Associate Professor Nguyen Van Hong was born into a Confucian family with many generations of teachers. His hometown is in the poor but studious Thanh land - also a cultural land that has produced many talented people in literature and martial arts throughout the ages. To his students, he often confided: "
My hometown is very poor, because of poverty I have to try to study and study to live.”. Once, he told his father that he did not want to continue the family teaching profession. The father looked at his son for a long time and said: “
My child, society and times can change, social positions also change. Only the title of teacher will never disappear. It is a beautiful and noble profession.With just that sentence, teaching became a destiny, a career that followed him throughout his life.
In 1955, he was sent by the State to study History at Peking University, China. At that time, because he lived far away and arrived late, he was assigned to the Chinese delegation - the last delegation to go. Unexpectedly, that was another lucky coincidence of fate, because the more he studied, the more he "absorbed" and loved the profoundness of the language and culture of this country. After 6 years of hard work in the neighboring country, he returned to Vietnam to become a lecturer in World History at Hanoi University. From 1965 to 1967, he returned to China to study at Nankai University (China). From 1996 to 2001, he was Head of the Department of Chinese Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU. From 2001 to 2007, he was Director of the Center for Chinese Studies. In terms of management, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Hong has made many contributions to the development of the World History Department of the History Department of the University of General Sciences and especially to the Chinese Studies Department of the Oriental Studies Department of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU. In 2001, when he was appointed as Head of the Chinese Studies Department, he started to build a program and plan to train a team of scientific staff for a young major at that time. The staff was still small, but Associate Professor Nguyen Van Hong advocated collaboration and good exploitation of expert resources from the Institute of Chinese Studies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other universities participating in research and teaching at the Department. With existing relationships, Associate Professor Nguyen Van Hong contributed a lot in establishing initial cooperation with the Chinese Embassy, the Taiwan Cultural Office in Vietnam and many Chinese scientists. On that basis, the staff was further strengthened with many qualified officers trained abroad, the system of documents and reference books was expanded... Initially, there were only 2 to 3 officers, of which only one or two were language lecturers. Up to now, the Department has 03 PhDs in Chinese language, masters in literature, history, economics and has begun to raise the issue of legal research. In 1996, realizing the need to further strengthen this important field of study, Associate Professor Nguyen Van Hong proposed to establish the Center for Chinese Studies and became the first Director of the Center. From an initially fledgling field of study, up to now, Chinese Studies has become a brand of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. He did not write too many books and textbooks, but they were all reprinted many times and were bedside books for students majoring in World History such as
Modern world history,
Modern Chinese History,
History of Meiji Restoration Education (Japan),
Some issues on Asian history and Vietnamese history - a perspective… From the initial foundation of world history, he expanded his research to the fields of Southeast Asian languages and cultures, especially Chinese and Japanese languages and cultures. Although Vietnamese history is not his forte, he still has a special passion. He often says: “
If you don't know Vietnamese history but study world history, it's like having no roots. If you only study Vietnamese history but separate it from the perspective and vision of the region and the world, you cannot have a comprehensive and profound view.”. Therefore, his research on issues of Asian and Vietnamese history, on cultural exchanges, on Confucianism, and more narrowly, on the views of historical figures such as Ho Chi Minh, Phan Chau Trinh, Ton Trung Son, Nguyen Truong To... are all profound and impressive. Students tell each other: listening to Mr. Hong lecture is very "interesting" - that is when the broad perspective of a world history expert blends with the profound thinking of an Eastern cultural researcher. Literature to convey morality - he does not like the dry way of teaching and learning - "
I like using literature to teach history." - he often shared this with his colleagues and students. Therefore, his lectures were always profound and subtle, containing his life experiences. It was no coincidence that, since his time as an international student in China, when he was assigned to tutor Vietnamese for comrade Li Jia Zhong, he was able to instill in his students an interest and passion for the Vietnamese language. Decades later, comrade Li Jia Zhong, the Chinese ambassador to Vietnam, still recounted: "
As if wanting to arouse my interest in learning Vietnamese, right from the first tutoring session, Mr. Hong read me some verses from “Kim Van Kieu Story”. Although I didn’t understand anything, I felt that Vietnamese was as beautiful and moving as French. Since then, decades have passed, comrade Nguyen Van Hong has always been my teacher and close friend.”. And when listening to the teacher tell stories, I never get bored. In learning, there are stories of life, and telling stories of life is to talk about learning. The teacher said that science and life are similar in that they always contain unexpected mysteries that need to be discovered, and each new discovery brings us indescribable joy. But science and life should have different ways of behaving. If science needs enthusiasm and passion, life needs stillness and serenity. I compare myself to having a bit of the personality of a Confucian scholar, a bit “crazy”, a bit “arrogant”, a bit “difficult”, my whole life he lived honestly, loved life and respected people. He did not compete nor was he in a hurry because “Fame is not as good as leisure” - he believed in fate, in the fate of each person's life. And the fate of his life was teaching, being a student, and historical science. The teacher said: someone asked me what I had to lose by teaching, I said: I didn't lose anything but gained a lot. Because I Having students, standing in front of students, I always feel small in front of their thirst for knowledge. Students are great teachers because they always urge, suggest and look forward to new knowledge, good explanations from the teacher. The teacher loves books, likes to read books until they are "absorbed". The teacher told the students: Read books and always think. If you want to do science, you must have the desire to find new things, must answer questions based on convincing arguments and evidence. When you finish answering a question, another question is also raised. When you prove something new, that is when we enjoy a wonderful joy. In addition to teaching and researching, a large part of the teacher's love and life is put into poetry. Poems about the homeland, country, poems dedicated to famous people, friends, comrades... or sometimes just fleeting thoughts and feelings. The teacher writes poems in Chinese characters, transcribes and translates poems himself. Each poem is written in the seven-word or five-word quatrain form, full of Tang poetry, elegant and full of thoughts and concerns, with both depth and breadth. Depth in feelings, inspiration about national history, breadth in relationships of a sociable, elegant and experienced person. Filled with emotions and contemplations, the teacher's Chinese poems were born one after another, condensed in the collection "Da Thao", surprising even the critics. Mr. Nguyen Quang Ha - a student and a researcher of Han Nom and History commented: "
The poetry collection “Da Thao” by Associate Professor Nguyen Van Hong was distilled from the experience of working and studying. To have a good poem, rich in wisdom, requires a process of deep thinking, experience with many sacrifices. The poetry in Da Thao has shown elegance, modernity while still carrying the flavor of Tang poetry, imbued with the tradition of East Asia.As an expert in Southeast Asian history, he had the opportunity to travel to many countries to teach and exchange knowledge. Poetry helped him make many friends and left in their hearts deep impressions and feelings of respect for a talented and erudite Vietnamese professor. Professor Van Trang of Beijing Foreign Studies University (China) had the opportunity to read the poetry collection Wild Grass and kindly dedicated it:
Wild Grass in the South
Autumn and winter do not dry out
Thousand years still keep the tradition
Thousand Miles of Pink Birds
Hoa Viet enjoy together
Mountains and rivers sing together
Why not hum?
Uncle Ho has studentsSympathizing with the teacher's thoughts and open heart towards life, Professor Thiet Giang - a famous Chinese sculpture expert wrote:
The Creator's Figure
In the person is the heart!A colleague in the History department, Professor Chuong Thau once said: The remaining representative of a period when Literature - History - Philosophy were inseparable at the old General University is Associate Professor Nguyen Van Hong. As for me and many generations of students, I love and find in him an interesting and skillful blend between the character of a profound Confucian scholar and the enthusiastic and extroverted personality of a modern scientific researcher.
