I had the opportunity to meet the General once.

Jackie Chan/USSH

People came to pay their respects to General Vo Nguyen Giap at his private residence at 30 Hoang Dieu Street on the afternoon of October 10, 2013.

A comrade in the General's office told us, "You are allowed to visit the General for 30 minutes." We understood it was a military order.

We were seated in the General's living room. The living room was small, and there were many of us, so some were seated while most had to stand. Luckily, I was seated opposite the General. After everyone had settled into their seats, the General asked:

- Which unit are you comrades from?

- General, we are from the 338th Division, the one you visited, Uncle Ho.

The General asked:

- How is Tô Kí doing these days?

We looked at each other, none of us able to answer the General's question. Major General Tô Kí was the commander of the Cửu Long Division (338th Division). The General still remembered our division's commander, but we had forgotten our famous commander. This was a lesson in humanity and camaraderie that I still consider a moral lesson at the age of 50.

The General asked each person what they did and where they worked. When he asked me, I told him about my profession, and he asked:

- Are you comrades interested in the country's economy?

I replied:

Yes, we do!

And I sat down and told the General about the country's economic achievements that year. After listening to my presentation, the General asked further:

- So, can you compare our country's economic development with that of neighboring countries?

I couldn't answer that because I'd never done that kind of comparison before. The General explained:

- If you only look at your own achievements without considering how others are developing, you won't make progress.

The lesson about comparing similar objects in the same context was something we learned in our early years of university. But it was only after meeting the General and listening to his teachings that the method of comparison and contrast truly resonated with us and received special attention in our scientific work.

When we met the General, many of us had already retired, our hair streaked with gray. Nevertheless, the General still advised us: "You must study. Only through learning can you progress and continue to serve."

We sat with the General for an hour and a half. This was the first time we had disobeyed an order from a superior, but it was also the most valuable lesson I had ever learned in my school life.