A complete passion for exploring Vietnamese history.

After graduating from high school, he went to Hanoi to attend university. His move from the village to the city marked a turning point in his life. (In the book)Explore Vietnamese historyHe wrote: "I belong to the generation of people from Quang Binh who came to Hanoi to study and then settled in this fertile land more than half a century ago. That was the biggest shift in my life, a transition from a stagnant village culture to an open, dynamic urban culture.riceHe studied Russian at the Hanoi University of Foreign Languages ​​(now Hanoi University).

After graduating from a foreign language university, he worked at the Vietnam Revolutionary Museum. It was there that he developed a passion for national history. After working at the museum for a while, he decided to study history at the Faculty of History, Hanoi University, to fulfill his historical passion. He graduated with honors in history. With his mature demeanor, experience, two university degrees, and passion for history, he was retained by the Faculty of History, Hanoi University, as a lecturer. In an extremely favorable academic environment, learning and working directly with talented and dedicated professors, and having access to new sources and insights, he was able to freely explore Vietnamese history. He particularly loved modern Vietnamese history because it was a period of significant social change in Vietnam, raising many historical issues that needed to be adequately addressed. Over the past four decades since he first became involved with history, becoming a professional history teacher and writer, he has made immense contributions to education and scientific research.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Xanh (1943-2018)

Those who were taught by Professor Pham Xanh will never forget his lectures. He taught with all his heart. Students never saw him flipping through the pages of his lesson plans. His Quang Nam accent, which is difficult for students from the North to understand, was strangely loved by them. He captivated his students, drawing them into the resistance movements, the economic, cultural, ideological, political, and social changes in modern Vietnam. He knew how to ignite a passion for history and a desire to explore it in their hearts. I still vividly remember one winter evening in late 2000, when the Student Union organized a talk between Professor Xanh and students of the History Department. The auditorium of the Me Tri Dormitory was packed. Nearly 1,000 students, mostly from the History Department, sat silently, listening intently to his words about periods in the nation's history and the historical gaps that needed to be filled. His words touched the deepest parts of the students' hearts. The hall erupted in thunderous applause and cheers. I knew the speaker within him was overflowing with happiness.

Associate Professor Pham Xanh has supervised numerous undergraduate theses, dozens of master's theses, and over 10 doctoral theses. He is always eager to explore new things, guiding his students to discover new or unanswered questions in Vietnamese history. Therefore, reading the theses and dissertations of his students reveals a unique quality, strongly marked by Pham Xanh's distinctive style. His passionate lectures and insightful scientific guidance have led many students to wholeheartedly follow him, from their undergraduate years to their doctoral studies. Some of the doctoral students he supervised have become managers, teachers, and historical researchers, such as Associate Professor Tran Ngoc Long (Deputy Director of the Institute of Military History, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Military History), Dr. Phan Si Phuc (Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Military History), and Dr. [Name missing]. Le Van Phong (Head of the Propaganda Department of Thanh Hoa Province), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Viet Nghia (Deputy Head of the Department of Modern and Contemporary Vietnamese History)... These training achievements are due to the professor's reputation in teaching and scientific research. Students place deep trust in him and have grown and matured thanks to the professional directions he has pioneered.

During his time as Head of the Department of Modern and Contemporary Vietnamese History, he focused on identifying promising students to nurture them into lecturers and researchers in history. Some of the students he directly mentored have now become prominent young professionals, such as Tran Viet Nghia, Truong Thi Bich Hanh, and Hoang Thi Hong Nga.

A portrait sketch of teacher Pham Xanh.

For four decades, driven by a passion for historical exploration, he discovered and quietly sought to fill in historical gaps. He has published nearly 150 articles in domestic and international newspapers and magazines on a wide range of topics including politics, culture, society, ideology, events, and figures. He is one of the leading scholars specializing in the study of President Ho Chi Minh. This book...Nguyen Ai Quoc and the process of spreading Marxism-Leninism in Vietnam.This is one of his most representative research works on President Ho Chi Minh. He left a very distinct mark in the major books he co-authored, notably the series...Biography of Ho Chi Minh,History of Thang Long - Hanoi(2 volumes)History of Vietnam,The national liberation movement in Hanoi in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...

In 2014, the bookExplore Vietnamese historyThe book by Associate Professor Dr. Pham Xanh is now available to readers. It is a selection of his writings on various historical issues. The book focuses on filling in part or all of the historical gaps he has discovered, based on criteria such as subject matter, source materials, and approach. The book is structured into four parts:The Nguyen Dynasty - Some historical issues; Vietnam in international relations; Vietnam on the path to national liberation and reunification; Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese revolution..

In addition to teaching and scientific research, Associate Professor Pham Xanh actively participates in social activities to disseminate historical knowledge to the community. He participates in the program.Following the course of Vietnamese historyProduced by Vietnam Television and broadcast on VTV2, this program attracted a large audience, especially history enthusiasts. In addition, he wrote numerous articles and gave interviews to radio and television stations on the occasion of commemorating major historical events of the nation.

Exploring Vietnamese history has become his lifelong passion. For the past four decades, he has diligently and tirelessly searched for and filled in historical gaps. This passion for discovery has blossomed and borne fruit. Despite his advanced age and past serious illnesses, he continues to pursue his passion for exploring Vietnamese history. He has established his mark – the mark of Pham Xanh – in the field of history. He has ignited a passion for exploring Vietnamese history in the hearts of his students and history enthusiasts.

Excerpt from the book "Portraits of Outstanding Educators and Scientists of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities 1945-2015"