Professor Ngo Thanh Nhan and the miles of love for the country

Born in 1948, for more than 10 years, friends and relatives have known Professor Ngo Thanh Nhan as Vice President of the New York Academy of Music and Language (USA), teaching the zither to the young generation of Vietnamese and young people from all over the world . In the last days of April, Professor Nhan is busy with activities to prepare for the May 3, 2025 celebration of 50 years of peace and development of Vietnam, in New York.

Professor Nhan in a small alley in Hanoi during his trip back home at the end of 2024. Photo: Thien Y

This program was planned and prepared long ago by his wife, Merle Evelyn Ratner - an American who spent her life expressing her deep love for Vietnam - but in February 2024, she unfortunately passed away due to a traffic accident. And Professor Ngo Thanh Nhan continued to write that story on behalf of his wife.

American bride and strange wedding

Returning to Hanoi after the trip to scatter part of Mo's ashes - Professor Ngo Thanh Nhan's affectionate name to his wife - into the waves of the East Sea (August 10, 2024) in Hai Phong sea, as a way to express his love for Vietnam, Professor Ngo Thanh Nhan emotionally shared: "I left part of Mo's ashes in the US, part on the altar with my parents in Saigon, the rest I scattered in the East Sea, I know Mo would be happy about that".

Miss Dream by Professor Ngo Thanh Nhan

Using the sound of the instrument to contribute the beauty of Vietnamese music to American culture. Photo: NVCC

The atmosphere of the conversation seemed to slow down, there was a bit of sadness in the silence, then suddenly Professor Ngo Thanh Nhan said cheerfully: "Mo and I registered our marriage in Hanoi, right in Ba Dinh District, on January 22, 1986. This time I also had the opportunity to visit that place again, it was very emotional". In the 1980s, the country was under embargo, seeing the shadow of foreigners in Vietnam was a strange thing. It was even stranger when an American girl married a Vietnamese man.

The groom's and bride's families were even more unusual, also considered unprecedented when the Overseas Vietnamese Committee represented the groom's family (Professor Ngo Thanh Nhan) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs represented the bride's family (Ms. Merle Evelyn Ratner).

Asked Professor Nhan why he was originally from the South, and Ms. Mo was American, both of whom were living in the US at the time, why did they have to go all the way to Hanoi to register their marriage? Professor Nhan recounted: "Because Mo loved Vietnam, she did not do it in Ho Chi Minh City because Mo had more relationships in Hanoi. My wife arranged the marriage that day, all the procedures and preparations, Mo kept them from me. When I arrived in Hanoi, I thought I was going to do other activities. Even now, recalling that moment, I am still surprised, it is hard to imagine why Mo was able to do everything so smoothly."

Love of people, love of country

With tireless efforts in activities that bring many special connections to the Vietnam - US relationship in many aspects, when asked about patriotism, Professor Ngo Thanh Nhan confided: "Patriotism, first of all, is an innate factor. Patriotism is loving the land where you were born, loving the natural scenery. Mrs. Huyen Thanh Quan only described a few sentences in the poem "Passing the Ngang Pass", enough to see the image of mountains and rivers imbued with love with "Missing the country hurts the heart of the cuckoo...". Patriotism is also the concept of equality, in the past, every time Uncle Ho participated in international organizations, he always mentioned "equality". I aim for equality in information technology, creating a national language standard and Nom script on computers so that Vietnamese people can participate in information technology equally with other countries. Patriotism is being proud of what our compatriots have, so in the zither classes, I often teach foreign friends the song " One mother with a hundred children" , and share with them how meaningful the concept of compatriots is to Vietnamese people".

Professor Nhan and students of the zither class he initiated

Professor Ngo Thanh Nhan in a folk music performance with his students

Working in the studio with music teacher Phan Gia Anh Thu

An interesting point is that Professor Ngo Thanh Nhan said that in his love for the country, he learned a lot from his wife and added: "Since my family passed away, I have lived like Mo in both the sense of dreaming, and Mo is my home. I wear Mo's clothes, dye my hair, wear earrings... like Mo when he was alive and have realized that love for the country also changes shape over time. For example, what suffering the people endure, patriotism will lean in that direction. During wartime, patriotism must be about ending war so that the Vietnamese people do not suffer. My best friend is martyr Nguyen Thai Binh, when he was killed in 1972, I demanded justice for my friend, which is also a way to demand peace. After the war ended, how could the US not return? When the embargo was lifted, I called for an early abolition, campaigned for normalization of relations, and had to do something to make the Americans understand us better. My family's Mo set out the relationship between the people and the people of the US and Vietnam, when this love is built, it will be consistent. Governments may change, but human feelings do not change.

Looking back at the history of the Vietnamese people, after each war, there are many hardships and difficulties. To maintain peace, that is the precious capital, the condition to become strong, Professor Ngo Thanh Nhan shared: "Foreign relations today and in the coming years have many changes, but the foundation in people-to-people relations will help maintain peace and social stability, with the outstanding point being for human happiness. The average income per capita in Vietnam in 1975 was 372 USD, by 2023 it will be 4,347 USD. The poverty reduction program was very successful, illiteracy eradication reached over 90%. These numbers contribute to consolidating and further proving the position and stature of the Vietnamese people, which are increasingly strong with the beautiful country of Vietnam".

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giao-su-ngo-thanh-nhan-va-dam-tinh-non-nuoc-185250428174606963.htm