The man who seeks the mysteries of the earth's depths.

Due to a fortunate childhood, Hoang Van Khoan began learning Chinese characters from a very young age and studied French in primary school. He endured years of hardship, working as a tutor to earn money for food while attending Huong Khe Secondary School. Upon reaching high school, he was selected to study at the Central Educational Complex in Nanning (China). After graduating, he was assigned to teach in Ha Tinh. Later, he was sent to study Archaeology at Kharkiv State University (Soviet Union). In 1974, he successfully defended his doctoral thesis in Archaeology at the Soviet Academy of Sciences, becoming one of the first three PhDs from the History Department. In 1967, he became a lecturer at Hanoi University, and despite holding various administrative positions and experiencing the ups and downs of economic life, he has remained dedicated to the History Department ever since.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. People's Teacher Hoang Van Khoan was the Deputy Head of the Department of History (1977-1986)/Photo: Thanh Long

Metallurgy and metallurgical techniques were the first fields that Associate Professor Dr. Hoang Van Khoan pursued when he entered the field of archaeology. His doctoral dissertation in the Soviet Union focused on the study of iron tools in the tribes of Southern Siberia. After returning to Vietnam, he applied much of the knowledge he had learned to his research in the country. His research in the 1970s and 1980s on the Nghi Xuan iron smelting site, iron smelting and iron tool manufacturing techniques in Vietnam, ancient Vietnamese bronze alloys, Dong Son bronze drum casting techniques, experimental iron production processes in Nho Lam, and even the appearance of cast iron in Vietnam... remains valuable to this day.

Vietnamese historical archaeology is one of the research areas that Associate Professor Dr. Hoang Van Khoan has pursued for a long time. In particular, he focused his research on the Co Loa area from an early age. This book...Co Loa - The center of Red River civilizationThe editor-in-chief identified the important position of Co Loa in the formation of the Au Lac state of An Duong Vuong based on the foundation of the Pre-Dong Son and Dong Son cultural relics in the surrounding area.

The history of Vietnamese architecture and sculpture is also an important research topic in the life and career of Associate Professor Dr. Hoang Van Khoan. In his book...The architecture of temples and pagodas during the Ly-Tran dynasties: architectural and sculptural art.This is a general approach to arriving at a unified view of the pagodas and temples of the Ly-Tran period in particular, and of Buddhism during the Ly-Tran period in general. From there, he demonstrates his in-depth research on sculptural art, Buddhist content, as well as the socio-economic, political, cultural, and ideological situation… At the same time, he sees the results of cultural exchange between Vietnam and India, Vietnam and Champa, and Vietnam and China in the process of forming the unique characteristics of the Ly-Tran period. In addition, he always emphasizes the transmission of this important knowledge to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Therefore, in the History Department, he is one of the rare "veteran professors" who always leads undergraduate and postgraduate students on field trips to famous architectural sites in Vietnam such as Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Ho Dynasty Citadel, Lam Kinh, Phat Tich Pagoda, Thay Pagoda, Tay Phuong Pagoda, Phat Diem Stone Church…

In the 2000s, whenever domestic archaeological researchers visited the large construction site at 18 Hoang Dieu Street, they knew of two "old men making money." One was the expert in ancient coins, Do Van Ninh, and the other was Associate Professor Dr. Hoang Van Khoan. However, Associate Professor Dr. Hoang Van Khoan's research on ancient coins also began quite early, and he had already achieved certain successes. Since the 1990s, he had visited many museums and private collections, researching and publishing on numerous ancient coin collections. Building on that foundation, in 2010, he published a book.A handbook of ancient Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and French metal coins in circulation in Vietnam from the beginning of the Common Era to 1975.This is a handbook on ancient coins from various countries that once circulated in Vietnam, serving as an important dictionary for researchers in numismatics and museology in Vietnam. From a numismatic perspective, he also expanded his research to include commercial activities across different feudal dynasties.

Associate Professor, Doctor, and People's Teacher Hoang Van Khoan is a leading expert in archaeology. / Photo: Thanh Long

Experimental archaeology is also one of the important research areas that Associate Professor Dr. Hoang Van Khoan is interested in and has achieved significant results in. Particularly noteworthy is the experiment of recasting the bronze plowshare from Co Loa and conducting experimental plowing with it on various types of fields in Dong Xuat village. The experimental results definitively proved the function of this type of artifact, which archaeologists were previously unsure whether to call a plowshare or a hoe. Another experimental research result of Associate Professor Dr. Hoang Van Khoan is the reconstruction of the weaving craft of the Dong Dau people through the weaving patterns on pottery.

For Associate Professor Hoang Van Khoan, students are truly "Gods." Many generations of students from the History Department know that his office is always brightly lit, welcoming all students, even late into the night, his voice resounding with passion as he discusses new scientific ideas. Even in recent years, despite his declining health, he would still enthusiastically guide students on field trips, even while just supervising a student's scientific report. In 2014-2015, this octogenarian even traveled twice by sleeper bus for several days to the Democratic Republic of Laos to supervise graduate students' master's theses. This dedication not only earned him the respect of his students but also earned him the admiration of many other professors for his scientific spirit.

One thing that many generations of students from the History Department know is that even after retiring from his job, Professor continued his studies diligently. He organized classes in Sino-Vietnamese studies, inviting Professor Nguyen Huu Tuong (a staff member of the Institute of Sino-Vietnamese Studies) to his home to teach. He studied alongside the students, and even frequently accompanied them on field trips to temples and pagodas to transcribe inscriptions, with the intention of doing so.Walking, teaching, and learning all at the same time.The teacher's guiding principle when opening these classes was very clear: to study and work in history, one must know Sino-Vietnamese characters, and it must be practical Sino-Vietnamese, not just scripture. Many historians today know and use Sino-Vietnamese documents quite proficiently, partly thanks to the teacher's classes.

Associate Professor Hoang Van Khoan has trained many generations of students, trainees, and postgraduate researchers in archaeology at the Faculty of History, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. In particular, he has made significant contributions to the training of officials for the governments of Laos and Cambodia, such as students like That Samri, Thoonglith Luangkhoth, Thoong My, Phin Xeng, Thao Kham Man, Soiliphane Bouraphane… In addition, he has contributed to writing teaching programs for the University of Phnom Penh; and has taught and written textbooks for Hanoi University of Culture, the Central Youth Union, the Senior Officer School, Hue University, and Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City…

The spirit of solidarity, unity, and the willingness to take responsibility for one's actions are among the noblest qualities that Professor Hoang Van Khoan revered. For him, "integrity" was the ultimate standard for an archaeologist and a historian, and it was the first lesson for every student from their first encounter with him.

Hanoi,Grain Rain period 2015