Losing memory means losing one's national roots.

Society demands a comprehensive understanding of the country's history through official sources such as textbooks. The lack of information is causing many people, including students, to struggle to distinguish between right and wrong, leading them to lose interest in national history in general and the subject of history in particular. The Dai Doan Ket newspaper interviewed Associate Professor, Doctor, Meritorious Teacher Ngo Dang Tri – Faculty of History, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi – on this issue.

Associate Professor, Doctor, Meritorious Teacher Ngo Dang Tri.

PV:Many people have expressed dissatisfaction that information about the war to defend the northern border is only given 11 lines in the 12th-grade history textbook. According to you, why has textbooks allocated so little time to this issue in recent years?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Dang TriRegarding the fact that the 12th-grade History textbook only has 11 lines about the 1979 border defense war in the North, the reason is that the Education Publishing House shortened it according to the general concept at the time of publication.

Indeed, 11 lines is far too few, if not superficial and inadequate. Perhaps it was influenced by the prevailing view at the time regarding the normalization of Vietnam-China relations in political, diplomatic, economic, military, and cultural aspects, such as the motto "close the past, look to the future."

Many argue that the latest textbooks must mention events related to the defense of land and island borders. In your opinion, how should this be presented appropriately?

- History consists of events that have occurred. Concealing or distorting historical events is killing history. When discussing the history of Vietnam's defense of its borders and islands, one cannot ignore events such as the Battle of Hoang Sa in 1974, the Southwest and Northern border wars of 1978-1979, the Battle of Vi Xuyen defending the Northern border in 1984, and the Gac Ma battle defending Truong Sa in 1988…

History is the science that studies and presents historical events. We only know about events that have occurred through historical documents. Historical documents are the containers of information about events; some documents are direct and contemporary, while others are indirect and come into existence later. The more accurate, abundant, and multifaceted the events and documents are, the more accurate our understanding of history will be.

Because there is a certain gap between historiography, history, and truth, understanding historical truth correctly is very difficult and requires serious, meticulous research using genuine scientific methods. General Vo Nguyen Giap, former Honorary President of the Vietnam Historical Association, reminded historians that: "History happens only once, but writing history takes many turns," and that is why.

Including the 1979 war in textbooks should be placed within the long-standing historical context of the relationship between Vietnam and China. This will show that, alongside the predominantly friendly neighborly relations, there were times when China invaded Vietnam, and Vietnam waged uprisings and resistance wars against China to gain independence and defend the homeland.

During the resistance against French colonialism and American imperialism, China provided significant assistance to Vietnam, but there were also times of border conflicts, even leading to Vietnam's war to defend its homeland in 1979.

In this way, students will see the overarching essence versus the temporary phenomenon, and therefore will not consider it merely a negative impact on Vietnam-China relations. More importantly, it will enhance patriotism, the will for independence, respect for the assistance of the Chinese people, the perspective of both cooperation and struggle, and vigilance in defending the country, etc.

As both a history researcher and a lecturer, what do you think is the significance of including information about the struggles to protect borders and islands in textbooks for students?

- For our history studies, its function is to preserve and transmit the nation's past to the present generation. President Ho Chi Minh said: "Our people must know our history / To understand the origins of our Vietnamese nation." Losing the memory of the past is losing the roots of the nation, it is losing one's identity.

Furthermore, history provides knowledge and experience, highlighting what should be preserved and promoted, and what should be discarded and avoided, so that today we can act in accordance with the laws of history, develop, reach new heights, and integrate with the times. Therefore, historical past, including the history of the 1979 border defense struggle—a major event, a concrete and vivid manifestation of protecting national sovereignty and national values—needs to be remembered and passed down, both to understand the contributions of previous generations and to build awareness of protecting the country, its borders, territory, airspace, and islands in the present.

In other words, providing knowledge about border defense struggles is of great scientific and practical significance, a responsibility of the education sector in particular and society in general. Including the aforementioned historical events regarding the battles to defend the maritime borders in history textbooks is necessary and normal; conversely, forgetting or exaggerating them would be abnormal and a disservice to history. Let history speak for itself.

For a long time, we didn't consider History and Literature as sciences. Do you think this lack of objectivity is one of the reasons why students are bored with studying history? Based on your years of teaching experience, how do you see other countries handling this issue?

- History contains both epics and tragedies. In my opinion, the phenomenon of students disliking history is not necessarily due to teaching methods, poor awareness among teachers and students, or weak expertise, but fundamentally due to the content of the subject. A subject that often only presents a one-sided view of history, focusing on victories, successes, and glory, rarely mentioning mistakes, failures, suffering, or shame, thus failing to reflect the true nature of the past.

The selective distortion of history to serve short-term goals is a simplistic, voluntaristic way of thinking that inadvertently distorts the truth. It not only leads to a misunderstanding of history among the younger generation but can also cause misconceptions about the past, resulting in erroneous perceptions of the present and future.

For a long time, history textbooks have either omitted or only included the aforementioned events in a very superficial way, which is incorrect both from a scientific perspective and in terms of civic education goals. This is one reason why students are indifferent, if not bored, with history and "turn their backs" on the subject. Today's young generation has the intelligence and courage to absorb the truth of the nation's history from ancient times to the present, both tragic and heroic, as it has always been.

With their inherent desire to discover the truth and learn new things, they are very averse to one-sided, imposed information, but they pay close attention to accurate historical events, including historical tragedies. This means they do not look down on history as a science in the true sense of the word.

In other words, only historical truth can bring the younger generation back to the study of history.

Following strong public outcry, the Ministry of Education and Training has announced that it will consider including border and island wars in the new textbooks. But while waiting for this decision (which is expected to take several years), what should the Ministry of Education and Training do to address this issue promptly?

- I support the above opinion of the leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training and the opinions of many veteran officials and other scientists that the events of the border defense battles in the North and Southwest during 1978-1979 and the long-standing struggle to protect the islands in Truong Sa and Hoang Sa should be included in history textbooks, in order to teach students to understand these historical events clearly. However, changing the curriculum and textbooks is not simple, cannot be rushed, and requires time.

In the meantime, I think the Ministry of Education and Training could draft a professional document guiding history teachers on the aforementioned events. The spirit should be to speak truthfully and clearly, using authentic documents about the events that occurred objectively, including images and data from Vietnam and internationally.

The aim is to give students a systematic understanding of the basic aspects of Vietnam-China relations, particularly regarding the protection of Vietnam's borders and islands during that period. The content of the events should be concise, chronological in nature, and provide accurate information.

When students are provided with objective, fundamental information about the aforementioned historical events, they can proactively learn the truth as it is, and thus draw necessary and correct conclusions for themselves. Historical truth possesses a powerful inspirational force and highly effective humanistic and ideological value. This is also a solution that contributes to making history more appealing and engaging for students.

Thank you very much, sir!

    Tam Nhu- Dai Doan Ket Newspaper(perform)