Farewell, Professor Hoang Nhu Mai – a teacher and artist.

Professor Hoang Nhu Mai at her home. Ho Chi Minh City, July 20, 2012. (Photo:Jackie Chan(USSH)

I remember when I entered the 16th cohort of the Literature Department, we had few opportunities to get close to Professor Hoang Nhu Mai. The entire faculty of Literature at that time (Hoang Nhu Mai, Dinh Gia Khanh, Chu Xuan Dien, Le Dinh Ki, Nguyen Tai Can, Phan Cu De, Ha Minh Duc, Do Duc Hieu, etc.) was overwhelming for us. The students' inferiority complex at that time was a major barrier, causing us to miss many opportunities to interact with and learn from them. Even with younger and less famous professors, we only dared to admire them from afar. Therefore, a renowned professor like Professor Hoang Nhu Mai was even more "overwhelming." If I remember correctly, Professor Hoang Nhu Mai only taught us one course on Vietnamese literature for about 5 or 6 sessions. The classroom was in a small, single-story building in front of building C1, now the Me Tri dormitory. Although we had heard many stories about him before, stories that might have been more or less embellished, such as Professor Mai lecturing like a stage actor, or his habit of sometimes singing a very sentimental excerpt from a traditional Vietnamese opera while lecturing, or that it was impossible to stop listening to his lectures… Yet, when we actually attended his first class, we couldn't stop ourselves from being overwhelmed with emotion. Actually, the content of Professor Hoang Nhu Mai's lectures back then wasn't particularly profound. But the emotional impact was truly immense. Literature teaching in those bygone days wasn't like it is now; there wasn't much need for theory or poetics. The literature teacher simply taught with heartfelt enthusiasm. And yet, I find that those simple lessons instilled in us a greater love for literature than today. It seems that literature is different from some other sciences. It is life itself. Besides knowledge, a literature teacher also needs a heart and passion. Professor Hoang Nhu Mai was one such teacher. That's why we remember her...

Later, as we got to know Professor Mai better, we were no longer surprised by the artistic qualities he displayed during his literature lectures. These artistic qualities were self-evident and didn't need much discussion. Before teaching at the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University, starting in 1943, Professor Mai, besides his involvement in education, also participated as an actor in many plays and contributed scripts to numerous performances by the performing arts troupes of that era. Later, he left behind many profound works of theatrical research, even more so than his literary research. Therefore, we see in Professor Hoang Nhu Mai, a true artist, nothing more. The teacher's artistic personality was also compelling for another reason: in terms of appearance, we must admit, even in his old age, he was still very handsome: bright eyes, a resonant voice, and from a stage perspective, he had an impeccable "elegance." I believe that listening to his lectures and witnessing his style and demeanor, many female students would surely be captivated.

Jackie Chan/USSH

Before teaching at the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University, starting in 1943, Professor Mai, in addition to his work in education, also participated as an actor in many plays and contributed scripts to numerous performances by the performing arts troupes of that era.

Professor Hoang Nhu Mai, besides his artistic qualities, also possessed the compassionate heart of a teacher who had dedicated many years to teaching literature. I think, in fact, there's no need to explain this quality much. After all, it would be strange if a writer and teacher of literature weren't compassionate. Although I didn't have many opportunities to be close to him, I was fortunate enough to hear many generations of teachers and students from the Literature Department, both in the South and the North, wholeheartedly praise him. I know that not every literature teacher is praised and admired by their students in this way. This is because throughout his teaching career, Professor Mai never missed an opportunity to help his students. Even I remember vividly that, although we weren't close, when I first graduated, unaware that I had been offered a teaching position, he offered me a job at a newspaper. He had many close connections. And the instinct to help others was almost constant within him. I still remember it to this day.

In October 1986, the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University, celebrated its 30th anniversary. The faculty's leadership invited Professor to attend the celebration at 19 Le Thanh Tong Street. Despite the long distance, he returned. Moreover, his artistic spirit resonated in the poems he had recorded in the Faculty of Literature's yearbook at that time:

Some teachers have passed away, others are still alive.
Students buried in several graves on the battlefield.
Thirty years, a journey
Coming here brings both sadness and joy.
We pray to light incense together.
Those who have passed away, please come here.

Five years ago, on the occasion of the 90th birthday of Professor and People's Teacher Hoang Nhu Mai, the teachers and students of Truong Vinh Ki High School, where he was the principal, and the teachers and students of the Faculty of Linguistics and Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, where he had worked for several years, organized a birthday celebration for him. The Faculty of Literature in Hanoi, being far away and unable to attend, sent a flower arrangement and a congratulatory card. I felt a pang of sadness thinking that such a gesture should have been the responsibility of the Faculty of Literature. But on second thought, it didn't matter, because Professor Hoang Nhu Mai is now a teacher to many. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, then Chairman of the National Assembly, a former student of the 8th graduating class of the Faculty of Literature in Hanoi, also sent a letter and gift to congratulate him due to work commitments. I couldn't attend, but hearing about it still moved me deeply. Overwhelmed by the affection shown to him by generations of students nationwide, the teacher awkwardly told the crowd that he had been "given too much preferential treatment," and asked the students not to "praise" him too much, saying that what he had done for life and for his students was just normal and inevitable, like everything else. That's why I said "indifferent." Now, while he is still "lying there," unable to fly to see my teacher for the last time, I quickly read the condolences on online newspapers from many generations of students. There is one detail that moved me. Until the end of his life, knowing he was about to pass away, Teacher Mai never stopped thinking about everyone. An article recounted that even when lying in his hospital bed, being kept alive by an oxygen tube, when he saw his relatives and students coming to visit, Teacher Mai still insisted on "disconnecting" the oxygen tube to talk to everyone one last time…

Farewell, Teacher, farewell, Professor – People's Teacher Hoang Nhu Mai. Please accept from us, the teachers and students of the Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, your beloved former home, our deepest condolences and respect.

A gloomy Saturday afternoon in September 2013