Romantic scientist from Quang Nam

Professor Hoang Trong Phien was born in 1932 in Hoa Vang, formerly Quang Nam (now part of Da Nang). It was a poor region, but renowned for producing many talented individuals throughout history. At just 13 years old, he enthusiastically joined the revolution. In 1946, when the nationwide resistance war broke out, he joined the guerrilla forces and operated in the Trung Man war zone (in Quang Nam), and was admitted to the Party before turning 18. Even in his youth, he served as Deputy Secretary of the Quang Nam-Da Nang Student Youth Union. In 1954, he relocated to the North, studying at the Central University Campus called "Duoc Tai Hoc Hieu" (Nanning, China), before returning to study at the University of Da Nang, class 1 (1956-1959). He delved deeply into linguistics and became deeply involved in this field.

Professor, Doctor, People's Teacher Hoang Trong Phien was the Head of the Linguistics Department, Faculty of Literature (1972-1973); and Head of the Vietnamese Language for Foreigners Department, Hanoi University (1973-1984).

While working in the enemy-occupied area of ​​Quang Nam, due to the policy of long-term cadre development, Hoang Trong Phien was sent by the Quang Nam Provincial Party Committee to attend junior high school and then high school at Le Khiet School in Quang Ngai. This was the only high school in Zone V during the resistance against the French. It was a famous school that produced many outstanding talents for the country. When mentioning his hometown, Professor Hoang Trong Phien often expresses deep pride. In moments of enthusiasm, he often uses the phrase "A man from Quang Nam" with great pride. And when mentioning that beloved school, he never forgets his former teachers. He recounts that during high school, he studied literature with professors such as Le Dinh Ky (later a lecturer in the Faculty of Literature), Le Tri Vien (later a lecturer at Hanoi Pedagogical University). For mathematics, he studied with professors like Professor Hoang Tuy, Professor Hoang Chung...

When we first started our first year, even before attending Professor Hoang Trong Phien's class, we had already heard many anecdotes about his life and teaching. There was a phrase that both Vietnamese and foreign students often used to "distinguish" him from other professors at the school: "very Hoang Trong Phien."

Photo: Jackie Chan

The anecdotes surrounding him generally reflect the affection of generations of students for their teacher, a "second-generation" figure in linguistic research at the university and in Vietnam. Compared to the history of the Faculty of Literature, he was actually a graduate of the first cohort, or what some call the first generation, according to the academic year.

When we studied under him, we were very curious and interested. He was a very eloquent speaker. His powerful voice added wings to the knowledge he imparted to our class, overwhelming us country boys with many topics beyond our specialized field of Linguistics. During his lessons, he often told stories about Russia. Through his stories, we imagined Russia as a paradise. A place with vast birch forests. In winter, everywhere was covered in white snow. The pure white was so intense that it felt like we could swallow it with a sweet, cool sensation. Through Hoang Trong Phien's endless words, the boys in our class gaped, imagining a group of fairies before us. These were female students from Belarus, Ukraine, and other countries, each wearing a blue dress and white blouse, with blonde hair flowing over their shoulders and eyes the color of the Volga River. Hoang Trong Phien was a man who loved Russia unconditionally. Russia was not only a major scientific center of the world, but also the place that nurtured his incredibly imaginative romantic soul. Where it flew, only he knew. But surely, in his many lectures, it subtly appeared in our classes, both in stylistics and general linguistics. I remember vividly that back then, when teaching general linguistics, he didn't use Vietnamese textbooks. Before him was only a thick Russian book. He used it to teach us directly. He was one of the first teachers to introduce general linguistic theory and to introduce Ju. X. Stepanov in Vietnam. If I remember correctly, it was that book.Obsee jazukaznanieby Ju. X. Xtepanov (published in Moscow). Later, he also introduced another book.Jazùk kak sistemno-strykturnoe obrazovanieby VM Solnsev (published in Moscow 1977). Professor Hoang Trong was one of the first Associate Doctors "properly trained" in the Soviet Union, and his direct use of "original" materials in his teaching was also an expression of his burning love for the country that had educated him.

Throughout his life, Professor Hoang Trong Phien dedicated himself to the University, the Faculty, and the noble cause of educating people. He guided and supported many generations of students, helping them to mature and make significant contributions to society. His first book was...Vietnamese grammar (sentence)) (University and Vocational Training Publishing House, Hanoi, 1980) has been reprinted many times and is still sought after by students today.

From left to right: Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Thach Giang, Dr. Trinh Ho Khoa, Prof. Dr. Hoang Trong Phien, Prof. Dr. Le Quang Thiem / Photo: Bui Tuan

Speaking of his career in education and research, Professor Hoang Trong Phien was one of the few senior figures in the Faculty. He was the first to establish the Vietnamese language program for foreigners and the first officially recognized head of the Vietnamese Language Faculty. The title of Head of the Vietnamese Language Faculty at that time was both prestigious and important. It was prestigious because he owned a four-story building in Bach Khoa ward, had his own bank account and seal. The head of the faculty was granted a high degree of autonomy, no less than that of a principal of a small university. It was important because he was entrusted with managing all the international students studying Vietnamese language and culture under the Ministry of Higher Education and Vocational Training at that time. Bearing such a heavy responsibility and holding such a significant position, he still maintained the integrity of an educator and a communist. Anyone who met Professor Hoang Trong Phien found him to be kind and tolerant. In his position, he protected and supported highly skilled staff, opened foreign language classes for young staff, and requested funding for research and translation when needed. Many scientific conferences often borrowed facilities at the Department of Vietnamese Studies to receive additional financial support from him. Students working on theses with him, if the topic could be useful for teaching the language, he would sign off on the typewriting with a quick signature (at that time, there were no computers, so typing was a dream for students; almost 100% of theses were handwritten). Professor Nguyen Thach Giang and Professor Bui Phung called him the benefactor of the scientists in the Department of Vietnamese Studies.

In his teaching, Hoang Trong Phien had a very distinctive style. When he taught Vietnamese Stylistics in class, his voice was often melodious. Especially when he recited poetry, listeners felt as if the sounds were sometimes like undulating waves, sometimes like a gentle breeze rustling through birch trees, and sometimes as vibrant as a symphony reaching its climax. At those times, Professor Hoang's eyes were mesmerized. He seemed to forget time and space, his mind completely absorbed in the magical resonance behind each line and each word. Most amusingly, when lecturing on the technique of comparison, he often used "vivid visual aids," leaving students speechless with surprise. Once, enthusiastically lecturing in a class of nearly 100 students, he walked slowly down the aisle and recited a folk poem in a melodious voice:

Her wrists are as white as ivory.

Her eyes were as sharp as a razor.

Unexpectedly, he took the hand of a female student, held it up high, and said, "This wrist is as white as ivory." The whole class was stunned. He was truly brilliant. They thought he wouldn't pay attention to anything while lecturing, but he had chosen the hand of the most beautiful girl. A slender, delicate, white, and truly alluring hand.

He possessed a unique art of lecturing on linguistics in general, and Vietnamese in particular. These subjects, often abstract and dry, became lively and engaging through his lectures. He ignited and instilled in his students a love for the Vietnamese language. It is said that, at the lecture hall of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, students from other classes gathered around to watch a Vietnamese professor demonstrate and teach practical Vietnamese. That professor was Hoang Trong Phien, when he was a visiting professor at the university.

That's Hoàng Trọng Phiến's style. The phrase that generations of students jokingly use to describe him as "very Hoàng Trọng Phiến" has become an adjective with a unique identity that cannot be confused with anyone else's.

It can be said that throughout his years at university, wherever Hoang Trong Phien appeared, there was laughter. In this scientist from Quang Nam province, the artistic spirit remained the fundamental quality that shaped his entire career and life. This very quality was a factor that made his life always soaring, expansive, and gave him that endearing quality so unique to Hoang Trong Phien. The professor's life spanned several decades of hardship; he overcame all kinds of trials and tribulations to achieve his dreams. What he left behind were those lovely years full of memories, which even today, when he is in a moment of inspiration, he still recalls with immense enthusiasm and pride. Many articles about him and poems from his students demonstrate this.

At eighty years old, Professor Hoang Trong Phien still lives a youthful life and continues to participate in training high-quality human resources. In his scientific career, besides his contributions to research, he has supervised 32 doctoral candidates who successfully defended their dissertations, many of whom are now associate professors, professors, and accomplished administrators. He truly deserves the title "Modern-day Quang Nam scholar" bestowed upon him by generations of students, alongside the affectionate nickname "Our Professor Hoang" often used by his foreign students.