Full of passion for exploring Vietnamese history

After graduating from high school, he went to Hanoi to study at university. Moving from the village to the city was a turning point in his life. In the bookExplore Vietnamese historyHe wrote: “I am a barefoot person from Quang Binh who came to Hanoi to study and then settled in this good land for more than half a century. That was the biggest shift in my life, the transition from a stagnant village culture to an open, dynamic urban culture.g”. He studied Russian at Hanoi University of Foreign Languages ​​(now Hanoi University).

After graduating from the University of Foreign Languages, he worked at the Vietnam Revolution Museum. From here, he became involved with national history. After a period of working at the museum, he decided to study history at the Faculty of History, Hanoi National University, to satisfy his passion for history. He graduated with a degree in history with honors. With a mature style in terms of age, career, possessing two university degrees, and a passion for history, he was retained by the leaders of the Faculty of History, Hanoi National University as a lecturer. In an extremely favorable academic environment, studying and working directly with talented and dedicated teachers, having access to new sources of documents and new perceptions, he was able to freely explore Vietnamese history. He loves modern Vietnamese history because this is a period when Vietnamese society has many changes, many historical issues need to be satisfactorily resolved. Over the past four decades since he became involved with history and became a professional history teacher and writer, he has made great contributions to his career in training and scientific research.

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Xanh (1943-2018)

Those who have studied with Mr. Pham Xanh will never forget his lectures. He taught with all his heart. Students never saw him turn the pages of his lesson plans. The Quang accent is difficult for students from the North to understand, but strangely, students especially liked his voice. He drew students into the resistance war, the changes in the economy, culture, ideology, politics and society of modern Vietnam. He knew how to instill a passion for history and a desire to explore history into the hearts of students. I still remember one winter evening in late 2000, the School Youth Union organized a talk between Mr. Xanh and students of the History Department. The Me Tri Dormitory Hall was packed. Nearly 1,000 students, mainly students of the History Department, sat silently listening to his every word about the episodes in the history of the nation, about the historical gaps that needed to be filled. His words touched the hearts of his students. The hall erupted in applause and cheers. I knew the speaker was filled with happiness.

Associate Professor Dr. Pham Xanh has guided many students to do their graduation thesis, dozens of masters and more than 10 doctors. He always has a thirst for learning new things, so he guides his students to explore new or unexplored issues of Vietnamese history. Therefore, reading the theses and dissertations of the students he has guided has something very unique, with the strong mark of Pham Xanh. From his fiery lectures and his far-reaching scientific orientations, there have been students who have wholeheartedly followed him. That following started from their student days until they became doctors. Some of the doctors he has guided have become managers, teachers and historical researchers such as Associate Professor Dr. Tran Ngoc Long (Deputy Director of the Institute of Military History, Editor-in-Chief of the Military History Journal), Dr. Phan Si Phuc (Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Military History Journal), Dr. Le Van Phong (Head of the Propaganda Department of Thanh Hoa Province), Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Viet Nghia (Deputy Head of the Department of Modern Vietnamese History)... These training achievements are due to the teacher's reputation in teaching and scientific research. Students have placed deep trust in him and have grown from the professional directions he has opened up.

During his time as Head of the Department of Modern Vietnamese History, he paid attention to discovering promising students to train them to become history lecturers and researchers. Some of the students he directly trained have now become young cadres such as Tran Viet Nghia, Truong Thi Bich Hanh and Hoang Thi Hong Nga.

A portrait sketch of teacher Pham Xanh

Four decades of living with a passion for historical exploration, he discovered and quietly sought to fill historical gaps. He published nearly 150 articles in domestic and international newspapers and magazines on many topics such as politics, culture, society, ideology, events, characters... He is one of the scholars who have done in-depth research on President Ho Chi Minh. The bookNguyen Ai Quoc and the process of spreading Marxism-Leninism to Vietnamis one of his typical research products about Uncle Ho. He left his own mark in the major books that he co-wrote, typically the bookHo Chi Minh Biography,History of Thang Long - Hanoi(2 episodes),History of Vietnam,National liberation movement in Hanoi in the late 19th and early 20th centuries…

In 2014, the bookExplore Vietnamese historyby Associate Professor Dr. Pham Xanh is introduced to readers. The book is a selection of his articles on many historical issues. This book revolves around the axis of filling in part or all of the historical gaps that he has discovered, with criteria on topics, materials and approaches. The book is structured into four parts:Nguyen Dynasty - Some historical issues; Vietnam in international relations; Vietnam on the path of national liberation and national unification; Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese revolution.

In addition to teaching and scientific research, Associate Professor Dr. Pham Xanh also actively participates in social activities to spread historical knowledge to the community. He participates in the programFollowing the history of VietnamProduced by Vietnam Television and broadcast on VTV2. This program attracts the attention of many viewers, especially history lovers. In addition, he also participates in writing many articles and giving interviews to radio and television stations on the occasion of commemorating major historical events of the nation.

Discovering Vietnamese history has become his lifelong passion. Over the past four decades, he has diligently and tirelessly searched for and filled in historical gaps. That passion for discovery has blossomed and borne fruit. Despite his rare old age and even though he suffered from serious illness, he has continued to pursue his passion for discovering Vietnamese history. He has established his mark - the mark of Pham Xanh in the history community. He has ignited a passion for discovering Vietnamese history in the hearts of students and history lovers.

Excerpt from the book "Portrait of typical teachers and scientists of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities 1945-2015"