Researcher Nguyen Dinh Tu writes autobiography for posterity

Celebrating the 104th birthday of researcher Nguyen Dinh Tu - Photo: L. DOAN

The extraordinary book "Passing Through a Century" is not a scholarly or research book, but rather an autobiography of researcher Nguyen Dinh Tu – a remarkable life story of a man who lived and experienced life from the 20th century, through the 21st century, and across many eras.

Autobiography from the "order" of the Party Secretary.

Researcher Nguyen Dinh Tu has spent over 80 years writing, producing a massive body of work including more than 60 books.

His autobiography (originally titled "A Lifetime") was in his thoughts. However, he planned to finish ten more books before starting to write it.

Ms. Dinh Thi Thanh Thuy, former General Director of Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House, shared that on July 16, 2022, Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Nguyen Van Nen visited Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tu at his private residence.

Here, after listening to the old man recount his life story, the Party Secretary immediately encouraged Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tu to prioritize writing his autobiography: "I'll commission you to write your autobiography, 'A Lifetime,' first. The research projects can be delayed a bit."

With the encouragement of the party secretary, the senior researcher diligently wrote for six months, and his autobiography was born as a beautiful gift on the occasion of his 104th birthday.

The book has 384 pages, comprising 11 chapters: Homeland - Intact Memories, Fragments of Village History in Thanh Chuong Region, Childhood, Student Life and Ambition, An Exemplary Father, Stepping into Politics , Family Life, Drifting South on the Sea, Following the Times to Make a Living, Turning Points in Life, The Writing Profession, and an Appendix of Images Preserving the Past and Present.

Writing untruthfully will lead to misunderstandings for future generations.

Nguyen Dinh Tu's autobiography is titled "Passing Through a Hundred Years."

Mr. Tư confided that while scholarly and research books require a lot of time to search for information, his autobiography only required him to diligently "retrieve from memory."

He smiled and said he was lucky to have a good memory, and he still remembered things from when he was 5 or 6 years old.

With "Passing Through a Hundred Years," he hopes to leave behind a book for future generations, showing them how their ancestors endured hardships yet persevered, determined to establish themselves and contribute to society and to others.

As for today's young people, living conditions are better than in the past, so he hopes they won't waste time, but will strive to study hard and cultivate themselves well so that they can live useful lives for society.

The autobiography is not personal in nature, but rather shows the reader a historical period of the nation. Associate Professor Dr. Tran Hoang Ngan, assistant to the Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen, said that he spent several days during Tet (Lunar New Year) reading the entire book and felt the "wonder" of a life of hardship, struggle, and some adversity, but always maintaining optimism.

Mr. Ngan gleaned valuable lessons from Mr. Tu's autobiography about love for the country, family affection, love for his wife and children, and his tireless efforts to strive for success.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tu emphasized that when writing his autobiography, he avoided fabricating stories, and in all his works, he remained faithful to objectivity. Because if he "writes something that is not true, future generations will misunderstand."

Reader Ngoc Han was moved by Nguyen Dinh Tu's autobiography. He was a studious man, but his studies were constantly interrupted by his impoverished family circumstances. However, his spirit and willpower are admirable because he studied every day, in many ways, not just for a degree.

Dr. Phan Đình Nham, former director of the National Archives Center 2, has been a friend of Mr. Nguyễn Đình Tư for 25 years. He expressed his admiration for the humble yet insightful scholar. He said that many people have academic degrees and titles, but none have written more than 60 books like Mr. Nguyễn Đình Tư.

Even now, at 104 years old, he still dedicates 10 hours a day to research and writing, and plans to write at least 10 more books. Therefore, Nguyen Dinh Tu is an exceptionally talented researcher and a worthy role model for future generations to emulate.

During a book launch and meet-and-greet event on the morning of February 24th at the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tu shared his thoughts about the land where he lives:

"Ho Chi Minh City is the place that nurtured my life, so I must repay that debt. And I repay it by writing the book Gia Dinh - Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City: A Long Journey of History (1698-2020), which received the second Tran Van Giau Science Award in 2023, in the field of history)."

I wrote this book with the aim of introducing to people both domestically and internationally how the city has developed, what stages it has gone through… Anyone who wants to learn about the city can simply open the book and find everything they need."

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nha-nghien-cuu-nguyen-dinh-tu-viet-tu-truyen-cho-hau-the-20240225101121697.htm