In 1981, for some reasons, we, the 26th class of the Faculty of History, entered school late. Fortunately, in the first hour, the first day of our student life, we listened to Mr. Tran Quoc Vuong teach about Archaeology in an interdisciplinary approach. It can be said that it was the strange attraction from those first lectures of the teachers, the dedicated and talented scientists of the Faculty of History that kept many of us in the class staying at the Faculty of History and determined to follow the teachers in doing history, teaching history...In that first year, we also studied with Mr. Nguyen Hai Ke. He taught us about the Lam Son Uprising. What still impresses me to this day is his teaching style, his "unconventional" way of thinking about the causes and motivations of the uprising movement and the miraculous transformation of the uprising from a local movement to a national liberation movement. He taught little, only one lesson, but I remember it forever...! Yet more than 30 years have passed, our generation of brothers now has gray hair, and is at the age of "Fifty and Knowing Heaven's Will". According to the training method of the time, we no longer had the opportunity to study with him. National history as well as world history had turned to new pages. However, we still know that he was a famous union activist of the University. For many years, he was the one who held the role of organizer and leader of the union activities of the History Faculty, then the union movement of the Hanoi University and the Hanoi City Union. While participating in teaching, researching, and publishing the first research papers, Mr. Nguyen Hai Ke also held the position of Secretary of the History Faculty Youth Union, Deputy Secretary and then Secretary of the Youth Union of Hanoi National University, Party Committee member of the Party Committee of Hanoi National University, and Executive Committee member of the Hanoi City Youth Union. In the myriad of difficulties of the country at that time, overcoming the enormous challenges: "Floods in the North, floods in the South, blood on the border - Hands against the sky, hands to defend the country, straining the tendons", the movement of studying, researching and political - social activities of the youth of Hanoi National University was always the leading flag among the universities of the whole country. In the midst of difficulties and challenges, many generations of teachers, scientists, managers... who were cadres and students of Hanoi National University have grown up and become people with many important contributions and dedications to the country and society. That is still the pride of the University, contributing to creating one of the typical values of a basic university, famous for its scientific research achievements. And also in that difficult and challenging environment, before great careers, people had to restrain and sacrifice their thoughts and personal interests to aim for the common goal, accept the organization, and discipline. A close friend who was in the class above us, a fellow countryman of the Teacher, still keeps the "memory" of being severely criticized by Teacher Nguyen Hai Ke for the way he organized the union activities without a plan and method! I also know that my friend is not the only case that the Teacher criticized like that. In 1987, temporarily leaving the university lecture hall and the vibrant union activities, after many sacrifices and contributions, Teacher Nguyen Hai Ke was sent to study in the Soviet Union by the Hanoi University of Science. During 9 years of studying and researching at the Soviet Academy of Sciences, he successfully defended his thesis for Associate Doctorate and then Doctorate. In 1996, teacher and scientist Nguyen Hai Ke returned to his old school, with his teachers, colleagues and students. He taught ancient history and contributed to the development of a new training major of the Faculty of History, which is Vietnamese Cultural History. In a new scientific field, he seemed to have found a source of vitality and motivation for development. In this still new field of expertise, Mr. Nguyen Hai Ke clearly revealed his capacity, passion and contributions as a Cultural Studies expert.
Throughout the long history of national culture, teacher - researcher Nguyen Hai Ke always has new discoveries, deeply expressing his personal mark. In his lectures at university, research works or on mass media, he always struggles with the original values of national culture, with cultural exchanges and adaptations, with the Mother principle and the diverse nuances between cultural layers, between regions and cultural spaces of a Vietnamese culture rich in humanistic and unified values. Works such as: A traditional Vietnamese village in the Northern Delta, Hai Phong - The forgotten land of the early Le Dynasty, Approaching Vietnamese identity from a guide of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese Southern features in 19th-century Vietnamese culture or works written together, edited on the countryside of Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Thang Long - Hanoi... have left strong impressions and made the name of one of the leading experts in Vietnamese cultural history. During his years as Head of the History Department and concurrently Head of the Department of Cultural History, Vice President of the Hanoi Historical Association, scientist Nguyen Hai Ke has made many important contributions to the development of the History Department, the History industry, especially in maintaining the traditional flame of a Heroic Labor Unit in the renovation period. As a manager and a teacher, Mr. Nguyen Hai Ke left a deep impression and affection in his students and colleagues about his simple, harmonious lifestyle, always sincere, close and loving to students. Many of his students, graduate students, and post-graduates who were taken care of by him as his most beloved people have now grown up and many have become researchers, teachers, and managers with responsibilities in society. When they learned that he was seriously ill, many students from universities, research institutes, and even from the countryside, friends and colleagues... gathered at the 108 Military Hospital to visit him, take care of him, and worry about his health. The affection, respect, and condolences of his brothers, sisters, and colleagues... for Mr. Nguyen Hai Ke in the past days are truly profound! Perhaps along with the titles that he had received, the affection and regret of his students and colleagues for him was the noble honor he received before he passed away. With 60 years of age and 36 years of career, Mr. Nguyen Hai Ke had devoted himself to the fields of historical research and national cultural history. His in-depth knowledge of Sinology and his knowledge of history were the luggage and support for creative thinking in cultural research and Vietnamese cultural history. In the minds of his friends and colleagues, Mr. Nguyen Hai Ke was always a person rich in intellectual resources, always loving and cherishing people, respecting the personality of his students and wholeheartedly devoted, caring for each step of growth, sharing every difficulty and hardship of his students and young staff in the common home of the Faculty of History. From now on, the lecture hall will no longer have the enthusiastic, passionate, "innovative" voice of Mr. Nguyen Hai Ke. The school campus has been missing the Teacher since then, a simple man with a tall and thin figure, a passion for smoking, a drug addiction and a seductive way of speaking. Spring is in full bloom but the Teacher has gone away, leaving an irreplaceable void in the minds and hearts of his family, generations of students and colleagues!
