New features in the teaching of National Defense and Security Education focused at Hoa Lac.

New, different, and effective.

National defense and security education is an indispensable part of the training program at universities. Based on the specific situation of Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU), the Center for National Defense and Security Education is the pioneering unit in VNU to implement training at Hoa Lac. To facilitate student management, the Center has organized students into companies, platoons, and squads. Thus, starting from the K59 cohort, VNU students will no longer study National Defense and Security in three semesters, but will instead spend a period of time living, studying, and training together in a concentrated manner at the Center.

According to Mr. Dinh Van Huong, Deputy Director of the Center: “Students will both study and train, and consciously build a sense of collective responsibility in an environment similar to a military setting. That is the major difference that Hoa Lac will bring. Because if at school, lecturers only supervise students during weekly class hours, here – we – the students will be together for a month to teach, learn, and share together.”

Teacher Dinh Van Huong shared the new features at Hoa Lac.

Here, the National Defense and Security Education Center has developed a schedule for students with regular, serious, and scientific daily routines based on 11 daily and 3 weekly schedules to create a living environment that closely resembles a military environment, helping students adapt and train themselves. "Everything, every hour, must be coordinated. All actions follow a single set of regulations, an absolute command. The method of national defense education is always discipline combined with planning," shared Professor Huong.

Outside of class hours, students participate in numerous extracurricular activities such as self-management, teamwork, building a green, clean, and beautiful environment, and cultural, artistic, and sports activities. Students are divided into groups for night watch duty; groups participate in cooking, cleaning, and preparing meals... These extracurricular activities have contributed significantly to the effectiveness of national defense and security education here.

Mr. Huong said: “Through extracurricular activities, students learn how to share, be sociable, and become more united and closer to each other. It also builds in students a sense of proactive participation in all tasks, teaches them to share responsibilities with the kitchen staff when helping out, and to work together with security personnel when taking turns guarding. Furthermore, it enhances their awareness of maintaining general hygiene and improving the environment.”

Labor and sports are extracurricular activities that keep students engaged.

Above all, intensive training at Hoa Lac provides lessons in adapting to the environment, learning self-mastery, and overcoming the difficulties of living and studying away from home. Many students from out of town may be familiar with these things, but for those who have never lived away from their families, this is a completely new and challenging experience. They must learn to be independent and self-disciplined in both their studies and daily lives. The effectiveness of training at Hoa Lac reaches the highest goals in human education: "Learning to know, learning to live together, learning to work, and learning to develop."

The challenges of being a pioneer.

The Center for National Defense and Security Education is one of the first units assigned by the Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) to manage and operate facilities serving national defense and security education for students in a centralized model at Hoa Lac. And the pioneer is the one who bears the honor but also the heavy responsibilities. Professor Huong confided: “When we received the facilities from VNU, we were both happy and worried. Because the progress of the VNU construction project in Hoa Lac was slow, the component project for the construction of the Center for National Defense and Security Education was also delayed. Therefore, when we arrived, Hoa Lac already showed signs of deterioration over time. Especially the instability of the electricity and water systems. This area is far from the city center and far from the VNU center, so resolving the remaining problems was even more difficult.” However, thanks to the decisive leadership of the Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU), and the outstanding efforts of the staff and employees of the Center in preparing the necessary conditions for organizing the teaching of the course in Hoa Lac, the facilities and environment are now spacious and stable, meeting the requirements for concentrated teaching and learning for over 1000 students. In addition, the Center has also taken advantage of the terrain to conduct tactical training sessions in mountainous areas, combining practical learning and experimentation.

Besides the material difficulties and living shortages that needed to be overcome, there was also the "unfamiliarity" that the Center faced when it began its intensive training process, lacking experience in organizing and managing a large number of students. Both teachers and students, from the first courses with students from the University of Foreign Languages ​​to the second and third courses, had to adhere to a fairly high and intensive training schedule, compounded by the harsh hot weather of summer, creating immense pressure.

The changes at Hoa Lac also came with changes in teaching. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (Head of the Political Science Department): “While maintaining the goal of equipping students with awareness, belief, and ideals regarding the Party and State's national defense and security policies, instead of dividing subjects by credit as before, when studying at Hoa Lac, we have built a sequence of consecutive modules and organized learning and testing in a rolling manner, with exams taking place as each module is taught. Lecturers are required to deliver the content in the most vivid and specific way, closely linked to practical applications.”

An hour of class time outside the barracks for the teacher and students.

Hardships never deterred the soldiers, and Hoa Lac was merely a challenge to overcome in order to strengthen their will. With the efforts of the Center's Board of Directors, the coordination of various departments, and the encouragement of the Board of Directors of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Hoa Lac has made relatively effective initial progress in implementing its teaching and learning program, successfully overcoming all difficulties.

Initial joy

“The greatest comfort for us educators is seeing the students grow and mature after each course, and I have witnessed that,” Mr. Huong said enthusiastically. “There is a huge difference between the day they arrive and the day they leave. Their maturity in responsibility, awareness, and emotions is evident in their expressions. I saw lingering glances from them, reluctant to leave; I witnessed their sharing and helping each other as they carried each other's belongings to the car; the hugs and handshakes of teacher-student and team spirit. That is the fruit of education we aspire to reap.”

The close-knit camaraderie of the K59 class - Political Economy (University of Economics).

Another indispensable element is the genuine sharing and understanding that students have for their teachers and for each other. While studying here, the students discovered many interesting aspects of military life. They realized that the teachers were not only strict and disciplined, but also caring, sociable, and very humorous. They understood that soldiers endure many hardships, yet the teachers never faltered or gave up, always remaining responsible and passionate about their profession. Studying, living, and having fun together strengthened camaraderie and friendship, fostering deeper understanding and even deeper, more enduring feelings that blossomed under the sun and wind of Hoa Lac.

Teacher Hung shared: “Our wish and responsibility is to help students develop themselves to face and adapt to any environment. Therefore, they must mature in life skills, work skills, and build a team spirit. Ultimately, we want them to clearly understand their responsibilities, duties, and obligations as young people towards the nation. Having gone through the first few courses, I felt a very enthusiastic training atmosphere among the students of the Vietnam National University. That is something that makes us teachers proud.”

In conclusion

“Fun – enthusiastic – memorable – enriching experience…” These are the comments students use to describe the intensive National Defense and Security Education course at Hoa Lac. With their efforts to overcome initial difficulties, the teachers and students of the National Defense and Security Education Center not only achieved their goals for the academic year but also shared a love for their country and pride in their homeland. Hoa Lac was an opportunity to challenge first-year students, testing their maturity and responsibility; it also fostered genuine understanding between teachers, students, and friends. And when they remember Hoa Lac, their memories are tinged with the green of military uniforms, the green of mountains and hills, and the green of hope.