Professor, Doctor, and People's Teacher Bui Khanh The - an exemplary figure of "hard work leading to success".

In early 2015, I happened to meet Professor Bui Khanh The inConference on Exchange and Promotion of Vietnamese and World LiteratureIt was organized by the Vietnam Writers Association in Hanoi. I was a little surprised and suddenly thought, when did Professor Bui Khanh The get admitted to the Vietnam Writers Association without me knowing? Is it too late to congratulate him now?

Perhaps noticing my surprise, Professor Bui Khanh The happily introduced:

- I am here as a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for National Studies. For the first time in my life, I have received the title of writer from the invitation of the Organizing Committee.

So that's it! I see Professor Bui Khanh The is quite excited about the title of writer. To be fair, if Professor Bui Khanh The had followed his old profession, he would certainly now be both a teacher and a translator, and of course, a member of the Vietnam Writers Association's Translation Council. Because he is very proficient in Russian. For almost half a century, he has been the translator of many famous books.Soviet literature(SO Melichnubarov)History of Soviet Literature(Complete set of two volumes, 1961)Art forms(V. Koginov, 1963).

Professor, Doctor, People's Teacher Bui Khanh The

But the calling of research came to him. Therefore, despite being a Russian-speaking person, he diligently studied and researched on his own, eventually becoming a professor of linguistics. His path wasn't smooth, because from the outset, he wasn't formally trained in the subject. But with his self-learning and research spirit, and his rich Russian language skills, he approached and delved deeper into the new field that fate had brought him. By the time I entered university, he was no longer a Russian language lecturer but a lecturer in the Linguistics Department, Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University. His teaching focused on syntax. Our class has many memories of him. These are memories of the hardships of wartime, studying while fleeing from the enemy. We evacuated to Ha Tay, then to Hung Yen, then to Ha Bac… Yet, the knowledge he imparted never faded along the way. On the contrary, the bombs and bullets only fueled our enthusiasm and determination. To this day, I haven't forgotten Professor Bui Khanh The's passionate lectures back then. Many days, in the scorching summer sun, with no wind or electric fan, a class of over a dozen students in a villager's house were still engrossed in the world of science. He enthusiastically introduced us to some Russian books, the latest works he had just updated. At that time, knowing Russian was a huge advantage because most scientific research achievements were accessed by Vietnamese people (from the northern provinces) through this gateway. Our generation approached Russian as the language of peace and friendship, and the most important tool to unlock access to the world. With this understanding and the guidance of our professors, from our second year onwards we began to practice reading specialized books in a foreign language. Of course, at that time, Professor Bui Khanh The, both as a linguistics lecturer and as a Russian language expert, had a great influence on our future direction. He not only imparted professional knowledge to us but also instilled in us a passionate love and admiration for distant Russia.

Combining theory and practice, we began our fieldwork from our second year. During the evacuation, our research topics often shifted to rural areas. Professor Bui Khanh The enthusiastically took us to kindergartens to open the door to linguistic research with a special subject: the language of children under 6 years old in the Van Giang and Hai Hung (formerly) areas. Frankly, at first, not many of us were interested, but thanks to Professor Bui Khanh The's perseverance and carefulness, we were drawn into the project. After the liberation of South Vietnam, this research continued and expanded to Hanoi. Some of the data that the students collected back then was later used by others to write dissertations.

Because I knew and worked with Bui Khanh The many times since the evacuation, I chose him as my supervisor for my graduation thesis. However, we had only been working together for a few months when the South was liberated. As a former cadre who had relocated to the North, he enthusiastically volunteered to help build new universities in the South. He was arguably one of the few scientists from the North who arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in the early days after the country's reunification. With his extensive work experience, he was nominated as Vice-Rector of the University of Ho Chi Minh City from its inception and played a leading role in establishing the linguistics department there.

Despite his busy administrative duties, Professor Bui Khanh The maintained his youthful passion and dedication to linguistics. Now, in a new field, he quickly shifted to bilingual research and became a leading expert on Cham language and culture, as well as the languages ​​of ethnic minorities in the southern provinces. With his practical experience and existing Russian language skills, in 1979 he joined a joint research team of Vietnamese and Soviet scientists, opening a new chapter in international research cooperation on languages ​​in Vietnam.

More noteworthy is that, in addition to his research on bilingualism, the languages ​​and cultures of ethnic minorities, and dictionaries, he also collaborated with other writers and researchers on the book series "Cultural Geography of Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City" (edited by Professor Tran Van Giau and researcher Tran Bach Dang), specifically the section on language: "From the Saigon dialect to the Ho Chi Minh City dialect." This was followed by an article titled "The Saigon Dialect at a Transitional Period in the Development of Vietnamese Literary Language" on the occasion of Ho Chi Minh City's 300th anniversary, and several other books on culture and history that have been well-received by readers. These include "National Identity in Culture and Arts" (co-authored with Anh Duc and Bui Dinh Thi) and "That Autumn" (co-authored with Tran Bach Dang). More recently, he published the book "Language and Culture Style" (Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House). This book compiles his writings on the merits and contributions of prominent figures such as Hoang Xuan Han, Nguyen An Ninh, Truong Vinh Ky, and Tran Huy Lieu… This demonstrates that he possessed not only profound knowledge in his specialized field but also a broad range of interdisciplinary knowledge. He knew how to utilize and develop the potential of this knowledge to serve science and life.

At first glance, few would imagine Bui Khanh The to be a professor, as his physique is not imposing, and his demeanor is gentle and humble. This quality is partly due to his innate nature, but also partly due to his constant self-cultivation. Therefore, since I've known him, I've never once heard him raise his voice. Even in scientific conferences, when disagreeing with others, he always uses a calm tone to explain and prove his points, rather than resorting to harsh language. If he encounters someone hot-tempered who speaks excessively to him, he simply smiles and tries to smooth things over. Because of this, he is very approachable and easy to talk to.

To his students, Professor Bui Khanh The was a passionate and highly responsible individual. He often diligently guided his students in addressing their shortcomings and encouraged their enthusiasm for scientific research. Therefore, even though we didn't have many hours of instruction from him during our student years, his presence left a profound impression on us. One of his most outstanding qualities, worthy of emulation by future generations, was his spirit of self-study and self-reliance in all circumstances, enabling him to become a scientist with strong professional competence and broad and deep expertise. He truly is a shining example embodying the spirit of "hard work leads to success."