Legend of a family

Although pursuing different majors, all 8 children - 7 boys and 1 girl - of the late professor Nguyen Lan chose the noble profession of being a teacher and a doctor.

Father's love

Associate Professor - Doctor Nguyen Lan Cuong confided: "My father devoted his entire life to the causeof education and he was very proud of that." That pride was passed on by the great teacher to his children from the days when he cycled around the provinces in Viet Bac to direct the development of secondary and primary education.

Professor - Doctor - People's Teacher Nguyen Lan Dung recalls: "At that time, my father was the director of education in Inter-zone X (including 6 provinces: Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Vinh Yen - now Vinh Phuc, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai and Ha Giang ), then in Inter-zone Viet Bac. His monthly salary was only a few dozen kilos of rice, more than half of which he had to leave at home for his wife to raise their children, the rest he took to work."

Struggling to overcome countless difficulties in the midst of war, Mr. Nguyen Lan not only devoted all his efforts to building the country's education sector but also left behind many valuable textbooks and dictionaries such as Vietnamese Grammar, the dictionary Wanting to Correct Spelling...

Professor Nguyen Lan’s determination and passion for his profession were passed on to his eight children, all of whom were studious. “During difficult times, every night, my brothers and I had to sit and study with a homemade oil lamp made from an empty GIBB toothpaste box. It was very difficult, but everyone was self-disciplined and eager to learn,” Professor Nguyen Lan Dung recalled.

Some people say that the children and grandchildren of Mr. Nguyen Lan are smart and successful thanks to genetics, but Professor Nguyen Lan Dung believes that it is thanks to the constant efforts of family members. He confided: "I still remember clearly what my father taught me, that we are a family of officials, we don't have money so we have to study hard. Our parents only give us knowledge, we have to study hard to become successful."

Thanks mom

Few people know that Professor Nguyen Lan (born June 14, 1906 in Ngoc Lap village, My Hao district, Hung Yen province) was originally a poor boy, raised and educated by his cousin, but had a virtuous and beautiful wife, the daughter of the great landowner Nguyen Huu Tiep.

The charm and elegance of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Te made the young teacher "risk his life" to go to the house of the rich landowner to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. And then Nguyen Lan's intelligence and kindness conquered the richest landowner in Hanoi .

Associate Professor Nguyen Lan Cuong recounted: “I really admire my aunt (mother). Marrying my father was hard work, but a person as talented as my aunt never complained. When they first got married, my aunt didn’t know how to cook, my father had to teach her everything. However, when my father went to Zone X, my aunt took on all the difficulties and hardships herself, single-handedly raising the children.

During the resistance war, there were planes above and people fleeing below. My aunt held me in one hand and Hung in the other, while Chinh carried Trang, and we just ran like that...

The seven sons of the late professor Nguyen Lan (from left to right): Nguyen Lan Tuat, Nguyen Lan Dung, Nguyen Lan Cuong, Nguyen Lan Hung, Nguyen Lan Trang, Nguyen Lan Viet, Nguyen Lan Trung (the second son - Mrs. Nguyen Te Chinh - has passed away). Photo: Cuong Nguyen

To earn money to send her children to school, Mrs. Te had to buy old clothes from evacuees and sell them in the highlands. When peace was restored, she became a sugar agent for traders to earn every penny. “My house is poor and cramped, living in a collective of only a dozen square meters, but it is always happy and warm.

My parents are truly an example of a simple, frugal lifestyle, not caring about fame and fortune, and always tolerant of those around them" - Associate Professor Nguyen Lan Cuong said.

With their children, Professor Nguyen Lan and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Te were excellent psychologists. They rarely spoke harshly to their children. The only time Professor Nguyen Lan hit his children was when his eldest son, Nguyen Lan Tuat, mischievously cut off the maid's hair. Later, when his children had their own families, he advised them, "You shouldn't hit your children, because hitting or insulting them shows your incompetence. You have to advise them to see what is right and wrong."

Fame

Thanks to the virtues of Mr. Nguyen Lan and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Te, their large family (with nearly 60 people) always maintained family traditions, with respect for each other and love for each other.

Not only are his 8 biological children professors, associate professors, and doctors, but many of his sons-in-law and daughters-in-law are also prestigious intellectuals. The wife of Professor - Doctor - Musician Nguyen Lan Tuat is Associate Professor - Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Svetlana Kurbetova; the husband of Doctor Nguyen Te Chinh (who died in 1992 due to a traffic accident) is Professor Bui The Ky, who was a leading expert in cardiovascular medicine at the Vietnam - Soviet Friendship Hospital.

The wife of Professor - Doctor Nguyen Lan Dung is Colonel - Associate Professor - Doctor - People's Physician Nguyen Kim Nu Hieu, former Deputy Director of the 108 Central Military Hospital (Ms. Hieu is the daughter of the late Professor - Doctor Nguyen Van Huyen, Minister of National Education of the United Resistance Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 1946 to 1975). Most of Nguyen Lan's daughters-in-law are teachers, doctors...

The family's tradition of studiousness has also spread to the third generation. Colonel Bui Ngoc Quang, the eldest son of Dr. Nguyen Te Chinh, is currently the Deputy Director of the Institute of Information Technology - Ministry of National Defense; Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu, the son of Professor Nguyen Lan Dung, is now a famous cardiovascular expert, holding the position of Deputy Director of the Cardiovascular Center - Hanoi Medical University Hospital.

Dr. Hieu's younger sister, Ms. Nguyen Kim Nu Thao, is currently doing her doctoral thesis in the US. Dr. Nguyen Lan Hung Son (son of Professor - Dr. Nguyen Lan Hung) is a promising ornithologist and also the Vice Dean of the Biology Department - Hanoi National University of Education. In addition, there are Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Luu Ly (daughter of Associate Professor - Dr. Nguyen Lan Trung), Dr. Bui Ngoc Minh (son of Dr. Nguyen Te Chinh)...

Eight brothers of scholars

. Professor - Doctor of Science - Musician Nguyen Lan Tuat (the eldest son of Professor Nguyen Lan): The first Vietnamese person to be awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation by former Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2001, currently teaching at the Novosibirsk Conservatory, Russia.

. Dr. Nguyen Te Chinh (second son): Former lecturer at Hanoi Pedagogical University.

. Professor - Doctor - People's Teacher Nguyen Lan Dung (third child ): One of the leading scientists in microbiology, senior expert of the Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology; National Assembly delegate of the 10th, 11th, and 12th terms.

Associate Professor - Doctor Nguyen Lan Cuong (fourth child): Senior researcher, leading expert in the field of paleoanthropology; Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam Archaeological Association, lecturer at the Faculty of History - Hanoi National University.

Professor - Doctor Nguyen Lan Hung (fifth child): General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Biology, lecturer at Hanoi National University of Education.

Associate Professor - Doctor Nguyen Lan Trang (sixth child): Lecturer, Department of Electrical Systems - Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

. Professor - Doctor - People's Physician Nguyen Lan Viet (seventh child): Director of the Cardiovascular Institute, Vice President of the Vietnam Cardiovascular Association, former principal of Hanoi Medical University.

Associate Professor - Doctor Nguyen Lan Trung (youngest son ): Vice Principal of Foreign Language University - Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vice President of Vietnam Football Federation.