Professor Ha Minh Duc: A lifetime of research and teaching Vietnamese literature.

On February 18, 2012, the Ho Chi Minh Prize and State Prize Award Ceremony for the year 2010 will take place. On this occasion, USSH is republishing an article by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Thai about Professor Ha Minh Duc - one of the 12 scientists who received the Ho Chi Minh Prize in this round. Throughout his life, he understood very well that to teach Vietnamese literature effectively, one must thoroughly research the issues arising from the practical development of Vietnamese literature itself – the modernization process that has taken place within Vietnamese literature for hundreds of years. The researcher's work must be profoundly explained through writing – equally profound – in order to make his teaching on the university podium engaging and intellectually insightful, especially for university students of the Faculty of Literature, at the largest and only university in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at that time: Hanoi University. And it was precisely at the time that he graduated with honors from this university and was retained as a teacher, even at a young age. This was indeed the most accurate way of thinking and understanding he had in that particular situation. And it's impossible not to see the immense influence of the masters he studied under and whom he respected throughout his life: Hoai Thanh, Dang Thai Mai, Nguyen Khanh Toan… In a personal account of his work researching modern Vietnamese literature, which demanded a great deal of dedication, he stated that he always wanted to find and study the genuine issues of Vietnamese literature, issues that were both topical and had lasting scientific depth.When researching the literary career of President Ho Chi Minh, Professor Ha Minh Duc had his own unique perspective, both scientific and topical. Therefore, although his research came after scholars like Dang Thai Mai, Hoai Thanh, and poets like Xuan Dieu and Che Lan Vien… on Ho Chi Minh's poetry and prose, Professor Ha Minh Duc still found his own way of exploring and processing materials. With the sincere help of poet Hoang Trung Thong, in 1979, his research work, "President Ho Chi Minh is a Great Poet of the Nation," was published by the Social Sciences Publishing House. The director, Pham Huu, personally agreed to commission it after Professor Duc persuaded him with his research ideas. According to his own assessment, the work might not be truly outstanding, but it thoroughly researched the issue, addressed relatively fundamental problems, and was accepted by the public. In 1985, fueled by his research, he continued writing "The Literary Works of Ho Chi Minh," and Professor Nguyen Khanh Toan showed great interest and encouragement, writing a preface for the book, affirming that it was a seriously written work, although he felt there were still some issues that needed further discussion regarding Ho Chi Minh's literary works. Professor Ha Minh Duc fondly recalled that time, feeling both grateful to his teacher and understanding that "obtaining a word from 'Mr.' Nguyen Khanh Toan was by no means an easy task." However, Professor Ha Minh Duc did not stop his research on President Ho Chi Minh's literary career there. Upon returning to the Journalism Department at the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities, as Head of the Journalism Department, he felt compelled to continue researching President Ho Chi Minh's journalistic career. He overcame difficulties and wrote his third work: "Ho Chi Minh's Journalism," carefully avoiding repetition. He studied Ho Chi Minh's unique journalistic style, harmoniously combining two axes: the chronological axis of years and months, and the axis of journalistic issues that Ho Chi Minh had so astutely discovered. These three specialized research works on Ho Chi Minh's literary and journalistic career alone have contributed significantly to Professor Ha Minh Duc's success in his research and teaching career. However, he has demonstrated even greater research diligence. Using his own research methods and perspectives, Professor Ha Minh Duc has conducted in-depth research on New Poetry, even though many researchers before and during his time had already explored this issue. Undeterred, he knew he could still continue his research and offer his own opinions on New Poetry. He confided: "Honestly, I feel this is a research problem that one person cannot complete, or even one period of time cannot finish; it must be done over many periods. And at each period, I can develop my perspective in an increasingly broader, deeper, and more straightforward way compared to the past, when objective social conditions were not suitable for such an approach." In writing about the Self-Reliance Literary Group of the 1932-1945 literary period, he also maintained a consistent research approach and methodology. Regarding his attitude, Professor Ha Minh Duc stated that at each point in time, he wrote according to his own understanding of literature. However, he also acknowledged that "public opinion in our literature over the past few decades has often been swept away by the pressing demands of society, so it's unavoidable that it's impulsive and lacks objectivity. At times, I was also somewhat influenced, but only to a certain extent." He advocated writing truthfully, not writing anything that contradicted his thoughts, and avoiding exaggeration when praising what deserved praise and criticizing what deserved criticism. Essentially, he refused to contradict himself, always being extremely cautious when writing about the issues he had pursued throughout his life.

He also acknowledged that his two research works on New Poetry and the Self-Reliance Literary Group were written with great dedication and enthusiasm. He also knew that these books had been valuable reference materials for his students, instilling in them a significant interest in research while they were studying in university. With a touch of humor, he described himself as a diligent farmer in the field of literary research, reaping many rewards, yet still knowing that he didn't particularly enjoy the works he himself wrote, and that they did have some significance for the studies of his literature students. He liked his own book, "Poetry and Several Issues in Modern Poetry," explaining that "this is a book I wrote meticulously, a separate book (not shared with Professor Bui Van Nguyen like 'The Development of Poetry - Form and Genre'," although he also liked that book), and it's a purely theoretical book that has been reprinted several times! He happily confessed: "'Nam Cao and His Works' is also a book I like. I was one of the first people to write a research book about Nam Cao." Or perhaps the book "To Hoai - Literary Life and Works," which is both a literary study and a memento of the writer To Hoai, who was close to me and helped me a great deal... Then there are the books "President Ho Chi Minh - The Great Poet of the Nation" and "Literary Works of President Ho Chi Minh," both of which have been reprinted eight times... A special aspect of Professor Ha Minh Duc's research is his rather spectacular shift to the field of creative writing: he suddenly started writing poetry, essays, and memoirs... in his middle years, when he had passed the autumn of his life and found himself in the middle of winter: "Now only winter remains / And I am alone in the middle / Years pass, the winter grows colder / A sad winter befriends loneliness..." Alongside his research, lectures, and mentoring students on their theses, dissertations, and doctoral research papers, he found solace in poetry. He considered it a way to escape the mainstream of literary criticism and return to himself in a peaceful and harmonious way. It's no coincidence that he published several volumes of poetry and received considerable appreciation from readers. Poet Huy Cận once praised Hà Minh Đức's poetry for its genuine and repressed emotions. Poet Anh Thơ read his poems many times and praised their modernity and free verse style. Poets Vũ Đình Minh, Mã Giang Lân, and Hữu Thỉnh all expressed their deep affection for his poetry. Thus, he unleashed energies he never imagined were hidden within his heart, beyond the qualities of someone who had dedicated his life to researching and teaching Vietnamese literature, as if by fate. And Professor Ha Minh Duc truly deserved the prestigious titles, positions, and awards that the State bestowed upon him: Professor, People's Teacher, State Award, and Ho Chi Minh Award for his achievements in research and teaching throughout his half-century…