Associate Professor Nguyen Thach Giang was born on December 3, 1928 in Cam Thuy, Cam Lo, Quang Tri in a prestigious family with a long tradition of teaching.
In his youth, he received an education that was both traditional and updated with Western learning. He joined the revolution early and contributed to the nation's long-term resistance war to save the country. From August 1945 to August 1946, he participated in the Popular Education and Self-Defense work in Hue and Quang Tri. From August 1946 to September 1949, he enlisted in the army as a soldier of the 95th Regiment in Quang Tri. From October 1949 to December 1951, he worked at the Quang Tri Education Department. From December 1951 to May 1955, he worked at the Central Campus, Nanning, Guangxi, China. From 1956 to 1992, he worked at Hanoi National University, now the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
Entering science, he was fortunate to be guided by those considered the greatest contemporary teachers such as Professor Dang Thai Mai, Mr. Tran Le Nhan, Ngo Lap Chi..., combined with his own continuous efforts to improve, so his knowledge became increasingly profound. During his research career, he received a number of important awards such as: Nguyen Dinh Chieu Award, Phan Chu Trinh Award,...
However, what a person leaves behind for the world is not his resume! What makes the name NGUYEN THACH GIANG that future generations will remember lies in his achievements and contributions!
He is remembered by the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU as the first Head of Vietnamese Linguistics, the mason who laid the first brick, to now create a Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, not only training but also scientific research, not only teaching foreign students but also training Vietnamese students, not only in charge of the Bachelor's program but also postgraduate training.
Photo: Jackie Chan
To make a career, one must have the right equipment! Associate Professor Nguyen Thach Giang is like a bee diligently absorbing knowledge without rest, with an extremely precise and unusual scientific orientation! He follows his predecessors: "Quality is more important than quantity". But at the same time, he is also very strict: "Must be quantity to be precise!" Thanks to that, he has reached the level: "I am in charge of the Han Nom book collection of the library of the Far Eastern School of Archaeology".
As early as 2011, Associate Professor Nguyen Thach Giang confided: “Now I am old and weak. I have prepared for a long journey!”. Now he has truly gone far! And looking back, we are startled and admire his extremely elaborate “preparation”: Nearly 80 books with volumes of words and full of passion! We can mention here a few precious gems such as: “Nom Literature Dictionary”, “Classical Literature Dictionary”, “Dictionary of National Language Literature”… and the research work “Truyen Kieu” as a model!
He was also known to his family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances, as he recounted in “Picked up Countryside Words”: “A lifetime of diligently writing all year round without a single day off on Sunday or a single day off in the summer”. Perhaps that is why what he left behind always has a weight that is difficult to assess. Just with “Truyen Kieu” which he revised, it has been reprinted 33 times with a quantity of 200,000 copies. It is truly “a work of countless numbers”. And also with this work, he received an honor that few scientists have the opportunity to receive: he was once invited to a friendly dinner by the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong – as a gesture of a great personality, great intellectual, great leader – to express gratitude and to know a national talent!... We think it would not be an exaggeration to say that: as long as the Vietnamese people still know “Truyen Kieu” as a national spiritual asset; If we remember Nguyen Du as a national and world cultural celebrity, then we will not forget Associate Professor Nguyen Thach Giang - the one who examined The Tale of Kieu so that it can exist with true Truth - Goodness - Beauty!
In 1970, he confided: "When doing something, my heart always turns towards 3 directions: Past, Present (to be grateful) and Future (to dare to take responsibility for future generations)". With this confession, and with his conduct in life, he is truly an example of upright personality, and has attained the Spirit of a Wise Man!
During the ups and downs of life, he could not help but worry when he confided: "Working silently in solitude, a lifetime of solitude to entertain..." And even in the title of the last major book he chose "Picked up country words", we can feel the loneliness, sweetness and bitterness, sadness! The feelings that he did not need to hide in the title, in the afterword!... However, what everyone knows and expects is a Nguyen Thach Giang with the courage as he told himself: "With a noble and indolent heart, I will have Wisdom, Humanity, and Courage like the ancients to study and research for a long time and effectively!".
Associate Professor Nguyen Thach Giang, one of our foremost Nom scholars, has passed away forever!
But he will forever live on in his works, the "fragrant manuscripts to be read before the lamp" that he - the "creator of words" - left behind for the world!
Heartbroken for those who stay and those who go,
Tears fall, soaking the stone and silkworms,
The sky was dark and cloudy,
"The grass is sad and the branches are covered with dew"!
Author:Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language
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