Professor Ha Minh Duc and the Faculty of Literature

This May marks the 80th birthday of Professor, People's Teacher Ha Minh Duc, a respected teacher, literary scholar, literary critic, journalist, and poet… who has made immense contributions to the cultural, artistic, scientific, and educational life of the country. He was a lecturer in the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi Pedagogical University (1957-1960); a lecturer in the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University, later the Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (1960-2005); Deputy Head of the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University (1987-1988); Head of the Faculty of Journalism, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (1990-2000); Director of the Institute of Literature, and Editor-in-Chief.Literature Magazine(1995 - 2003); Member of the National Education Committee (from 1998); Member of the Central Council for Literary and Artistic Theory and Criticism (from 2003); MemberVietnam Writers AssociationMembersVietnam Journalists AssociationHe has been awarded: the Second Class Anti-American Resistance Medal, the Third Class Labor Medal in 1995; the First Class Labor Medal in 2000; the title of People's Teacher in 2000; and the Award for Theory and Criticism.Vietnam Writers Association1998; State Prize for Scientific Research in 2000; State Prize for Literature and Arts in 2001; Ho Chi Minh Prize for Social Sciences in 2012.

The positions, professional titles, and prestigious awards achieved are linked to three major stages in Professor Ha Minh Duc's life as a teacher, a life deeply intertwined with literary connections: 10 years with the Journalism Department, 8 years with the Institute of Literature, and 45 years with the Literature Department—45 consecutive years, because while working at the Journalism Department and the Institute of Literature, he simultaneously held important positions in the Literature Department. The place where he nurtured his dreams, where he realized his plans, and where he achieved literary fame was primarily the Literature Department. Among the tens of thousands of students across 59 training courses at the Literature Department, countless were his direct or indirect students. Some studied all the courses he taught from undergraduate to postgraduate and doctoral levels; some listened to him lecture on a few subjects; some learned from his books; and some only had time to attend one lecture before heading to the front lines during the war against the US to save the nation. He taught...Vietnamese Literature 1930 - 1945,Literary theory(all 4 parts:General principles,Literary works,Literary genre,Composition method), fourth-year specialized topicLiterary essays and journalistic essays, postgraduate topicsMarx, Engels, and Lenin discussed literature and art.,Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on literature and art,Poetry and some issues in modern Vietnamese poetry., PhD thesisThe process of literary theory developmentProfessor Nguyen Ngoc Thien, a former student of the Faculty of Literature, Class VIII (1963-1967), wrote in his memoirs: “Professor Duc was both the head of the department and taught the subject of Literary Theory and specialized topics on Modern Vietnamese Literature. We attended his classes in large numbers, enthusiastically, not only because he was our head of department, but mainly because we really enjoyed the subjects he taught. He taught in an easy-to-understand, easy-to-remember, gentle, lively, and relaxed manner. The theoretical concepts were presented abstractly, but he incorporated vivid illustrative examples drawn from the practical experiences of Vietnamese and world literature.” He guided students in writing scientific reports, essays, yearbooks, and graduation theses; he also guided graduate students in writing Master's theses and doctoral dissertations. He was dedicated, thorough, and provided specific guidance and reasonable corrections to every student to achieve perfection. Among the 25 PhDs supervised by him, four were in a department he had headed for many years. “Although his affection for each person differed, there was one thing that remained constant: his nurturing, support, and sense of responsibility, which included the love and care of a true teacher. In the former Faculty of Literature at the University, there was no department where almost 100% of the staff, now key figures, were supervised by a single professor, as in the Department of Literary Theory.”

Throughout his life as a teacher, Professor Ha Minh Duc devoted himself to two main tasks: teaching and research. For him, research was primarily to support teaching, but many of his research works have reached a significant academic level. It's hard to imagine his work schedule, as he simultaneously taught, managed administrative work, and read numerous reference materials to write so many books. He has authored over 40 books covering various aspects of cultural and artistic life. Some of the major issues include:C. Marx, F. Engels, V.I. Lenin, and some theoretical issues of literature and art.;Literary essay;The writer and his works;Time and pages;Literary talent and style;Revolutionary practice and poetic creativity;An era in poetry; Modern Vietnamese literature; Poetry of the anti-American war for national salvation.…There are specific authors and works:President Ho Chi Minh - the great poet of the nation.;Literary works of President Ho Chi Minh;To Huu - Revolution and Poetry;Nam Cao, an outstanding realist writer.;Nguyen Binh, poet of the countryside;Nguyen Dinh Thi - the phoenix from the mountains;Che Lan Vien - flowers growing on rocks;Anh Tho - a wildflower… The teacher is the chief editor of the book series.Vietnamese literature from the 10th century to the end of the 20th century, book seriesAbout the author and the work(36 great authors in Vietnamese literature). The research works of Professor, the pages in which he poured all his intellect and passion, have been a source of intellectual and emotional energy illuminating the journey towards the future for generations of literature students.

In everyday life, Professor Duc was a simple, humble, sociable, and friendly person to everyone. His literature students and many others who met him received from him gentle yet profound lessons about how to live and the meaning of life. “In our Literature Department, most of the current staff are either his direct students or have been guided and helped by him in their studies and scientific work. They all feel that with Professor Duc, lighthearted conversations, even those unrelated to his expertise or literature, are all about life, a way of exchanging information, a way of learning, and very useful for their work. Many things he said, seemingly casually, when reflected upon at home, reveal how skillfully, gently, and profoundly he expressed them” (Associate Professor Pham Quang Long). “Besides being a mentor in science, Professor Ha Minh Duc is also a vivid role model for us to learn from in interpersonal skills, the ability to harmonize relationships, the ability to ‘humorize’ serious matters, and the ability to ease the overly tense atmosphere of meetings and elections…” (Associate Professor Dr. Ly Hoai Thu).

After nearly 60 years teaching at universities and contributing over 40 books to society, and achieving numerous accolades, Professor now turns 80. We wish him a long and healthy life so that he may continue to write the chapters of his life and literature.

May 2015