Dr. Tran Bach Hieu: "Only those who have emotions are human"

In 2019, Dr. Tran Bach Hieu was honored by the Central Youth Union as a national outstanding young teacher for the first time. He has been a lecturer for 13 years, especially teaching subjects such as Ho Chi Minh Thought, Party Awareness Training... subjects that are often considered boring, but this young lecturer's classes are always full, and feedback on his classes is always very high...

As someone who has studied, researched and taught about President Ho Chi Minh, every May, what do you want to say to young people, especially students?

Dr. Tran Bach Hieu:Every time May comes, perhaps every Vietnamese person has a nostalgic, emotional mood as well as special feelings when thinking about the father of the nation - President Ho Chi Minh - a son born from the nation and who has brought glory to the whole nation. Thinking about Uncle Ho these days, I feel even more deeply the famous verse of poet To Huu: "Loving Uncle Ho makes my heart purer", because understanding him will give us positive, strangely kind thoughts. Nowadays, many young people and students feel a lack of motivation, lack of confidence, even overwhelmed by the increasingly developed world, by people who seem to be "born at the finish line". When learning about the life of President Ho Chi Minh, we know that he came from a basic Confucian family, and could have lived a peaceful life, but no, he thought and lived much bigger than people at that time imagined. Worried about the fate of the nation, Uncle Ho became a revolutionary activist, a true communist soldier to fight for independence and freedom for his people. Therefore, young people should soon find their own mission, need to eliminate negative emotions, jealousy, envy and unmotivated thoughts. The more complicated, volatile, and changing life is, the more we have to adapt. Therefore, for young people, I sincerely advise them to think big, think broadly, think deeply; do not just think about the immediate things, do not let common desires make you lose your noble ideals in life, forget the mission of your human heart.

What personally impresses you most about Ho Chi Minh's moral example?

In 2009, he wrote an article "Applying Ho Chi Minh's thought to international solidarity in the current context" onMagazine International Research Information. How should this application be understood in the present time?

Dr. Tran Bach Hieu:That article is more than ten years old but now thinking back it is quite interesting when relating to the current situation. It can be said that Ho Chi Minh's thought on international solidarity is extremely unique, it combines national strength with the strength of the times to create an invincible strength, helping to defeat all unjust enemies. In the current context, the enemy is not only Vietnam's but also that of all humanity, which is the Covid-19 pandemic. For nearly 4 months, since the outbreak of the epidemic, Vietnam has truly become a leading symbol in disease prevention recognized by international friends. We are proud of the nation's tradition of mutual love, inheriting and successfully applying President Ho Chi Minh's thought of great national solidarity in disease prevention. Vietnam's success shows that if countries around the world join hands and unite to fight the epidemic like fighting against a common enemy, applying the unique values ​​in President Ho Chi Minh's thought of international solidarity, the world has full confidence to defeat the epidemic as Vietnam has been doing in the past time. Because one country winning the pandemic is not enough, the world can only win the pandemic when all countries are safe, so the issue of international solidarity needs more attention than ever.

Dr. Tran Bach Hieu:Rarely does any nation have a person like our President Ho Chi Minh, whose name has become the pride of the entire nation, the respect and love of international friends when mentioning the two words Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh's moral ideology is an extremely precious heritage not only for our Vietnam but also for all of humanity. In his moral ideology, I am especially impressed with the virtue of sacrifice. It is the virtue of sacrifice of a heart that always beats in unison with everyone. Perhaps in the moral values ​​of any ideology, culture, religion, the virtue of sacrifice is always the highest moral value, in Ho Chi Minh this virtue exists clearly. His whole life was pure, indifferent to fame and fortune, simple to the point of greatness, not asking for anything for himself, "for the sake of the country must sacrifice family love", on his chest he never received a medal. Throughout his life, he only pursued one principle: "I have only one desire, the ultimate desire, which is to make our country completely independent, our people completely free, everyone has food to eat, clothes to wear, everyone can study" and until he realized that ultimate desire, he did not think of anything for himself. Poet To Huu wrote about Uncle Ho's sacrifice very well: "Oh, Uncle Ho's heart is so loving to us, loving the common life, loving the grass and flowers, only knowing how to forget himself for everyone, like a river flowing with heavy alluvium".

In the context of life changing rapidly like today, how can political science lectures be more attractive, sir?

Dr. Tran Bach Hieu:It is true that the world is changing rapidly, the amount of information of mankind is multiplying, today's knowledge is newer than yesterday's at this very moment, so it is necessary to learn every day, every hour, teachers must always update their knowledge continuously. Political theory subjects are often labeled as dry and dogmatic. But it is clear that "theory is just gray, but the tree of life is forever green". Scientific knowledge is a priceless intellectual product of mankind. Teachers need to convey it in the easiest way to learners. It is necessary to make it real, closer, have teaching methods, approaches, and give illustrative examples that are most suitable for each group of learners. Teachers need to have a heart, use their knowledge and energy to convey knowledge with real emotions in each class, making each political class truly practical and fun for children. A teacher in a lecture hall is like a conductor, creating wonderful music for everyone, that is also the spirit of dedication to learning, the sublimation of the profession.

Do you have any message for students this year who want to study your subject at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU?

Dr. Tran Bach Hieu:The motto of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU is: "Respect the past, grasp the future". This is the school with the most tradition in our country, the predecessor is the University of Literature, the first university established by Uncle Ho's decree right after the Declaration of Independence in 1945. This school is part of the national education system, so the subject I teach, "Ho Chi Minh Thought", is considered a compulsory subject. I was also a student of the school, so I feel very truly the learning environment under this 75-year-old traditional school. The subject I teach, like many other subjects at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, is not born to create difficulties for students, but the reason for the existence of the subjects is to perfect the knowledge, attitudes and comprehensive skills for students. The school creates the most favorable conditions for students to study, research and work; takes care of the smallest things such as food and accommodation. The recent Covid-19 epidemic with the campaign "Accompanying students", The school has come to the place, handing out gifts that are not only of material value, but also of love and sympathy for the students. All of that is the crystallization of the spirit and quintessence of many generations of teachers and students from the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam to the Faculty of Literature, General Science, which is now the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU. Therefore, each generation of students when entering the school is always trained and oriented to feel the values ​​of life, compassion for life through natural vibrations because only with vibrations can one be human.