The scientific community was shocked by the news that Mr. Hoang Nam Tien – a practicing scientist , a talented software engineer, an inspiring CEO, an “artist” of the Vietnamese language, a person who “loves my mother tongue” (as a song calls it), a book lover and once compared to a “word collector” (as poet Le Dat said) – had left us forever on the afternoon of July 31, 2025. He passed away before he could “say his lovely U60 birthday” – in the humorous and humane way he often talked to his friends.
As a book writer, I did not believe in that heartbreaking news. Because just the other day I saw him on technology and AI forums, in startup classes, in the passionate sparkling eyes of many young people who were inspired by him. And also very recently, I saw him in a warm kitchen, personally cooking Hanoi pho to treat his friends - a dish he loved as much as he loved memories of his hometown.
He is the author of dozens of “hot” books for young people. The unfinished plans with publishers will now remain just plans. Because the companion has quietly left, leaving behind countless regrets…
I was deeply moved when reading the wartime letters that his father, Major General Hoang Dan, sent from the battlefield to his mother amidst the smoke of bombs and bullets. A small book but full of great affection for his parents, and also a slice of history, a tragic story of the times. The name “Nam Tien” that his parents gave him – while his father was on the battlefield in the South – was not only an aspiration, but also a mark of the times, a promise of honor.
It was even more touching to know that, in his lifetime, he loved the novel Scarlet Sails by Russian writer Alexander Grin, and had visited the author’s hometown, immersed himself in the festival, and admired the real boat with red sails – a symbol of dreams, aspirations and faith. I understood: only those with an artistic soul and a sincere love for life could be moved so deeply. He was such a person – quiet, subtle, profound and intense.
He once shared: “The better you are at technology, the more you need to read books. Because AI cannot replace a deep soul.” That is like a final testament, a message to today’s youth – that if you want to have a beautiful and deep soul, you cannot help but read. And I believe that, even though he has passed away, his spirit of lifelong learning and his philosophy of “making friends with AI” will continue to spread – not only in the technology world, but also among writers, book makers, and readers.
I texted a young friend who used to work with him: “If you had to choose a keyword to describe Hoang Nam Tien, what would you choose?” The message was sent, but there was no reply. But I found my own keyword: “Conquer”. He conquered readers with books, conquered the world with knowledge and technology, and conquered people’s hearts with his love for his mother tongue – a love that is not exaggerated, but always present in every line of his book, every gesture, every action he did.
In my heart – a previous generation of bookmakers – I would like to call him “the successor”, the one who has continued the dream of reading culture in the digital age. He not only inspires, but also proves: in any era, if there is still a sincere book being written, and a reader quietly sitting with the pages of a book – then the world has not lost its light.
Farewell, Hoang Nam Tien - the modern day wordsmith.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/hoang-nam-tien-nguoi-truyen-cam-hung-bang-tinh-than-doc-sach-post806575.html
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