Professor, Doctor of Science Vu Minh Giang: devoted to life, devoted to his homeland

Prof. Dr. Vu Minh Giang has many research fields that have reached a high level of expertise. In particular, historical science is his main field of activity, which is very diverse and no less complex, so those who do research and teach history need to ensure the logic of the problem, the horizontal - vertical, before - after relationship of practice. Therefore, he has devoted his heart and intelligence to researching not one but many different issues, which he believes are all necessary.

Dedication to career

Not counting the 2 years of military service directly holding guns and fighting on the Southern front (after studying in the fourth year of Hanoi University), Mr. Vu Minh Giang had to spend 16 years studying from university level to get a PhD degree (defending his thesis at Lombok University in the former Soviet Union). And what is more important is the passion and the will to strive to constantly enrich himself with extensive knowledge.

Professor, Doctor of Science, Meritorious Teacher Vu Minh Giang

In 1972, the resistance war against the US to save the country was at its fiercest point. While studying in his fourth year at Hanoi University, he enlisted in the army and directly fought in the Southern battlefield. In 1974, he was transferred to the North, returned to Hanoi University and was assigned to be a lecturer at the school, starting a new career: teaching and scientific research. Although there was a period of interruption due to serving in the army, in return, Professor Vu Minh Giang had valuable practical experiences right on the fierce battlefield of the resistance war. For someone who researches and teaches history, that practice is even more useful.

Ranked as a "source" cadre with both ability and practice, in 1980, he was sent to do research in the Soviet Union, at Lombok State University - one of the largest and most prestigious universities in the world at that time. With a major in Economic History, he showed himself to be a potential researcher, loved and highly appreciated by the university's professors. In 1985, he successfully defended his Associate Doctoral Thesis, and the following year (1986) he successfully defended his Doctoral Thesis in Science. That was a result that few people could achieve in such a short time. However, in the mind of Professor Vu Minh Giang, truly contributing his knowledge to the cause of building his homeland was his greatest and most burning desire. Returning to the country in the early years of the renovation process, he faced many difficulties. However, Professor Vu Minh Giang... Vu Minh Giang still believes in the future development of the country on the foundation of innovation. With his tireless efforts, he has been assigned to many different positions inside and outside the university, from Head of Department, to Vice Head, then Head of Faculty and Vice President of Hanoi National University. He was Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam Historical Science Association from 1991 to 2003. Currently, Prof. Dr. Vu Minh Giang is Chairman of the Science and Training Council of Hanoi National University, Vice Chairman of the National Cultural Heritage Council, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Historical Science Association, and Head of the Department of Ancient and Medieval Vietnamese History. In every position, he has demonstrated the dedication and high level of an in-depth researcher.

Prof. Vu Minh Giang is a scientist who is very aware of the role of “being one step ahead” in research, in order to have a complete and solid scientific basis to solve and demonstrate practical problems. Without waiting for sufficient conditions and related factors, since 1998, he and his research colleagues have organized 4 international conferences onVietnam studiesas the Head of the Organizing Committee. This can be considered the premise for the birth ofInstitute of Vietnamese Studies and Development SciencesThe Institute's development practice over the past decade has demonstrated the necessary role of the Institute in contributing to the overall development process, both in research activities and in training, especially postgraduate training with interdisciplinary issues about Vietnam.

As a teacher and historian, Professor Vu Minh Giang has closely combined teaching and research. These two activities support each other, creating higher efficiency in work. He is the author and co-author of many research works, many monographs and textbooks for teaching. Among them are works that are highly appreciated for their practical effects and values ​​such as:Vietnam historical process(Education Publishing House),Vietnamese history textbook(National Political Publishing House),History of the Southern Region(Editor-in-Chief - World Publishing House),History of Vietnam – Traditional and Modern(Author - Education Publishing House),Theoretical and practical issues raised in the current situation(National Political Publishing House)... Along with that, hundreds of his specialized articles have been published in newspapers and magazines at home and abroad, highly appreciated by experts. Many important scientific conferences on history, education, and Vietnamese studies were directly organized by him as the Head of the Organizing Committee and the Head of the Secretariat. His historical works are highly appreciated and help clarify many issues that need to be proven. The bookHistory of the Southern regionis one such project.

In education and training, teacher Vu Minh Giang has devoted a lot of time and passion to his work. He considers it a career, a happiness and also a responsibility to the younger generation. “For me, a teacher and the teaching profession in general have two most sacred things, which are passion for their career as teachers and concern for how they are in the eyes of their students” - Professor Giang shared - “If everyone keeps that in mind, the education sector will certainly change a lot. Teachers all understand what their students need, sometimes they understand their students better than the managers of the sector. If they are passionate, they will have good suggestions and recommendations for the sector. And if they care about their image in the eyes of their students, they will know how to improve themselves to become teachers worthy of being teachers.”.Not only teaching in the country, Professor Giang also teaches at many foreign universities such as in Japan, the United States, and France. Here, he received many prestigious awards such asAcademic Palm Medalof the French Government… The passion of teacher Vu Minh Giang for his profession is also reflected in his concerns and contributions to the cause of education and training in schools. He is the one who initiated and directed the innovation of admissions according to specific questions of VNU many years ago. Even on the issue of fundamental and comprehensive innovation of education today, Professor Vu Minh Giang also gave clear, specific opinions and viewpoints that are closely linked to reality and the development trends of the times.

In 2010, on the eve of the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi, one of the largest, most unique and practical academic activities in the Project approved by the Prime Minister was the International Conference on Hanoi Studies with the theme:Hanoi capital develops sustainably in the context of global change.VNU was entrusted with the task of being the standing agency to organize the Conference. And, Prof. Dr. Vu Minh Giang took on the role of Head of the Organizing Committee of this meaningful Conference.

In recent years, when the East Sea issue and the struggle for Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos increasingly required the contribution of historians, Professor, Doctor of Science Vu Minh Giang has thrown himself into this career with highly combative articles and activities. Especially the workThe basis of learning about Vietnam's sovereignty over the two archipelagos of Hoang Sa and Truong SaPublished in the Science and Technology Journal of the Ministry of Science and Technology, highly appreciated by domestic and foreign experts.

Currently, as Deputy Head of the State-level project, Prof. Dr. Vu Minh Giang, together with Prof. Phan Huy Le and many leading historians, are focusing their efforts on building a large-scale Vietnamese History project with a capacity of up to 25 volumes of general history and 5 volumes of chronicles. This will be the largest national history ever…

He was Head of the Department of History (1991-1995), Vice President of Hanoi National University (2003-2013).

Dedicated to homeland and community

Prof. Dr. Vu Minh Giang was born into a family with a tradition of patriotism and revolution. His father was from Minh Tan commune, Thuy Nguyen district and his mother was from Dong Phuong commune, Kien Thuy district, Hai Phong city. But during the resistance war against French colonialism, both of them went to the resistance zone to participate in resistance activities, met and became husband and wife there. In 1951, the boy Vu Minh Giang was born right in the resistance zone when the resistance war was still extremely fierce, life was lacking in all aspects, but for him, Hai Phong was his original homeland, he often followed the development steps of the Port city, enjoyed the joy of his homeland, and worried about the difficulties of his homeland.

No matter what he does or where he is, he is always willing to contribute his heart and mind to his homeland through specific tasks. Most recently, in 2014, when Hai Phong was assigned to organize the opening ceremony of the tourism year, Prof. Dr. Vu Minh Giang was invited to contribute to the program script. He proposed an organization idea to highlight the traditional beauty of the rice civilization, which was approved by the Organizing Committee. On many issues considered complicated in terms of academics, the city invited Prof. Giang to give his opinions and he had positive voices and highly convincing evidence. He also participated in the Editorial Board of the Hai Phong City History Collection as a seaport hundreds of years ago; contributed opinions and the Political Report to the 15th City Party Congress...

With his homeland, he is always devoted, always lives with meaning and love. Because "each person has only one homeland" and he cannot be an exception.