The teacher is strict but sincere

During more than 40 years of research and teaching, he has focused deeply on a number of areas such as: Agricultural Ethnology, Tay - Thai language groups in Vietnam, ethnic relations, and ethnic groups in Asia. The results of his tireless work in the field of Ethnology are extremely impressive: about 100 works, including general Ethnology textbooks, monographs, magazine articles, and scientific reports for domestic and international conferences.

Associate Professor, Doctor, Meritorious Teacher Le Sy Giao (1949-2017)/Photo: Thanh Long

Memories to remember forever

Writing an introduction about a scientist is difficult, introducing your own teacher is even more difficult, especially when considering my age and career, I am a long way behind him.

According to his documents, he was born in 1949. According to astrology books, people born in this year are often hot-tempered but cool down quickly. After more than 20 years of being his student, I realized that this statement is not necessarily true, at least for him.

I don’t necessarily think of him as a hot-tempered man. Perhaps stern and direct would be a more accurate description of his character. Like his predecessors, he believed that “If you raise without teaching, it is your father's fault. If you teach without strictness, it is your teacher's fault.” [If you don't raise someone, it's the father's fault; If you don't teach someone strictly, it's the teacher's fault.] Perhaps that is why in the eyes of his students (at least from my generation and before), he was a strict, rigorous teacher.

But no matter how hard he tried to hide it, I still felt the word “love” in his strict attitude towards his students. At the end of 1997, when I was writing my university graduation thesis, I was lucky enough to have him as my supervisor. My lack of experience made me “innocently” go into the field before approving the research proposal. Honestly, at that time, I did not understand why I forgot this very basic operation. Perhaps the eager psychology of going far away, of “doing science” of a student who thought he was about to become an “adult”, or perhaps the hypnosis and attraction of the beauty of Thai girls from the Northwest (which I imagined through his lectures and other teachers) made me feel “enchanted”, immediately “packing a backpack” and leaving Hanoi during the Lunar New Year holiday, going up the road to Muong So, Phong Tho of the White Thai land of Lai Chau.

After a month of fieldwork, when I returned to Hanoi, I was still leisurely and did not pay any attention to the teacher. Then, late one evening, I met a classmate, the same teacher as my supervisor, who was as stiff as if he had just lost his scholarship. He dragged me to the Pho Ba Chi restaurant, ordered a bottle of wine and asked for some bones left at the bottom of the broth pot (which we called “grave-removal” bones). He said, “I’m dead”, the teacher “beat” me so hard. Before leaving, I had approved the outline, reported to the teacher, and written my best but still received a “red-faced” criticism. Honestly, I will never forget the shivering feeling at that moment. I cared less about my friend and more about myself.

Then the day I submitted my thesis, the teacher was so angry that I felt like I was sitting on hot sand for the next week. I thought this time would be even more “humiliating” than that friend. Luckily, after reading the thesis, the teacher only gently scolded me, “You wrote well, if only you had worked with me before going to the field, it would have been even better…” With just that one sentence, I understood his heart for me and for his students.

Later, I also learned that he had also quietly helped many people, in one way or another. Although, in many cases, for some reason, people had "gently forgotten" those favors. He rarely cared and I have never heard him blame anyone.

The impression on the outside makes people who first meet him think he is a difficult, dry person. Only those who are really observant, really observant and really close can understand that he is actually an introvert and emotional person. Perhaps that is why he had a rather "quiet" period in his life after his close friend passed away. That day, one time we visited, the teacher and his students sat quietly next to a few bottles of beer that could not be finished for an hour, picking them up and putting them down. At those times, his eyes were so sad, as if they were drawn to some invisible point. Some people said that he was so infatuated and weak. I don't think so. He was more like a person with deep feelings. People can control their minds, but who can control their hearts in this world?

There is one thing I think the book of astrology is right about, at least for him. That is, he is considered intelligent and articulate. If you read his articles, you can easily see a clear and systematic way of thinking, a precise and humorous writing style, and a way of using words that are both scientific and very "real". I really like his "funny" writing style, a way of writing that makes readers and listeners not bored, makes people have to think before being able to understand thoroughly, a way of writing that if not "pen-powerful" enough will easily fall into confusion...

He is also a person with a humorous way of speaking, always "tickling" others with words, with a way of speaking that not everyone has. In college, we students were most "bored" when listening to "endless" speeches during festivals. However, his speeches always brought refreshing, gentle laughter to the listeners. He was very skillful in turning "dry" slogans into soft, close, and humorous ones.

Contributions to Ethnology

Among the current permanent lecturers of the Department of Anthropology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Sy Giao is the one with the longest working experience. After graduating from Hanoi National University in 1973 (4.5-year program), he was retained at the Faculty of History as a lecturer. From 1983 to 1987, he was sent to study as a postgraduate at Leningrad State University in the Soviet Union.

During more than 40 years of research and teaching, he has focused deeply on a number of areas such as: Agricultural Ethnology, Tay - Thai language groups in Vietnam, ethnic relations, and ethnic groups in Asia. The results of his tireless work in contributing to the field of Ethnology are:very impressive: over 100 projects, including textbooksGeneral Ethnology, monographs, journal articles, scientific reports for domestic and international conferences. He has also guided over 20 PhD students, 20 master's students, over 70 students writing graduation theses, over 30 students writing scientific reports (including 2 people and a group of students winning the Third Prize of the Ministry of Education and Training).

Not only teaching, he has also been involved in management for many years: over 10 years as Secretary of the History Department, 8 years as Vice Head of the History Department, 8 years as Head of the Ethnology Department, 4 terms as a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Ethnology Association, and one term as General Secretary of the Vietnam Ethnology Association. He is also one of the four founders of the Thai Hoc Program (along with scholars Cam Cuong, Cam Trong and Hoang Luong).

With such comprehensive contributions, he received a Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister in 2001 for his many achievements in work, contributing to the cause of building socialism and defending the Fatherland; 2 Certificates of Merit from the Director of Hanoi National University (1999: for his outstanding achievements in training, education, building and developing Hanoi National University; 2001: achieved the title of Excellent Teaching Staff at the grassroots level in the 1999-2000 school year)... In particular, in 2012, he was awarded the title of Excellent Teacher, an accurate recognition for his contributions in his career of more than 40 years of "cultivating people".

Over 40 years of teaching and working in science, the life of Associate Professor, Dr. Le Sy Giao can be divided into two periods. The first period was from the time he started his career to the mid-2000s. This was the time when the image of an exemplary, strict teacher, a careful, sharp scientist emerged clearly. The second period from the mid-2000s to the present, people see a "new vitality" rising in him. His work and life have become more "real". It seems that after many ups and downs in life, he has "realized" his "reason for living".

-Eulogy of the Party Committee and Board of Directors of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities at the memorial service of Associate Professor, Dr. Le Sy Giao: