55 years of the Faculty of Literature - Hanoi University (1956-2011)

Autumn of 1956,Department of LiteratureHanoi University – a faculty specializing in basic sciences of a newly established university under the Democratic Republic of Vietnam – was born.Having undergone numerous mergers and separations under different names (Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Literature and History, Faculty of Linguistics, etc.) and dozens of relocations during the war of resistance against the US (Le Thanh Tong Street, Hai Ba Trung Street, Lang Village - Hanoi; Dai Tu, Trang Duong - Thai Nguyen; La Khe - Ha Dong; Ung Hoa - Ha Tay; Hiep Hoa - Ha Bac; Me Tri, Thuong Dinh - Hanoi)..., up to the present day, the former Faculty of Linguistics, now the Faculty of Literature and the Faculty of Linguistics, has traversed a path of development spanning more than half a century. Despite many name changes, the Faculty of Literature remains one of the largest and oldest faculties of the former Hanoi University and the current University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

During the nearly 40 years of existence and development of Hanoi University (1956-1995), more than 65 years continuing the tradition of the Faculty of Literature (1945-2011), and more than 105 years of building and maturing of Hanoi National University (since the University of Indochina - 1906), the Faculty of Literature has made enormous and proud contributions to building a team of social science and humanities researchers, to educating and training countless generations of students who have effectively served the cause of national defense and construction, and to creating a solid foundation for Vietnamese higher education. The Faculty of Literature is one of the leading university institutions in the country in teaching and research, covering Vietnamese literature (from folk to modern), Sino-Vietnamese studies, literary theory, and other world literatures such as Chinese, Russian, French, German, English, Greek, Roman, Indian, Southeast Asian, Japanese, Korean, North American, and Latin American literature, etc. The Faculty of Literature is not only a training and teaching institution for Vietnamese and world literature at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, but also a center for literary, cultural, and artistic research with a comprehensive system of textbooks, specialized books, monographs, and treatises of high quality and scientific prestige both domestically and internationally. Over the past 55 years, hundreds of research papers and textbooks by generations of faculty members of the Faculty of Literature have been published, and thousands of scientific articles have been published in specialized journals both domestically and internationally. In just 10 years (1996-2006), faculty members of the Faculty published 158 textbooks, monographs, and reference books serving training and research. The Faculty of Literature has 100% of the textbooks for all subjects in the knowledge areas of both the Literature and Sino-Vietnamese Studies training programs.Literary theory,Vietnamese Literature(From folklore to modern times, 8 volumes)History of Russian Literature,French literature,Han Nom… and treatises such asModern Vietnamese novels,Modern Vietnamese Poetry,The process of modernization of Vietnamese literature 1900 – 1945,20th-century Vietnamese literature, Confucian scholars and Vietnamese literature, Vietnamese literature as a distinct stream within a common source, Medieval Vietnamese literature from a cultural perspective, Confucianism and Vietnamese literature in the Middle and Modern periods, Research and discussion of authors and literary works of medieval Vietnamese literature.… have become documents used by most universities across the country.

Scientific research has become a regular activity, effectively serving the preparation of lectures and textbooks, improving the quality of training; at the same time, contributing to solving practical social problems, harmoniously combining basic science and applied science. Over the past 55 years, the Faculty has organized more than 80 scientific conferences at all levels, from departmental to university level to national and international levels; and carried out hundreds of scientific research projects at the university, ministerial, national university, and state levels. In the last 10 years, the Faculty of Literature has organized 8 international scientific conferences.Seminars on Vietnamese-Korean Cultural Similarities; Issues concerning Vietnamese-Korean Literature and Language; Cultural Exchange between Vietnam and Japan; Issues concerning Vietnamese-Japanese Literature; Andersen's Literary Career; Contemporary Approaches to American Culture; Hugo in Vietnam; New Literature and Vietnamese Society in the Early 20th Century; and simultaneously organized 8 national scientific conferences:Twenty-five years of research and teaching of Sino-Vietnamese studies; Innovation in teaching methods at the university level; The literary career of Dang Thai Mai; The New Poetry movement; The poetics of myth; Thirty years of research and teaching of Sino-Vietnamese studies in Vietnam; A Nam Tran Tuan Khai in the context of Vietnamese patriotic literature in the early 20th century; Fifty years of Vietnamese literature after the August Revolution.The Faculty of Literature has collaborated with partners such as: the Faculty of Linguistics and Literature - Hanoi Pedagogical University, the Faculty of Linguistics and Literature - Hue University, the Faculty of Linguistics and Journalism - University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Du School of Creative Writing, the Institute of Literature, the Institute of Folklore, the Institute of Han Nom Studies, and the Hanoi Journalists Association to organize scientific conferences.Narrative studies; Ngo Tat To and Vietnamese revolutionary journalism; Fantasy literature; Literary theory and criticism in the đổi mới (renovation) period; Scientific conference commemorating the 240th anniversary of Nguyen Du's birth....). Many faculty members in the Department have actively participated in scientific conferences with units within the National University such as the Faculty of Oriental Studies, the Faculty of Journalism, the Faculty of Linguistics, the Center for International Cultural Studies, the Asia-Pacific Center, the Center for Vietnamese Studies... The Faculty of Literature has chaired a national-level scientific research program:Preserving and promoting Hue's Han Nom heritage.The project was successfully completed and approved; 4 key national-level scientific research projects were awarded:Vietnamese Literature of the 20th Century; Vietnamese Literature of the 10th-19th Centuries - Theoretical and Historical Issues; Vietnamese Short Stories of the 20th Century; Folk Literature - Some Theoretical and Practical Issues; 6 special scientific research projects; 9 basic research projects at the National University level and 35 scientific research projects at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities level. In particular, key projects.Vietnamese Literature of the 20th CenturyThe Faculty of Literature has received the Outstanding Award from Hanoi National University. Every year, the Faculty organizes student scientific research activities, and for six consecutive years (2000-2006), it won first and second prizes in scientific research at the university level. The textbooks, research works, and scientific projects of generations of teachers and students over the past 55 years have created a comprehensive and profound body of knowledge for the Faculty, reflecting a deep academic tradition and a sharp scientific way of thinking. The Faculty of Literature's international relations activities have continuously expanded from the region to the world, creating favorable conditions for training staff, modernizing programs, research methods, and teaching. Over the past 55 years, the Faculty of Literature has developed many effective cooperation programs with major literary and artistic organizations and centers around the world, such as Lomonosov University (Russia), Paris VII University (France), Humboldt University (Germany), Tokyo, Osaka (Japan), Seoul, Busan (Korea), Guangxi Nationalities (China)... Many faculty members have been sent to teach language and literature in countries such as Russia, China, Japan, Korea, France, Laos, Cambodia... Currently, the Faculty of Literature is effectively implementing the ProjectTraining in screenwriting and film criticism.Funded by the Ford Foundation, the Faculty of Literature established a new academic discipline – Art Studies. The Faculty has been and continues to be taught by professors, academicians, associate professors, doctors of science, and doctors specializing in literature; many of whom are renowned and their names extend beyond the Faculty and the University. Some have become great scientists and cultural figures such as: Dang Thai Mai, Cao Xuan Huy, Hoai Thanh, Nguyen Manh Tuong, Hoang Xuan Nhi, Hoang Nhu Mai, Le Dinh Ki, Dinh Gia Khanh, Do Duc Hieu, Truong Chinh, Phan Cu De, Ha Minh Duc... Many professors and associate professors have received prestigious titles from the Party and the State: Ho Chi Minh Prize, State Prize, First, Second, and Third Class Labor Orders, People's Teacher, and Excellent Teacher...

Since its establishment, the Faculty of Literature has trained 52 cohorts of full-time undergraduate students, 37 cohorts of part-time students, numerous extended courses, non-residential full-time courses, and college-to-university transfer programs, with tens of thousands of graduates who have been and are currently working successfully in research institutes, universities and colleges, publishing houses, media organizations, radio and television stations, and cultural and artistic organizations at the central and local levels. Among them, many have become high-ranking officials holding important positions in Party and State agencies; hundreds of graduates have become capable researchers in scientific institutes; many are known as famous scientists; many have become professors and associate professors at universities nationwide; and hundreds of journalists working for national and local mass media organizations are graduates of the Faculty of Literature. Many graduates are editors-in-chief and deputy editors-in-chief of newspapers and magazines, directors and deputy directors of publishing houses, and central and local radio and television stations. The Faculty of Literature is also a trusted institution for many international students and researchers; dozens of foreigners from Laos, Cambodia, China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Russia, the Czech Republic, etc., have become bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree holders in literature. In particular, the Faculty of Literature is the cradle for training and developing many renowned writers and poets. Among the nearly 1000 members of the Vietnam Writers Association, almost 100 writers have graduated from the Faculty of Literature (36 poets, 33 writers, 28 literary critics, and 1 playwright). Over the past few decades, many students have won national awards in literary competitions. The Faculty of Literature is not only a high-quality institution for training Bachelor's and Classical Chinese Studies graduates, but also one of the prestigious postgraduate training institutions. To date, the Faculty has trained over 100 PhDs and Doctorates, and 132 Master's degree holders. Currently, the Faculty is training approximately 500 full-time students, 200 part-time students, 200 postgraduate students, and 20 doctoral candidates. Since October 1996, the Faculty of Literature has entered a new phase of development within the structure of Hanoi National University, a multidisciplinary, high-quality university center of the country during the period of reform. Currently, the Faculty has 41 staff members (39 lecturers and 3 administrative staff), 2 young lecturers are pursuing doctoral studies in the US, 1 is pursuing doctoral studies in China, and 1 is pursuing a Master's degree in Japan. Among the 39 faculty members, there are 10 Associate Professors, 4 Doctors, 10 Masters/Doctoral Candidates, 4 Bachelors/Doctoral Candidates (transfer students), and 1 Master's student. The Faculty is gradually rejuvenating and standardizing its faculty (14 young faculty members have defended their Master's theses, 3 have defended their Doctoral dissertations, and 4 are graduates of foreign language universities). The Faculty's goal is to standardize its teaching staff by 2015, with 90% holding academic titles and degrees, establishing 8 departments with 3 levels of training (undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral), 3 training majors (Literature, Sino-Vietnamese Studies, and Art Studies) with 10 Master's and Doctoral programs, and multiple undergraduate training systems (high-quality, standard, part-time, and second degree). Over more than half a century of development and growth, the Faculty as a whole and many individuals have had the honor of receiving prestigious awards from the Party and the State:-Regarding the Faculty as a whole:+1 Third-Class Labor Medal: 1995. +1 Second-Class Labor Medal: 2001. +In addition, the Faculty has received 28 commendations and 18 certificates of merit from the Ministry of Education and Training, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the University of Hanoi, and the Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Recently, the Faculty has received Certificates of Merit from the Vietnam National University, Hanoi for many years (1999, 2000, 2004, 2006) and has consistently achieved the title of Excellent Labor Collective (academic years 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008). +Three departments within the Faculty were awarded Certificates of Merit by the Prime Minister: Department of Literary Theory (2001), Department of Modern Vietnamese Literature (2001), Department of Vietnamese Folk and Medieval Literature (2004). +In 2006, three departments were awarded the title of Excellent Labor Collective by the Director of Hanoi National University: Department of Modern Vietnamese Literature, Department of Russian and Western Literature, Department of Medieval Vietnamese Literature.-Regarding individuals:+Four Ho Chi Minh Prizes (Professor Dang Thai Mai, Professor Tran Van Giau, Professor Dinh Gia Khanh, Professor Cao Xuan Huy). +One Third-Class Independence Medal (Professor Hoang Xuan Nhi). +Five State Prizes (Professor Ha Minh Duc, Associate Professor Tran Dinh Huou, Professor Le Dinh Ki, Associate Professor Vo Quang Nhon, Associate Professor Bui Duy Tan). +Three First-Class Labor Medals (Professor Ha Minh Duc, Professor Phan Cu De, Professor Nguyen Kim Dinh). +Six Third-Class Labor Medals (Associate Professor Do Duc Hieu, Prof. Dr. Le Van Lan, Assoc. Prof. Le Duc Niem, Prof. Dr. Le Chi Que, Assoc. Prof. Bui Duy Tan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Huy Tieu). +Eight People's Teachers (Professor Tran Van Giau, Prof. Le Dinh Ki, Prof. Hoang Nhu Mai, Prof. Phan Cu De, Prof. Ha Minh Duc, Prof. Nguyen Kim Dinh, Prof. Dr. Le Van Lan, Assoc. Prof. Bui Duy Tan). +Twenty Distinguished Teachers (Hoang Xuan Nhi, Tran Dinh Huou, Nguyen Loc, Chu Xuan Dien, Nguyen Dinh Thang, Nguyen Xuan Hoa, Mai Cao Chuong, Le Duc Niem, Le Huy Tieu, Nguyen Lien, Do Van Khang, Le Hong Sam, Dang Thi Hanh, Do Duc Hieu, Nguyen Truong Lich, Vo Quang Nhon, Le Chi Que, Le Van Lan, Bui Duy Tan, Tran Ngoc Vuong). The Faculty of Literature has spent 55 years researching and teaching literature. Although this journey is still short compared to the thousand-year history of the nation's civilization, through years of development and growth, and with its fine humanistic tradition, the Faculty of Literature will certainly continue to progress and achieve greater accomplishments in the next stage.