From the Faculty of Letters to the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities

With the glorious spirit of a thousand years of Thang Long - Hanoi and 935 years of the Imperial Academy - the cradle of Vietnam's first liberal arts university, generations of teachers and students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) proudly and solemnly commemorate the 65th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh signing the decree establishing the University of Literature - the predecessor of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities today - and receiving the Ho Chi Minh Order, a prestigious award bestowed by the Party and the State.Just over a month after the success of the August Revolution, on October 10, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh signed Decree 45, establishing the Faculty of Literature in Hanoi with the aim of training secondary school literature professors and raising the level of humanities to be worthy of an independent nation and to keep pace with advanced countries around the world. To prepare for the new academic year, the first under the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, in early November 1945, the Minister of National Education signed a series of decrees announcing the training program for professors, the examination regulations of the Faculty of Literature, and appointed Professor Dang Thai Mai as Director. Simultaneously, a college-level political and social studies class was opened, "temporarily located within the Faculty of Literature and overseen by a Secretary-General." Based on the opinion of the Government Council, the Minister of National Education signed a Decree appointing 25 professors to teach at the Faculty of Literature, including professors such as: Dang Thai Mai, Dao Duy Anh, Cao Xuan Huy, Ho Huu Tuong, Nguyen Duc Nguyen, Nguyen Van Huyen, Nguyen Manh Tuong, Nguyen Huy Bao, Cu Huy Can, Ngo Xuan Dieu, Tran Van Giap, Tran Khanh Giu, Pham Duy Khiem, Bui Ky, Nguyen Dinh Thi, and Doan Phu Tu. Notably, President Ho Chi Minh and Comrade Pham Van Dong taught in the Constitutional Department, and Comrade Vo Nguyen Giap taught in the Economics Department. On November 15, 1945, the Faculty of Literature, along with the Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Dental Universities, the College of Science, the College of Fine Arts, the College of Public Works, and the College of Veterinary Medicine in Hanoi, participated in the opening ceremony of the first academic year of the Vietnamese university system under the new regime. President Ho Chi Minh presided over this ceremony. At the opening ceremony, Professor Nguyen Van Huyen said: "The Vietnamese people, in addition to the bloody struggle on the battlefield, also strive to participate in the progress of humanity. We want this new university system to be a strong force among the fighting forces of the Vietnamese nation. We want it to be a bulwark for the protracted resistance to completely restore our territory and liberate the spirit of our nation. We are a nation with a thousand years of independent history and have created a unique civilization on the shores of the Pacific Ocean." This was a declaration to the world about the role of the new Vietnamese universities in the sacred mission of protecting the newly won national independence. In the first academic year, 1945-1946, universities and colleges in Hanoi had 1,149 officially enrolled students and 270 auditors. The majors taught at the Faculty of Literature at that time were: Eastern Philosophy, Vietnamese Literature, Chinese Literature, Western Literature, History, Geography, and Russian Language, with 253 official students and 81 auditors. In December 1946, the nationwide resistance war broke out, and all universities left Hanoi for the free zones, continuing training on a smaller scale or temporarily suspending training. In October 1951, the Ministry of National Education issued a decree to open an additional University Preparatory Board in Thanh Hoa, with the Social Sciences Board headed by Professor Tran Van Giau. Under the roof of the Faculty of Literature, brilliant and talented scientists and teachers dedicated their hearts and minds to nurturing this university throughout the long resistance war. In the early 1950s, they trained a generation of outstanding students, including professors of the later University of General Studies, and the present-day University of Social Sciences and Humanities, such as Professors Dinh Xuan Lam, Phan Huy Le, Ha Van Tan, Tran Quoc Vuong, Nguyen Tai Can, Cao Xuan Hao, Dang Thi Hanh, Phan Cu De, Ha Minh Duc, and many other teachers. In 1956, the Government established Hanoi University based on its predecessor institutions: the University of Science, the University of Literature, the University of Basic Sciences, and the Preparatory University in Zone 4. The teachers who laid the foundation for the University of Literature, such as Professors Dang Thai Mai, Dao Duy Anh, Tran Duc Thao, Tran Van Giau, Cao Xuan Huy, Nguyen Manh Tuong, Nguyen Duc Nguyen, etc., along with their outstanding students, returned to build Hanoi University and continued to organize training in Literature and History. Several scientists were transferred from other agencies to supplement the Faculty of Literature, such as Professors Hoang Xuan Nhi, Hoang Nhu Mai, Dinh Gia Khanh, Le Dinh Ky, Phan Ngoc, and others. This talented faculty laid the foundation for the school's achievements in research and training in Vietnamese social sciences and humanities for over half a century. During the war against the US, many teachers and students of the school went to "cut through the Truong Son Mountains to save the country," and among them were those who never returned. These included teachers such as Le Anh Xuan, Ngo Van So, Pham Van Phong, and students such as Chu Cam Phong, Nguyen Trong Dinh, Dang Luan, Nguyen Hong, and dozens of others. Their names have been etched into the glorious history of the nation and have brought honor to the school's tradition. On December 10, 1993, the Government issued a Decree establishing the Vietnam National University, Hanoi. As a member university of the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities was established on the basis of the social science faculties of the University of Hanoi. Over the past 65 years, from the four departments of Philosophy, Vietnamese Studies, Sinology, and History-Geography of the Faculty of Literature, and then the two faculties of Literature and History of the University of Hanoi, the structure of training programs at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has expanded to include many new disciplines, meeting the needs of social practice. Currently, 14 faculties and two departments are offering bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. In addition, 11 research centers and a museum serve as research and learning facilities for staff and students. Operating within the structure of Vietnam National University, Hanoi for the past 15 years, the university's leadership has proactively identified key directions and implemented them according to a specific roadmap in the areas of faculty development; innovation in curriculum content and training methods; linking scientific research with training; strengthening international cooperation through collaborative training programs with foreign universities and jointly carrying out research projects and scientific conferences... The faculty has received increasing attention in terms of planning, training, and development. Currently, the number of lecturers with postgraduate qualifications accounts for 83.52% of the total teaching staff. There are 173 lecturers aged 35 or younger (accounting for 50% of the total faculty of the university). In just the past half-century, the university's teaching staff has included 27 People's Teachers, 65 Excellent Teachers, 43 professors, and 104 associate professors. The professors are reputable educators, cultural figures, and scientists who have dedicated their entire lives and intellect to the cause of "nurturing human resources," establishing the school's position and scientific prestige. To date, the school has trained over 40,000 bachelors (including hundreds of foreigners), over 500 doctoral graduates, and over 1,400 master's graduates (including foreigners) for the country. Many former students have been entrusted with important responsibilities in Party and State agencies at the central and local levels by the Party and the people. Among the more than 5,000 foreigners who studied Vietnamese at the school, eight have served as Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Vietnam, and dozens of other diplomatic officials. In terms of scientific research, over the past 10 years, the school's staff have led and participated in dozens of national-level projects and nearly a thousand ministerial and institutional-level projects. Many of these topics have directly or indirectly contributed to solving major problems in the academic, cultural, educational, and political life of the country, such as: the Vietnamese political system in history, the traditional values ​​of the Vietnamese people, President Ho Chi Minh's ideology of national unity, sovereignty over the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagos, the southwestern border, the preservation and promotion of Hue's Han-Nom heritage, Vietnamese literature in the 20th century, the Vietnamese language in the 20th century, Vietnamese history, the history of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the history of the Vietnamese National Assembly, the history of the Vietnamese Government (1945-1955), and the values ​​of Thang Long's thousand-year history... The school's strengths in basic research are maintained and strengthened, while the application of research works is enhanced and improved so that research results are quickly put into teaching and serve social life. Recognizing the contributions of the school's staff, the Party and State have awarded the school the Independence Order of various classes, over 100 other medals of various types and classes, and hundreds of certificates of merit to collectives and individuals. In 2005, the school was awarded the title of Heroic Labor Unit in the Renovation Period. Notably, among the teachers who have worked and are currently working at the school, eight have received the Ho Chi Minh Prize, and eleven have received the State Prize. Established during a time when the democratic government and the people were in their nascent stages, the Faculty of Literature truly embodies President Ho Chi Minh's far-sighted vision regarding the position and role of social sciences and humanities in the nation-building process and in preserving and promoting the cultural values ​​of the nation. Uncle Ho's profound ideology has been a guiding light throughout the 65 years of continuous training and research, from the Faculty of Literature to Hanoi University, and now the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (VNU) today. Working and studying under the roof of a school founded by Uncle Ho is an honor and a source of pride for every teacher at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. With its 65-year tradition, the school is determined to develop all its intellectual and humanistic potential to build this institution into a place where teachers and students who preserve and promote the humanistic values ​​of the nation will forever be present, worthy of the trust and love of the Party and the people, worthy of an independent nation, and keeping pace with advanced countries around the world, as Uncle Ho always wished.