1. In 1974, after graduating from the prestigious Ngo Quyen High School in Hai Phong city, young Nguyen Hai Ke became a student in the 15th cohort of the History Department at Hanoi University (now the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi). Unlike many who were "forced" into the History Department (though they later became passionate about history and went on to become renowned historians), Nguyen Hai Ke came to history voluntarily. Studying the Ancient and Medieval History of Vietnam, he was taught, mentored, and mentored by famous professors in the Department, who imparted not only knowledge but also a burning passion. Graduating with honors, he became a lecturer in the Department and has been dedicated to the History Department and the profession of history teaching ever since. After devoting his youth to the Youth Union movement, in 1987 he went to the Soviet Union to study, completing his doctoral and postdoctoral dissertations.Returning after nine years abroad, two years later (1998), together with the leaders of the History Department and Professor Tran Quoc Vuong, he threw himself into building the Department of Vietnamese Cultural History (now renamed Cultural Studies and Vietnamese Cultural History). From then on, building on a solid foundation of knowledge of Vietnamese history, especially the ancient and medieval periods, he passionately explored and discovered aspects of the nation's cultural life, from tradition to understanding the present or deciphering the present from the dialectics of tradition. Fifteen years of dedicated effort, he and his colleagues and students created a mature, reputable training program that attracts a large number of history students, and is recognized, accepted, and highly valued by society. As Head of the Department since 2004, he has steered the History Department through a challenging period, as many illustrious faculty members retired or colleagues moved to other organizations. A generation of staff born in the latter half of the 1970s, now comprising nearly two-thirds of the History Department, has matured under his care, gradually becoming capable of continuing the mission, prestige, and reputation of a leading institution for historical education and research in the country.
2. He still says he loves being a teacher, although he also says: “For the vast majority of people who invest in education and exams to choose a major and a profession, teaching is the last, not the first, choice in the Vietnamese society. Therefore, those who, from their youth, step onto the podium until retirement, remain loyal to teaching are not simply settling for mediocrity. Loyalty to the profession is truly unwavering, demonstrating resilience through self-assessment, so that they don't only return to teaching when they are retired, but even when they are successful or achieve success, they don't abandon it, but remain dedicated to teaching, tirelessly learning and nurturing future generations…” And he has achieved what he wanted. He has many students, especially since the establishment of the Vietnamese Cultural History major. In fifteen years of training, with more than ten graduating classes, he has nearly two hundred students. He teaches his students with knowledge, erudition, and a method of critical thinking. He was willing to drop everything else and accompany his students on surveys, no matter how far, arduous, or difficult. He shared everything he had with his students, from knowledge and experience to money and his heart. Learning from him was both easy and difficult. He didn't have the habit of monologues, simply reading aloud or speaking to students; instead, he required them to think critically, express their opinions and viewpoints. Therefore, in the late 1990s, when he had just returned from Russia, some people said that Nguyen Hai Ke, while lecturing, would recite poetry, sing himself, or make students sing, which was very unserious. But in reality, he was lecturing on folk culture and folk songs. What higher education emphasizes today—the need to promote student initiative—he had been applying for a long time. 3. He was passionate about history and Vietnamese culture. His footsteps followed Professors Le and Doan on their field trips to learn about the Lam Son Uprising and the reclamation of the coastal areas of Northern Vietnam... Last night, March 19th, Nguyen Hung Vi - a lecturer in the Literature Department - stayed up all night writing a poem mourning him, remembering the time: “Where are the old field trips now? Barefoot, tattered clothes, wandering here and there. Where are the mountain corners and cloud-covered peaks? The frail figure of Uncle Ho wading out… At night, we reflect on the sweet song, the world's affairs, what can we do in old age?” 4. He often said: "I'm Hai Ke, but I'm 'without a plan'." He had a whole ocean of ambitions and dreams, tirelessly striving to know broadly and understand deeply, and then passing that knowledge on to generations of students and to society. He appears frequently on television and in the media, not for fame or reputation, and certainly not for "fees" (because even if he received any, he and his students would spend it all at a beer bar after each show, and sometimes even have to pay extra out of his own pocket), but because he wants to convey the messages of the nation's historical and cultural heritage to the general public. He is wholeheartedly dedicated to the common good but very "clumsy" when it comes to personal gain, never calculating gains or losses for himself. He doesn't "compete" but only knows how to yield.
5. He lived his life to the fullest. As a teacher, he was devoted to his students, whether they were first-year university students or graduate students about to defend their dissertations. As a scientist, he devoted himself to his childhood passion, for himself and for society as a kind of "civic responsibility." As a friend, regardless of age, he was always loyal, devoted, and sincere. His sudden passing, less than two weeks after falling ill, shocked and saddened everyone who knew him, whether close friends or those who had only read his books or heard him speak. They suddenly realized: there is a void, like a garden after a storm, and it is not easy for a "replacement" rain to come immediately.
