Receiving mementos from Takano Isao - a courageous former student of the Faculty of Vietnamese Language and Television.

A heartfelt sentiment from the land of Japan.
On November 18, 2023, the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Language (VSL) of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, solemnly celebrated its 55th anniversary and commemorated Vietnamese Teachers' Day on November 20th. The event was attended by generations of leaders, former faculty members, lecturers, staff, students, trainees, and alumni of the faculty.
From Japan, the family of former student Takano Isao – a courageous and steadfast international journalist, a hero and ardent friend of the Vietnamese people – came to congratulate the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language and to present precious family mementos.
Takano Isao was a Japanese journalist who died in Lang Son on March 7, 1979, while reporting on the border war in the North. Takano was also a translator of Vietnamese literature and a former student of the Vietnamese Language Department at Hanoi University (now the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi).

In early 1979, when the fierce border war raged in Lang Son, journalist Takano Isao of Akahata newspaper (the official mouthpiece of the Japanese Communist Party) and his colleagues braved the dangers, plunging into the bombs and bullets to bring the most up-to-date war information to readers both domestically and internationally. He chose to support and defend the just cause of the Vietnamese people's war. Sadly, while on assignment, he was hit by a sniper's bullet from a Chinese soldier and lost his life.
The camera that accompanied Takano on the battlefield and was clutched tightly in the brave soldier's hand before his death is a cherished memento that his family has treasured and preserved. Today, it is respectfully presented to the Department of Vietnamese Studies and the Vietnamese Language. It is a heartfelt gift from a former student to his Vietnamese teachers at VSL, a beautiful image demonstrating the friendship between Vietnam and Japan in the atmosphere of celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations.
The atmosphere at the 55th anniversary celebration of the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language was filled with cherished emotions and proud memories of former student Takano Isao. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, Takano's teacher, despite being over 80 years old, still vividly remembers her Japanese student. The photos Takano Isao took of her family are still carefully preserved as precious mementos of a beloved son.

 Takano Isao's family took a commemorative photo with former teachers and school leaders, as well as leaders of the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language.

Throughout its 55-year history and 64-year tradition of teaching Vietnamese, the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language has been a common home for generations of international students studying Vietnamese. It has also been a part of the youth, passion, and motivation of many outstanding alumni, including Takano. The classes here have left a lasting mark on Takano's life, filled with enthusiasm for the Vietnamese language and people. The image of this courageous soldier and outstanding alumnus has become a source of pride for many generations of VSL students.
Previously, in March 2019 and March 2023, the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language solemnly organized memorial ceremonies for the death of Takano Isao right on the familiar campus where he studied. The memorial talks for journalist Takano Isao were held in a warm atmosphere with the participation of family representatives; Vietnamese and Japanese journalist colleagues who had met, accompanied, and witnessed the moment of Takano's sacrifice; and teachers who had taught him Vietnamese at B7Bis – now the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Books and songs about the soldier Takano Isao were sent to his family by the teachers and students of VSL as a respectful tribute and a profound expression of affection from the teachers and students of the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language in particular, and the Vietnamese people in general, to this courageous son of the Land of the Rising Sun.
Dr. Le Thi Thanh Tam - Head of the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, shared:“The Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language has three honors associated with Takano Isao – a former student of the Department. The first honor: training an international student studying Vietnamese to become a war correspondent dedicated to the cause of justice for Vietnam. The second honor: having a former student who sacrificed himself for his love of Vietnam. The third honor: being entrusted by Takano Isao's family and relatives with mementos of his life on the battlefield.”
Takano Isao's blood-stained camera will become a noble symbol of the deep bond between the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language and its international alumni, between the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU (formerly Hanoi University) and Takano's family, between Vietnamese and Japanese people, and between Takano's unwavering love during his lifetime and the aspiration for peace he left behind. The life and career of the late former student and journalist Takano Isao have contributed to deepening the historical value of the B7bis (Tran Dai Nghia Street, Hanoi University of Science and Technology) location, enriching the training tradition of the Department, and strengthening the extremely good friendship between Vietnam and Japan in today's context.

The star apple tree that young Takana Isao planted in the grounds of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language at B7Bis Tran Dai Nghia Street is now solemnly marked with a plaque that reads "Star apple tree planted by Takano Isao (1943-1979)". This is a meaningful reminder: the teachers and students of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, as well as the young generation of Vietnam today, will never forget him – journalist Takana Isao – "a son of the majestic snow-capped land of Fuji," who has become a part of the history and memory of the faculty and students of VSL and of the Vietnamese people.