My teacher Hanh

Professor Nguyen Van Hanh (third from the left) with his students.

I didn't witness that glorious period of his life, and he rarely told me about it, but the vibrant spirit of the Doi Moi (Renovation) era, of his practical initiatives, was always evident in his eyes, voice, and gestures. Truly, my teacher lived a life worth living, accomplishing what he wanted to do. And many people benefited from it, including me.

Professor Nguyen Van Hanh's illustrious achievements are well-known and have been the subject of many articles. I would like to share just a few scattered thoughts about my teacher in his everyday life.

Empower learners to think independently.

I have always been proud and honored to mention my postgraduate scientific advisor, Professor Nguyen Van Hanh. Under his guidance, I felt secure. He supervised me at both the master's and doctoral levels.

It's no exaggeration to say that if my supervisor hadn't been him, I would have taken much longer to complete my thesis or dissertation. Although I never complained to anyone about the hardships of struggling to make a living, constantly moving around Ho Chi Minh City (I've moved from one rented place to another eight times), he understood and sympathized, gently calling to remind me.

The teacher said, "It's been so long, I don't know how far you've gotten with your writing. If you don't come to my house, you should at least let me know where you live so I can come! I know you have to work to support your children. You don't need to be sitting at your desk writing all the time, but never forget your interest in the subject matter."

From my professor, I learned how to distinguish between what is "worthwhile" and what is "not worth paying attention to." He would often chuckle and say, "Oh, that's not worth it, my dear!" I gradually absorbed his philosophy of "not worth it," and my spirit became lighter and more serene each day. With that spirit, I approached scientific presentations with ease.

And in life, too, I quickly forget what bothers me. Often, when I go to see my teacher with problems and sadness, I leave with a smile on my face, even giggling to myself on the street.

After reading my essay and listening to my presentation of the problems that arose, my professor gently guided me, ensuring a thorough and consistent approach, without forcing me to abandon my viewpoint, even if he disagreed with everything, as long as I could "argue" my point of view. He never micromanaged, but instead gave his students the freedom to think independently, to explore independently, and to dissect the phenomenon themselves. When I was working on my dissertation on Literary Reception, my professor never told me that he was the first Vietnamese person to make a breakthrough in this field. Even back in 1972, when the Konstanz school's theory of reception aesthetics had yet to be mentioned, he said: "The history of a problem is a problem that can only be explored independently; no one can give you directions."

Professor Nguyen Van Hanh (second from the right) with colleagues and students.

Brilliant in science but extremely kind-hearted in life.

My teacher possessed not only scientific knowledge but also profound wisdom, which can only be acquired through life experiences and reflection. He was very tactful about my personal life, often only asking, "How are you? Are you doing well? Anything new lately?" And then he would smile and say, "Maybe nothing new is actually okay, my dear." He recognized that certain people couldn't do certain things because, although kind and intelligent, they were "too stubborn, leading to harsh coercion of like-minded people."

He was brilliant in science, yet incredibly kind-hearted in life. He loved and appreciated beauty, and absolutely never spoke ill of women. In particular, he deeply respected and cared for the women around him – his wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law. Not just once, and not only to me, he expressed his gratitude to his wife for shouldering the household chores and caring for the children while he was busy with his work. In his old age, he tried to make up for it, yet still felt a pang of guilt and sorrow for "Mrs. Tú at the riverbank."

Long retired, he remains robust and energetic, happily taking long walks and admiring his surroundings: "I don't know about you, but I love this city so much!" But then he longs to return home, because he "misses his grandson who is babbling and learning to walk." The grandfather who once dominated the cultural events of the decade of reform, "single-handedly breaking through enemy lines," now seems almost amazed and impressed by the first words of his child learning to speak.

He was not only a teacher, but also a father figure. My father and he had known each other since they were young, and they respected each other throughout their lives. Out of habit, he sometimes called me "niece." And my father was completely at ease seeing his daughter "following Uncle Hanh." On the rare occasions my father came from the North, the two of them would meet and chat, and I felt a strange warmth in my heart, as if I had two fathers.

Last night my teacher passed away, returning to the realm of white clouds, to the world of kind people...

How I miss those days, when I had you, teacher...

How sad I feel, from now on I will no longer be able to see my teacher in Pham Don alley...

Professor Nguyen Van Hanh passed away at 10:30 PM on November 19, 2023 (corresponding to the 7th day of the 10th lunar month of the Year of the Rabbit) in Ho Chi Minh City, at the age of 93.

The coffin will be placed in the mortuary at 2 PM on November 20, 2023; the funeral procession will begin at 8 AM on November 22, 2023 (corresponding to the 10th day of the 10th lunar month of the Year of the Rabbit), at the City Funeral Home, National Highway 1A, An Lac Ward, Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City; after which the remains will be cremated at the Binh Hung Hoa Cremation Center.

Background and career

Professor Nguyen Van Hanh was born on January 1, 1931, in Dien Tho commune, Dien Ban district, Quang Nam province. He has been a member of the Vietnam Writers Association since 1972.

He was born into a family with a Confucian scholarly tradition. He graduated from the Faculty of Philology at Lomonosov Moscow State University in Russia in 1961. He defended his doctoral thesis in philology there in 1963.

In 1963, he returned to Vietnam and worked at the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi Pedagogical University, as the head of the literary theory department.

From 1965, as head of the Department of Literary Theory, he was one of the main contributors to the compilation of the textbook "Fundamentals of Literary Theory" (4 volumes, published from 1965-1971). This was one of the first three works of literary theory (along with Dang Thai Mai's *Literary Theory* and Nguyen Luong Ngoc's *Principles of Literary Theory *) that applied principles and concepts put forward by Soviet scholars to build a Vietnamese textbook on literary theory, explaining practical issues in the history of Vietnamese literature.

After the reunification of the country, he served as Head of the University of Hue, Rector of Hue University of Education from 1975 to 1981, Deputy Minister of Education and Training from 1983 to 1987, Deputy Head of the Central Committee for Culture and Arts, Deputy Head of the Central Committee for Ideology and Culture from 1981 to 1983; from 1987 to 1990, senior expert at the Institute of Social Sciences, now the Southern Institute of Social Sciences in Ho Chi Minh City. He was awarded the title of Associate Professor in 1980 and Professor in 1984. He retired in 2003.

Major published works :

Fundamentals of Literary Theory (4 volumes, 1965-1971, author and co-author); Reflections on Literature (essay, 1972); To Huu's Poetry, the Voice of Agreement, Sympathy, and Shared Feelings (essay, 1980, 1985); Nam Cao – A Life, a Literary Life (1993); Literary Theory – Issues and Reflections (research, co-authored, 1995); Literature and Culture – Issues and Reflections (essay, 2002); One Hundred Years of Quang Nam Poetry (poetry anthology, 2005, author and co-authored); Stories of Literature and Life (essay, 2005); Literary Criticism Theory ; Current Situation and Trends (essay, 2009); Methods and Laws of Literary Research (research, 2012).

(According to the website of the Vietnam Writers Association)

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