Associate Professor, Doctor of Science, Distinguished Educator Hoang Luong is cherished in the hearts of his colleagues, friends, and students.

Photo: Pham Thanh Long

Born in 1944 into a Thai family in the renowned Muong Tac region (Phu Yen, Son La) – one of the four major Muong regions in Northwest Vietnam – young Hoang Luong enlisted in the army, becoming a soldier in the 335th Regiment (Northwest Military Region) participating in the resistance war against the US to save the country, and lost a part of his body on the battlefield in Northern Laos. In 1971, the outstanding soldier Hoang Luong was admitted to study History at the then-famous Faculty of History of the University of Hanoi. Passionate about Thai culture and the cultures of ethnic minorities in Vietnam, student Hoang Luong chose to specialize in Ethnology and dedicated his life to researching and teaching Thai culture and the cultures of other ethnic groups in Vietnam.

Throughout his 40 years of service in the Department of Ethnology, formerly part of the Faculty of History and now the Department of Anthropology, Associate Professor, Doctor of Science, Meritorious Teacher Hoang Luong has been particularly interested in three key areas that have made his name known to the professional community and the public. The first is the culture of ethnic groups belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family, and his scientific knowledge of the La Chi people has become a bridge that led him to the United States to share and exchange ideas with many American scientists.

The second direction is the study of the culture of ethnic groups belonging to the Tai language family. Associate Professor, Doctor of Science, Meritorious Teacher Hoang Luong played a pivotal role, leading this research direction and being one of its founding pillars.Thai Studies Program(Thai StudiesHe has successfully organized six national conferences on Thai studies in Vietnam. A crucial issue that Associate Professor Hoang Luong wanted to address, and answered very well, was the history of the formation and development of the Thai ethnic group in Vietnam. By placing Thai culture in interaction with the cultures of other ethnic groups in the region, such as the Mon-Khmer and Viet-Muong language groups, Associate Professor Hoang Luong sought to demonstrate the INDIGENOUS nature of a segment of the Thai people in Vietnam from both the subjective perspective (a genuine Thai person) and the objective perspective (a talented ethnologist).

The third area of ​​research is the festivals of ethnic minorities in Vietnam. In this research direction, Associate Professor, Doctor of Science, and Meritorious Teacher Hoang Luong is particularly passionate about agricultural rituals, especially those for praying for a good harvest. He delves deeply into fertility rituals – the most important beliefs in traditional agriculture. For this reason, colleagues and friends often call him the "FERTILITY SPECIALIST."

His research findings have been presented at numerous scientific conferences both domestically and internationally, and have been compiled into nearly 130 articles in specialized journals and valuable ethnographic monographs for generations of students, such as:

• Flowereatn ThaiNational Culture Publishing House (1988)
• Traditional festivals and folk beliefs of ethnic groups in Vietnam (Northern provinces). Hanoi National University Publishing House (2002)
• Customary law and the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural heritage of some ethnic groups in Northwest Vietnam.National Culture Publishing House (2004)
• Culture of ethnic groups in Northwest VietnamHanoi University of Culture (2005)

For Associate Professor, Doctor of Science, and Meritorious Teacher Hoang Luong, research results are always linked to and serve education. Based on his scientific knowledge of the Thai people, Thai culture, and the cultures of ethnic minorities, Associate Professor, Doctor of Science, and Meritorious Teacher Hoang Luong has successfully supervised hundreds of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students in Ethnology/Anthropology and other related fields. Among the subjects he has taught at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, many he has pursued throughout his life, for example:

• General Ethnology
• Ethnic groups belonging to the Tibeto-Burman language family.
• Traditional festivals of ethnic minorities in Vietnam
• Customary law of ethnic groups in Vietnam
• Ethnic languages ​​in Vietnam and Southeast Asia

Furthermore, Associate Professor, Doctor of Science, and Meritorious Teacher Hoang Luong has made many practical contributions to disseminating the ancient Thai script to young scientists and students in various social sciences and humanities disciplines who wish to learn about Thai writing and culture.

In his lectures, Associate Professor, Doctor of Science, and Meritorious Teacher Hoang Luong not only imparts knowledge through his expressive and captivating voice, but he also consistently inspires enthusiasm and passion for science in his students. Therefore, he is a highly regarded and respected teacher, admired by many students who aspire to learn from him. Many of them, thanks to his guidance, have achieved significant success in their professional careers.

The development of the Anthropology department at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and in Vietnam in general, bears his strong imprint. With passion and enthusiasm, as head of the Ethnology Department (1997-2002), he initiated the establishment of the Anthropology department. Building upon that foundation, his colleagues continued the work, leading to the creation of the Anthropology Department. He subsequently served as head of the Anthropology Department (2007-2009) at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Currently, the Anthropology Department at the University has many undergraduate students, graduate students, and doctoral candidates, and is increasingly attracting international students, graduate students, and doctoral candidates.

With his profound knowledge and personal prestige, he was invited to serve as a member of the National Council of Cultural Heritage of Vietnam for the term 2004-2009 and is a member of many professional associations at home and abroad, such as the Vietnam Association of Ethnology and Anthropology, the Association for Folklore Studies, the World Textile Association, etc.

For his tireless contributions in many fields, he was honored by the State and awarded many prestigious titles and prizes: Associate Professor; Distinguished Educator; Third-Class Labor Medal; Second-Class Resistance Medal; Medal for the Cause of Science and Technology; Medal for the Cause of Education; Medal for the Cause of Social Sciences and Humanities.

When thinking of Associate Professor, Doctor of Science, and Meritorious Teacher Hoang Luong, colleagues, friends, and students not only mention his achievements in research and training, but also remember him as a talented romantic with an artistic soul full of Thai spirit. The sounds of his flute playing, the love songs of the Northwest he sang in the Me Tri dormitory, still resonate in the memories of many colleagues and friends. His artistic nature fueled his passionate and unwavering love for beauty. He admired beauty, was passionate about beauty, aspired to beauty, and always expressed it in his research and lectures.

On Wednesday morning (February 11, 2015), he was still up very early to continue writing on the scientific issues he had been contemplating, yet now he has left us forever after a severe heart attack. He has gone to the eternal realm, but his colleagues and generations of students will always remember him as a highly trustworthy colleague and a highly respected teacher. His image will live on in their hearts and in ours.

                                      Hanoi, February 13, 2015