Associate Professor, Doctor, Meritorious Teacher Vu Thi Phung: Reaping happiness through love and passion.

Exactly one year ago, on October 14, 2014, at the inauguration ceremony of the new Faculty Board, Associate Professor Dr. Vu Thi Phung, as the former Dean, gave a brief but memorable speech that left a lasting impression on the attendees: “I am delighted to see that the new Faculty Board members are all 20 years younger than me, with high aspirations, bright minds, full of energy, enthusiasm, and creativity. Many people have told me that having such successors at the end of my term is a blessing. And today, I am truly a happy person.”!"

I kept thinking about her concluding remark. Indeed, few people can say "I am a happy person" with such genuine joy and radiance from the bottom of their heart. This statement helped me revisit the happiness she had cherished and accumulated throughout her decades-long journey, from a studious girl from the rice-growing region of Thai Binh, to an outstanding student, a dedicated scientist, an experienced administrator, and an Honored Teacher in the hearts of generations of students.

Associate Professor, Doctor, Distinguished Teacher Vu Thi Phung/Photo: Thanh Long

Once, she invited the entire faculty to visit her newly built, spacious house on her parents' old land in Thai Binh. We happily enjoyed the fresh air of the countryside, with its tiled roof, brick courtyard, garden, and fish pond, and were constantly amazed. But she showed us a photograph of the old house, with its mud walls, thatched roof, and doors made of woven bamboo panels, below which was the inscription "The place where Mother raised us to adulthood." She said that when her father went to join the army and died, she was only 8 years old, but already had three younger siblings. Despite the poverty and hardship, she always loved to learn and was avid readers. Her happiness came from tending buffaloes on the wide meadow and reading books on all subjects borrowed from friends around the village. Books not only helped her become an excellent student in literature throughout high school but also led her to Hanoi University, where she became a student in the History Department (class of 1976-1980).

In 1980, after graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Archival History, she was retained by the University as a lecturer in the Archival Department, Faculty of History, Hanoi University. For her, this was a stroke of luck and happiness. She always secretly thanked the teachers of the Faculty of History and the Archival Department, because thanks to their choice, she had the opportunity to continue her studies and contribute to the profession. In 1998, she furthered her education and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Law from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. A year later, she successfully defended her doctoral dissertation in historical science with a research topic on "State administrative documents during the Nguyen Dynasty". In 2005, she was awarded the title of Associate Professor. In 2014, she was awarded the Third-Class Labor Medal and the title of Excellent Teacher by the State. On the day the Faculty held a ceremony to celebrate November 20th, 2014, and congratulate her on this important occasion, we saw her smiling radiantly. She said, with barely suppressed emotion, "I feel lucky and happy!"

If you were to list the events in chronological order, one might think her path seemed smooth and easy. But having been her student and now her colleague, we know that the happiness she has achieved is not simple and is truly well-deserved.

I've always been curious and wondered about the high regard that undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students have for Professor Phung's lectures. Indeed, as a student, due to my youthful naivety, I naturally absorbed the knowledge she taught without paying attention to her teaching style. Later, as a lecturer myself, I realized how difficult it is to achieve her level of skill. My curiosity prompted me to want to attend her lectures again. Her distinctive, husky voice, yet captivating and engaging, has charmed generations of students during their time in university. Her profound knowledge, delivered with passion and enthusiasm, combined with wit and humor, makes her classes feel "very short," often ending with a longing in the students' minds to "last" longer. Not only with students, but later, having participated with her many times in short-term training courses for various agencies, organizations, and businesses nationwide, I realized that her ability to inspire extended to officials, civil servants, and employees of all ages, positions, and professions. And I have somewhat understood the secret behind her classroom teaching, which has become her "trademark." It is the happiness in teaching and work that she always tells us is ""Sow knowledge, reap virtue."What made her lectures successful was the happiness of living a life that was useful to others. She helped me realize the first truth in my teaching career: "To excel in the classroom, every lecturer should feel happiness in their own lectures." Ms. Phung's first happiness lay in that simple truth.

In her scientific research activities, she has made significant contributions to historical science, law, textual studies, archival studies, and office administration. Specifically, she has chaired and participated in 4 national-level projects, 10 ministerial-level projects, and 2 institutional-level projects. She has also contributed to 9 books, including 5 independently published, and is the author of over 90 scientific journal articles and conference proceedings. Some of her notable works, either written or edited, include:History of the State and Law of Vietnam(University textbook) published in 1997, reprinted with additions and revisions in 1998, 2003, and 2008);Office secretarial duties(University textbook, published in 2001, reprinted in 2003, 2008, and 2010);State administrative documents during the Nguyen Dynasty(monograph, published in 2005);Basic archiving operations(textbook for vocational high school, published in 2006) and many other books.

In her scientific research activities, Associate Professor, Doctor, Meritorious Teacher Vu Thi Phung has made remarkable contributions to the fields of history, law, textual studies, archival studies, and office management. /Photo: Thanh Long

After her passionate lectures, her next source of happiness is sitting at her desk, working with new knowledge to create research products with high scientific value. Her passion for research has helped her accumulate valuable knowledge, fueling her lectures and solving many theoretical and practical problems in her field. She dedicates the end of the day, when lectures, worries, and busy schedules are temporarily set aside, to quiet contemplation on her research. She often works very late; sometimes we receive her emails long into the next day. She established and maintained this habit from a young age. She confided that no words can describe the joy she feels when reading insightful articles or books, or when she deciphers a complex, unclear, or perplexing scientific problem. It was this fervent pursuit of new horizons of knowledge that enabled her to publish numerous research papers of high theoretical and practical value, gaining recognition from the professional community. Her sharp and concise thinking, conveyed through a logical, coherent, and well-structured writing style, is a readily apparent characteristic of her research. Seeing her excitedly signing autographs for students and colleagues each time she published a scientific paper, I knew she was happy – a happiness born from her passion for science.

She once confided: "After nearly 40 years of studying and working at the university, I feel incredibly fortunate and happy. Everything that has happened to me feels like a dream, but that dream is real. And I wonder: could I have achieved all of this dreamlike reality if I hadn't chosen this university, if I hadn't had these teachers, friends, and the wonderful generations of students from the former Hanoi University and the current University of Social Sciences and Humanities?" / Photo: Thanh Long

In her administrative work, she has made significant contributions to the Department, the Faculty, and to some extent, to the University's overall management. In 1996, the Faculty of Archival Studies was separated from the Faculty of History, becoming an independent faculty directly under the University. She, along with many faculty members of the Archival Studies Department, dedicated much effort to building the Faculty of Archival Studies and Office Management as it is today. Particularly during the period of 2009-2014, as Head of the Faculty, building upon the successes of previous generations of leaders, she led the unit to achieve significant progress. All the achievements of the Faculty over the years bear her personal mark, such as: transforming training programs; implementing the doctoral program in Archival Studies; developing the Master's program in Office Management; expanding domestic and international cooperation; and developing and implementing several new research directions in textual studies, archival studies, and office management. Implement various professional activities to increase staff income and create a friendly and cohesive working environment within the Department.

Having been fortunate enough to work as her assistant since my time at the University, I was completely convinced and impressed by her admirable managerial qualities. These included creativity and decisiveness in her work, a remarkable ability to assess and allocate human resources, and exceptional managerial sensitivity. Her creativity led to many bold ideas in the management of the department and faculty. Her ability to delegate and her decisive leadership helped her successfully realize many management ideas. Finally, her sensitivity allowed her to skillfully coordinate and utilize all the department's resources towards a common goal. All these qualities contributed to her remarkable achievements in her managerial work. I and many other staff members truly matured during our collaboration with her. The current development of the Department of Archival Studies and Office Management is the result of the hard work of many generations of teachers, including a significant contribution from Ms. Phụng. And we know that she's happy about that too.

Associate Professor, Doctor, Meritorious Teacher Vu Thi Phung is happy alongside her life partner - Associate Professor, Doctor, Meritorious Teacher Lam Ba Nam/Photo: Thanh Long

Not only is she a successful professional, Associate Professor Dr. Vu Thi Phung is also an exemplary wife and mother. Her family is currently very fulfilling, with two generations pursuing scientific careers. Many young faculty members have taken her family model as a goal to strive for. Once, in a press interview, when asked about the "life or death" choice between family and career, she shared, in essence: "If I only chose family, I would be a woman. If I only chose career, I would be an intellectual. As an intellectual woman, I want both. But if life forced me to choose one, I would choose family, and even after shedding countless tears, the sadness would never fade." Fortunately, to this day, our esteemed professor has not had to face that harsh choice. She often says she's lucky to have a family where everyone loves and respects each other, shares household chores, and always supports and encourages her through difficulties as well as joys in her work. Despite being busy with her department and university work, she always makes time for her family, caring for her elderly mother, raising her children, loving her grandchildren, and sharing the joys of work with her husband.

Her happiness seemed even more complete when her contributions were recognized by the organization and the state. For 12 years, she was an outstanding worker at the grassroots level, and for 5 years, she was an outstanding worker at the National University level. She received prestigious commendations from the Ministry of Education and Training and the Government. And especially in 2014, she was awarded the Third-Class Labor Medal and the title of Excellent Teacher by the state. This was a well-deserved recognition of the efforts and dedication she has contributed to her profession and to society. Although both teachers received the Third-Class Labor Medal and many other commendations, they decided to choose and display the title of Excellent Teacher in their living room. She said, "That is the most prestigious award for those in the teaching profession." Seeing her radiant as she received congratulatory flowers from colleagues and students, we saw her smiling happily.

At the opening ceremony of the 2014-2015 academic year, she was chosen to represent the faculty and staff of the entire university in giving a speech. Here is an excerpt from her speech: “Having studied and worked at the university for nearly 40 years, in many roles: student, lecturer, researcher, and administrator; having learned from many respected teachers; having shared knowledge with countless generations of students; having traveled to all provinces and cities across the country and even to several countries around the world…, I feel truly fortunate and happy. Sometimes, reflecting on it, I feel that everything that has happened to me is like a dream, but that dream is real. And I ask myself: could I have achieved all these dreamlike things if I hadn't chosen this university, if I hadn't had these teachers, friends, and the wonderful generations of students of the former Hanoi University and the current University of Social Sciences and Humanities?”"

Currently, Associate Professor, Doctor, and Meritorious Teacher Vu Thi Phung still holds important positions in the Department of Archival Studies and Office Management, such as Chairperson of the Scientific and Training Council and Head of the Office Management Department. Passionate and dedicated to her work, she continues to seek and reap her own happiness through her love and passion for teaching, research, and life.