A panel discussion introducing the memoir "The Realm of Learning and the Teacher"

Thursday - November 16, 2017 16:09

On the morning of November 15, 2017, the Faculty of Journalism and Communication (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) organized a seminar to introduce the book "The Realm of Learning and the Teacher" by Professor Ha Minh Duc. This latest collection of essays by the author portrays the lives of many leading professors in the fields of social sciences and humanities.

Attending the seminar were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Minh Hoa (Vice Rector of the University), poet Huu Thinh (President of the Vietnam Writers Association), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huong (Head of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication), along with many teachers and generations of students from within and outside the university who admire and love the works of Professor and People's Teacher Ha Minh Duc.

The book launch and discussion took place in a friendly and warm atmosphere.

Speaking at the seminar, on behalf of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication, Associate Professor Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huong presented a bouquet of flowers to congratulate Professor Ha Minh Duc on the launch of his 69th book. She also expressed her sincere and profound gratitude for his significant contributions to research and training at the Faculty of Journalism and Communication and to the University.

Associate Professor Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huong and generations of students in the Faculty express their profound gratitude to Professor and People's Teacher Ha Minh Duc.

In a simple yet incredibly warm atmosphere, Professor Ha Minh Duc shared memorable anecdotes about the teachers who had a great influence on his life and career. Among them, he had a particularly memorable anecdote about Professor Dang Thai Mai:The first task Professor Mai assigned me was to find some articles from newspapers in the library. For months, I searched for the articles he requested, carefully copied them, and presented them to him. I remember one morning when I went to see him, he was sitting smoking and reading the newspaper. I handed him the notes I had taken. After glancing at them, with a serious expression, he put the documents down on the table and said, "All of this is worthless." I was bewildered and worried. He continued, "For an article, everything related to it is important. The author's name, the year it was written, where it was published, the publication date, the name of the newspaper... you didn't pay attention and your notes were careless, so this material is unusable." From then on, throughout my research and teaching career, I have always remembered this lesson."

Professor Ha Minh Duc shared profound memories about the scientists mentioned in the memoir.

Speaking about the circumstances surrounding the book's creation, Professor Ha Minh Duc said that each story was written under special circumstances, such as when writing about Professor Dang Thai Mai during a time when their teacher-student relationship was closest and most intimate, or when writing about Professor Tran Quoc Vuong, Professor Phan Cu De... these were moments of special joy or emotion that inspired him to write.

The book "The Realm of Learning and the Teacher" has a continuous thread of recollections that portray the simple, unassuming yet respectable portraits of 27 renowned scientists and educators. As seen in the opening section, the author writes "The Teacher's Fairy Tale Garden," with memories recalling a "sanctuary" of higher education in Vietnam, specifically the lecture hall at 19 Le Thanh Tong Street, Hanoi.

Poet Huu Thinh shared: "Based on everything I know and understand about Professor and People's Teacher Ha Minh Duc, allow me to affirm that..." Professor Ha Minh Duc, a People's Teacher, was a great intellectual, a great educator, and an exemplary figure of Vietnamese intellectualism.

This book is the tenth collection of essays by Professor Ha Minh Duc, following collections such as "The Professor and the Hermit," "Three Trips to America," and "Musings at the City Gate"... In this collection of portraits, Professor Ha Minh Duc focuses on those he respects and is close to, with the intention of creating portraits of each teacher as a person who upholds the moral principles of "truth, goodness, and beauty."

From fragments of memory, the author has pieced together and connected the distinctive personality traits of each character. Articles such as "Dang Thai Mai: Quiet and Eruditionful," "Nguyen Luong Ngoc: Talented and Virtuous," "The Remaining Stories of Professor Bui Van Nguyen," etc., are imbued with the author's genuine affection, gratitude, and admiration for the leading scientists and experts of Vietnamese social sciences and humanities of a bygone era.

Here are some beautiful photos from the seminar "The World of Learning and the Teacher":

Professor Ha Minh Duc, People's Teacher, poses for a commemorative photo with the teachers of the school.

Three generations of teachers and students of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication

Associate Professor Tran Thi Minh Hoa listened to the sharing from the People's Police Publishing House - the unit that organized the printing of the book.

Dr. Doan Huong congratulates Professor Ha Minh Duc on the launch of his 69th book.

Representatives from the People's Police Publishing House and teachers from the school beamed alongside Professor Ha Minh Duc.

Professor Ha Minh Duc was born in Thanh Hoa province. During the resistance war against the French, he studied in a liberated zone. After peace was restored in North Vietnam, he passed the entrance exam to the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi Pedagogical University.

During his three years of study from 1954 to 1957, Professor Ha Minh Duc was fortunate to study with many erudite educators, scientists, and cultural figures who were also dedicated teachers. To express his profound gratitude to these teachers and fellow students who greatly influenced his life and career, he compiled and published a book of scientific biographies to commemorate Vietnamese Teachers' Day on November 20th.