An inspiring teacher

These are the comments from colleagues and students when speaking about Professor Pham Quang Minh, Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

From a boy who attended classes without permission...

In 1967, in the rural area of ​​Ninh Giang (Hai Duong province), there was a five-year-old boy named Pham Quang Minh who had no one to play with because his father was in the army and his mother was busy working. So, Minh followed his older brother to school in the village temple of La Khe. Without books or pens, Minh would quietly sit next to his brother, his hands neatly folded on the desk. Teacher Dac, seeing the tiny boy, came to ask him what was wrong… only then did he realize the boy was attending school for free. The teacher then gave him paper, notebooks, and a fountain pen tucked into his breast pocket, allowing him to "enroll" immediately… Ten years later, that small, slender student who always sat in the front row passed the entrance exam to Hanoi University, becoming a freshman in the 23rd cohort, Faculty of History. Minh's father – a former soldier – rewarded him with a worn backpack and a lieutenant colonel's felt cap as gifts for his university studies. Throughout his first year, the young student studied diligently, going to the library after class, so engrossed in his studies that he often forgot to eat, and by the time he got to the cafeteria, the food was usually gone. Back then, students' breakfasts typically consisted of bread distributed the night before, but because he was hungry and studying late into the night, the bread would get smaller and smaller, and by the time he went to bed, breakfast was already gone…

Professor, Doctor Pham Quang Minh. Photo: NGOC TUNG

Six years of study in the Soviet Union, in a socialist environment with dedicated teachers; a Russian foster family who treated him like their own son; summer work trips to rural areas – Pham Quang Minh considered himself a "cultural ambassador" at cultural exchanges, introducing Vietnamese songs, customs, and culture to international friends. Actively participating in student organizations and then joining the Party helped the young student cultivate his knowledge, study habits, and political acumen. In 1986, returning to Vietnam with a distinction degree, Pham Quang Minh was assigned to work at the History Department of Hanoi University. In the memory of the young lecturer, the image of Professor Tran Quoc Vuong, fluent in four foreign languages, and his teaching in the first class, "university is about self-learning," remains as vivid as yesterday. Therefore, in addition to his professional work, Pham Quang Minh took advantage of the opportunity to study English, believing that knowing a foreign language would allow him to access the vast knowledge of the world and open up new opportunities for himself. Entering his second year of university, one day, while undergoing military training in Phung Khoang village, Pham Quang Minh and four other students with the best academic performance in their first year were ordered to return to school to receive a new assignment – ​​to study in the Soviet Union…

In 1991, Pham Quang Minh won another scholarship to study in Germany for his master's and then his doctoral degrees, specializing in Southeast Asian Studies with minors in political science and European history at the University of Passau in Bavaria and Humboldt University, Germany's most prestigious university. In 2002, Dr. Pham Quang Minh returned to Vietnam and was assigned to the Faculty of International Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, as Vice Dean, then Dean, and Vice Rector in 2012. From 2016 to the present, he has served as Rector.

The dedicated "captain"

Professor Pham Quang Minh is known as an expert in the field of international relations and foreign information. He is also a familiar face in international commentary programs, with his insightful analyses and engaging, easy-to-understand connections between domestic and international situations.

Professor, Dr. Pham Quang Minh sends essential supplies to students in the dormitory. Photo: THANH HA
Based on that philosophy, in his capacity as a lecturer or rector, Professor Pham Quang Minh has always encouraged and motivated students and faculty members to cultivate knowledge and skills, and to excel in "people-to-people diplomacy." The professor has also made many outstanding contributions to the university's international cooperation. It can be said that the University of Social Sciences and Humanities currently ranks among the top in Vietnam in terms of international cooperation, having signed over 500 cooperation agreements with prestigious universities and research institutes worldwide; approximately 1,000 students and faculty members go abroad for study, teaching, and research each year; and the number of international publications increases annually. As rector, Professor Pham Quang Minh has advocated for the organization of foreign language classes, training in research skills and methods, and international publication. University staff members who present scientific papers at international conferences receive a subsidy of 500 USD. They also receive rewards of 5 to 15 million VND for publications in international journals. Recently, the university has also supported lecturers with 100 to 150 million VND if they propose ideas and organize seminars. Professor Pham Quang Minh also established a free lunch club called "Lunch Box" to help staff practice and improve their skills, overcoming obstacles in practicing English after work. Many call him the "captain" who is striving to steer the "ship" of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities towards integration with the world. In mid-2019, Professor Pham Quang Minh was awarded third prize in the National Award for Foreign Information with his book "Vietnam's Innovative Foreign Policy (1986-2015)". In the field of foreign affairs and international relations, he has also published dozens of books and textbooks, nearly 100 research papers published domestically, and more than 30 articles in prestigious international journals. The professor believes that for the world to understand Vietnam, each individual must first have a deep understanding of the national culture and the policies and guidelines of the Party and the State. And if we understand it simply, external communication is about promoting the beauty of the people and culture of the country to the international community, then each of us can do it.

The story of the LQ index

"An average teacher only knows how to tell stories, a good teacher knows how to explain, an excellent teacher knows how to demonstrate, but a great teacher is one who knows how to inspire." This is what Professor Pham Quang Minh always believed. In his research and teaching, he worked wholeheartedly, imparting knowledge to his students in the most natural and gentle way. But he not only inspired students in their studies, he also taught them to live with compassion.

During the period when the entire country was implementing the Prime Minister's Directive 16 on social isolation, many students from outside Hanoi attending the University of Social Sciences and Humanities faced numerous difficulties, especially those living in dormitories. Professor Pham Quang Minh instructed the trade union, youth union, and student association to inform students about those in need of assistance. In the spirit of support and contributions from faculty and staff, thousands of students facing difficulties received essential supplies delivered directly to them by volunteer faculty and students during the lockdown. Professor Pham Quang Minh also personally presented gifts to students in the Me Tri dormitory, including many international students, which deeply moved them.

I remember that in August 2019, after reading about the case of Tran Thi Hong Ngoc (from Nghe An province) who passed the entrance exam but whose family was struggling financially and couldn't afford to enroll, Professor Pham Quang Minh, as the principal, decided to waive all tuition fees for Ngoc, arranged for dormitory accommodation to be waived, and sent staff to pick her up from her home to bring her to school for enrollment. This humane gesture spread, and many individuals and organizations continued to support Ngoc and her family so she could focus on her studies.

During the opening ceremony of the 2019-2020 academic year at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the message of compassion and humanity from the speech of the Rector, Mr. Pham Quang Minh, was conveyed to thousands of students and spread throughout society: “The more digitized and developed society becomes, the more compassion people need; otherwise, we are merely machines. Besides IQ and EQ, you also need LQ – the index of compassion, the ability to put yourself in others' shoes to empathize…” The LQ index and the Rector's message were not only shared among students and alumni but also remembered by the faculty members of the university, emphasizing that: Training and integration are important, but if the university does not teach compassion, it loses its humanistic meaning.

Professor Pham Quang Minh often considers himself fortunate to have met many great teachers in his life. There was Professor Dac in the classroom at a temple in a remote village, who kindly inquired about his well-being and gifted him a valuable fountain pen; there was Professor Nguy Nhu Kon Tum, like a "fairy godmother," on his first day at the university; there was Professor Tran Quoc Vuong with his introductory archaeology classes; there was the gentle Russian teacher Anna, who instilled a love of Russian culture and art in Vietnamese students; and there were the German professors who instilled in students the spirit of "critical thinking" in scientific research... Perhaps all of these experiences gradually shaped Professor Pham Quang Minh into the person he is today. And now, he feels inspired by his lecturers and students, always believing that the path he is on is truly meaningful.

According to the People's Army Newspaper