Teaching is a profession that requires lifelong learning.

Dear teachers,
Dear students,

Let's temporarily forget the disappointing result of yesterday's match between the Vietnamese and Thai national teams. Let's temporarily forget the worries, fatigue, and hardships of everyday life, and together enjoy the moments of November 20th - the day honoring teachers. Let's wish all teachers much joy, health, happiness, and success on the 37th anniversary of Vietnamese Teachers' Day.

Professor Pham Quang Minh, the Rector, and the veteran teachers of the School. 

It's not just on November 20th that we remember and appreciate our teachers. Thousands of years of our nation's history have shown that teaching is a noble profession because its product is human beings. If an engineer rejoices at seeing the bridge they've just built, and a farmer smiles at the rice they've just planted, then a teacher is delighted to see their students grow and mature. However, to achieve that result, it's not enough to have just the brain; it also requires a heart, because "you can't plant a tree in a place without sunlight, nor can you raise children with only a little enthusiasm." Therefore, "those who nurture children are even more honored than parents because of their sacrifices for the future generation." That's why teachers are also called "engineers of the soul." The silent sacrifices of the teaching profession are likened to candles, because a candle will burn itself out, illuminating the path for others to find their way. A true teacher is also a great artist. Teaching is the greatest art known to mankind because it is a combination of reason and spirit. It would be a mistake to think that the teaching profession is merely the repetition of lectures year after year, or simply trying to explain, persuade, or prove. A great teacher is someone who knows how to inspire generations of students.

Professor and Rector receives a bouquet of flowers as a token of appreciation from a representative of the university's students.

As educators at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, we have a special honor and responsibility. It's a tradition spanning over 70 years, an honor to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors, to be role models for generations of students, a responsibility for the future of the nation, and a source of pride representing Vietnam on the path of integration. We are living in the digital age, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but no matter what era we live in, teachers remain indispensable. Creativity, innovation, and continuous innovation are not only a need but also the most urgent requirement today. In today's modern society, teachers must learn even more. To be a teacher, to teach someone something, one must first learn – learn seriously and systematically, learn from teachers and also learn from students. The teaching profession is a lifelong learning profession. Because, as the revered teacher Chu Van An once said: "I have never seen a country prosper without paying attention to learning." Therefore, on this November 20th, we should not only talk about teaching, but also about learning, for both students and teachers. Wishing all teachers a day filled with love and pride.

Thank you very much.

Professor Pham Quang Minh, the Rector, stands alongside Associate Professor Nguyen Quang Lieu, the newly appointed Rector of the High School for Social Sciences and Humanities.