Sad news: Associate Professor, Doctor, Meritorious Teacher Le Sy Giao has passed away.

Associate Professor, Doctor, Meritorious Teacher Le Sy Giao was born on July 12, 1949, into a Thai ethnic family in Tho Thanh commune, Thuong Xuan district, Thanh Hoa province. Growing up in difficult circumstances, after his father passed away early, he was lovingly cared for and educated by his mother and sister. In 1969, the studious young man Le Sy Giao was admitted to the Department of History, Hanoi University, and has been associated with Hanoi University, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, and the Departments of History and Anthropology ever since.

In 1973, after graduating from the Faculty of History, Hanoi University, with a degree in Ethnology, he was retained as a lecturer in the Department of Ethnology. From 1983 to 1987, the young intellectual Le Sy Giao was sent by the Party and the State to pursue postgraduate studies in Ethnology at Leningrad State University in the Soviet Union.

After four years of study in the Soviet Union, earning a doctorate with honors, Professor Le Sy Giao returned to Vietnam to continue his teaching and research career. With his abilities, enthusiasm, and profound academic knowledge; with the rich experience and resources of ethnological knowledge accumulated through academic environments both domestically and internationally, as well as field trips to the Viet Bac, Tay Bac, and mountainous regions of Thanh Hoa - Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, Associate Professor Le Sy Giao has delved deeply into several key areas of ethnology and anthropology, leaving behind nearly 100 elaborate research works, many of which are considered by colleagues and experts as milestones, significant achievements, and outstanding contributions to the field. His works include those on agricultural ethnology; the culture of the Tay and Thai ethnic groups in Vietnam; and on indigenous knowledge resources, environmental protection experiences, and resource management of the Thai people and other ethnic minorities. Regarding ethnic relations in Vietnam, as well as the anthropological and cultural characteristics of ethnic groups in Asia, Associate Professor Dr. Le Sy Giao has built a high reputation and professional prestige. Many of his research results, books, and textbooks, both co-authored and individually written, have been widely published and are indispensable resources for many researchers, undergraduate students, graduate students, and doctoral candidates.

The Faculty of History, the Faculty of Anthropology, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, research institutes, academies, and universities all acknowledge and highly appreciate the contributions of Associate Professor, Doctor, and Meritorious Teacher Le Sy Giao in training. Under his dedicated and rigorous scientific guidance, more than 100 graduate theses and scientific reports by students have been completed. He has also supervised and co-supervised more than 20 doctoral candidates and nearly 30 master's students who successfully defended their doctoral dissertations and master's theses.

In his administrative work, Associate Professor Dr. Le Sy Giao served as Secretary of the Party Branch of the History Department and the Anthropology Department for 10 years, Deputy Head of the History Department for 8 years, and Head of the Ethnology Department for many years. In addition, he enthusiastically participated in the Executive Committee and served as General Secretary of the Vietnam Ethnology Association, 3rd term, and was one of the four founders of the Thai Studies Program.

For nearly half a century of study and work at Hanoi University and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Associate Professor, Doctor, and Distinguished Educator Le Sy Giao has left many unforgettable and profound impressions on generations of students and colleagues, thanks to his tireless and unique contributions to the Department, the Faculties of History and Anthropology, the field, and the country. His achievements, contributions, thoughts, and concerns in training, scientific research, and building and developing the faculty demonstrate the mindset and heart of a renowned ethnologist of Vietnamese ethnology and anthropology, always valuing people.

In his life, Associate Professor, Doctor of Science, and Distinguished Educator Le Sy Giao was a simple, approachable man; an exemplary teacher, a erudite scientist, and a teacher who was always dedicated and wholeheartedly devoted to his students. He approached teaching and research, connecting with people, with life, and with generations of students with a simple, sociable, witty, straightforward, and honest lifestyle. At home, he was always a deeply respected husband, father, and grandfather, showering his grandchildren with love and affection.

For his outstanding contributions to teaching and scientific research, Associate Professor Dr. Le Sy Giao has been recognized and awarded many honors by the Party and State, the Education Sector, Hanoi National University, and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, such as:Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister,Outstanding Teacher Awardin 2012 and many other prestigious Certificates of Merit and awards.