degree. When we helped him fill out his resume, at the section on educational qualifications, he laughed and said, "equivalent to high school graduation"Actually, he was still studying at the Indochina Law University when the August Revolution of 1945 broke out. The student, Dinh Gia Khanh, had to abandon his studies and enter the workforce with his first job as an English teacher for high school students. Later, he taught Vietnamese literature at a teacher training college. In his early thirties, he became a university lecturer in folklore and medieval Vietnamese literature at Hanoi University. With his ability to self-study and self-train, he equipped himself with a vast amount of profound knowledge from East and West, ancient and modern, in the fields of language, literature, and culture. Some jokingly say that Professor Dinh Gia Khanh studied one thing and did another. From the perspective of modern education, he is an example of transforming the training process into self-training. In his teaching, he not only imparted knowledge but also paid great attention to methodology. He often told his students, 'Don't look at my finger, look in the direction I'm pointing.' To serve the work of education..." He was the chief editor and author of textbooks that, even in the early years of the 21st century, remain irreplaceable monuments such as:Vietnamese folk literature,Vietnamese literature from the 10th century to the first half of the 18th century.

Professor Dinh Gia Khanh (1924-2003) was the Head of the Department of Vietnamese Folklore, Classical and Modern Literature (Faculty of Literature) (1956-1983); Director of the Institute of Folklore Studies (1983-1988); and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Folklore (1983-1992).He was a scientist who made outstanding contributions, laying the foundation for the study of Vietnamese culture and folklore.

Scientists always lead the way and reach the top.

In fact, for Professor Dinh Gia Khanh, teaching and research are two sides of the same coin. His lectures contain a very high level of scientific content. His textbooks, initially intended solely for student learning, have since evolved into concise scholarly works.The collection and study of folklore in Vietnam,A brief history of Vietnamese folk literatureConversely, the professor's initial monographs also stemmed from teaching needs. For example, the monograph...Problems with fairy tales as seen through the study of the story of Tam Cam.Before its first publication as a book in 1968 (Literature Publishing House), Professor Dinh Gia Khanh used the outline of that manuscript to teach specialized courses to fourth-year Literature students at Hanoi University, cohorts 7 and 8 (1966, 1967). From 1980, Professor Dinh Gia Khanh was transferred to work at the Institute of Folklore Studies, now the Institute of Culture Studies, as its Director. There, he wrote his most significant works. "On the Path to Understanding Folklore" is considered the Institute's academic manifesto in its early years. In this work, the Director presents theoretical issues, the history of research, and the components of folklore. The book was, and even now, a guide for young researchers entering the field of folklore studies in particular and cultural studies in general. Vietnamese folklore in the context of Southeast Asian culture is a very useful research work not only for the field of folklore but also for regional studies and comparative culture. Here, readers can identify Vietnamese folklore within the Southeast Asian cultural space through the process of creation, exchange, and cultural transformation. Vietnamese folklore and the development of Vietnamese society is a study of folklore from a historical perspective. The author clearly shows the adaptation and transformation of culture in the movement of society through village regulations, festivals, etc. Regarding Professor Dinh Gia Khanh's contributions to scientific research, it is impossible not to mention his translations and research of Han Nom authors and works such as...Viet Dien U Linh,Linh Nam Chich Quai,Thien Nam Ngu Luc,A chance encounter in the forest spring,Poetry and prose of Nguyen Binh Khiem...in-depth studies on the words and meanings in The Tale of Kieu… These works were highly appreciated by specialized researchers. With such outstanding contributions to training and scientific research, Professor Dinh Gia Khanh was awarded the title of Professor quite early (in 1980) and received the first Ho Chi Minh Prize for Science and Technology in 1996. Some colleagues jokingly said that these were spectacular breakthroughs in Professor Dinh Gia Khanh's life.

The cover of the book about Professor Dinh Gia Khanh, published in 2014 by the Institute of Literature and Saigon University, commemorates his 90th birthday.

An organizer and manager who uses soft power.

For over 20 years as Head of the Department of Ancient, Modern, and Folk Literature (Vietnamese folklore, classical, and modern literature) of the Faculty of Linguistics and Literature, Hanoi University, Professor Dinh Gia Khanh possessed a strategic vision for building the department. He considered the department an academic unit, not an administrative one. Therefore, he focused on writing textbooks, building a system of specialized materials, and training young staff. Although not yet a Party member, in 1980 he was entrusted by high-ranking leaders with the important responsibility of Director of the Institute of Folk Culture, in 1982 as General Secretary of the Vietnam Folk Arts Association, and in 1983 as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Folk Culture. The scientific community particularly highly regarded his role as Chairman of the Editorial Board of the department.Anthology of Vietnamese LiteratureHe directed over 100 scientists with diverse expertise and personalities, working for 20 years to complete 42 volumes of the Anthology of Vietnamese Literature, covering everything from folklore to Vietnamese literature before 1945. He organized and managed the scientific work very effectively, not through power or coercion, but through the prestige of a scientist and the vision and heart of a manager—what we might call soft power.

A beautiful personality in everyday life.

Professor Dinh Gia Khanh was honored by society in many fields: a talented educator, a brilliant scientist, and a reputable administrator. Beneath this aura of distinction lay a great personality in everyday life. This personality was reflected in his relationships with family, colleagues, and students. During his lifetime, Professor Dinh Gia Khanh had an extremely happy family. His wife, Ms. Nguyen Thi Dac Quy, was a beautiful woman from Hanoi, very graceful and wholeheartedly devoted to her husband's career. His eldest daughter, Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Thi Minh Hang, continued his work in literary research. Following them were his three sons, Cuong, Tuan, and Thiem, all strong, successful in their careers, and happy in their families.

Professor Dinh Gia Khanh was very simple in real life. In the late 20th century, many older intellectuals in Vietnam had become familiar with motorcycles (with or without gears) imported from France, Germany, Japan, Italy, etc., but Professor Dinh Gia Khanh remained attached to the old bicycle he had used for decades. He also had flaws like any other ordinary person. For example, sometimes when lecturing, he would wear a thin white shirt but forget to wear an undershirt, revealing his not-so-plump physique, causing the female students to giggle. He liked to smoke, including Lao tobacco, a long-standing habit. This left a lasting consequence in his later years: respiratory failure. But beneath this simplicity and everyday flaws lay a sharp intellect and an extraordinary capacity for scientific work. In his interactions with colleagues and students, he was tolerant and magnanimous, rarely raising his voice at anyone. In academia, he almost never engaged in heated debates with those who disagreed with him. All of this shaped the character of Dinh Gia Khanh, a character that lives on through the springs of life.