People's Teacher Le Mau Han - A model of science and pedagogy, a respectable personality

Associate Professor, People's Teacher Le Mau Han (1932 - 2021)

People's Teacher Le Mau Han was born on October 1, 1932 in Bich La Thuong, Trieu Phong commune, Quang Tri province. From an early age, he participated in the resistance work at the grassroots level; in 1953, he gathered in the North, leaving his young wife behind in his homeland, and was reunited several decades later. In Hanoi, he worked hard to become a student in the first class of history at Hanoi University, and from 1959 until his retirement, he devoted his whole life and made many outstanding contributions to the cause of researching and teaching revolutionary history, the history of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh's ideology.

Colleagues and generations of students admire and respect the profound knowledge, serious and scientific working style, courage and responsibility of People's Teacher Le Mau Han.

Over 60 years of diligent research, testing, comparison, contemplation, and drawing conclusions from rich domestic and foreign sources, from the heroic revolutionary history of the nation that he and his students surveyed in many bases, revolutionary war zones, and localities across the country, he enriched himself with a vast amount of knowledge and affirmed his role and position as a leading expert on modern history, the history of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh's ideology. He thoroughly understood each historical document, grasped the nature of each event, thoroughly interpreted, accurately evaluated, without avoidance, issues of political, military, diplomatic, economic - social history, etc.

He made many outstanding contributions in affirming the value of the Brief Platform, Brief Strategy of 1930 - the first Platform of the Party drafted by Uncle Ho and his core thoughts on independence, freedom, socialism; on the science and art of building, directing the Party's strategies and tactics through revolutionary periods. He is the author and editor of dozens of national-level research works and history textbooks on the history of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the history of the National Assembly, the history of the Government, Ho Chi Minh Thought, the Vietnamese Encyclopedia... These scientific works are valuable forever.

People's Teacher Le Mau Han devoted most of his accumulated valuable knowledge to the cause of training generations of students. Students and postgraduates who listened to his lectures could never forget his shining eyes and hearty voice that seemed to be ignited by surging revolutionary enthusiasm. Students not only received from him rich historical knowledge and scientific methodology but also absorbed from him the spirit of patriotism and responsibility towards the people and the country. Over the past several decades, he has trained many generations of students, many of whom have become high-ranking officials of the Party and the State, leading experts in many fields of social sciences and humanities.

Associate Professor, People's Teacher Le Mau Han and Professor, People's Teacher Vu Duong Ninh - 2 leading historians, teachers of many generations of students and trainees of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. (Photo: University of Social Sciences and Humanities)

People's Teacher Le Mau Han left a deep impression of a respectable personality in the hearts of his friends, colleagues, and generations of students. He is not easy to understand at first sight and not easy to understand deeply if you only meet and work with him for a short time. The closer you are to him, the more you realize that, behind his bony figure and serious face; behind his laconic, somewhat dry way of speaking, there is a kind heart, a deep affection he has for his students, friends, and colleagues; a sense of responsibility and dedication to the common cause, to life, to people; a burning love and his flesh and blood attachment to the country, to his compatriots, to the Party's ideals. Whatever he thinks, says, writes, and does all come from his wish: to make his country, his people, his Party, and his society stronger and more beautiful; to make the cause of education and training develop healthily and substantially; so that generations of students enter life as decent, useful people.

What is really interesting and precious about People's Teacher Le Mau Han is that he had a very simple but refined life. Generations of students and young cadres of the History Faculty, University of General Sciences in the 70s and 80s of the last century still remember the image of the Head of the Faculty Le Mau Han, a thin man, wearing dark clothes, often going down to Me Tri Dormitory to kindly visit every little detail of the daily activities and studies of the students; paying close attention to the lives of each teacher in the faculty, especially the young teachers. After the war, the country was poor, the school was poor, the faculty was poor, the teachers and students were poor, with noodles and vegetables for every meal, he was the stern, ascetic captain who struggled day and night to steer the History Faculty boat forward, later becoming a Heroic Labor Unit in the renovation period. Few people also know about another quiet but very artistic aspect in the life of People's Teacher Le Mau Han. Those were rare moments amidst the hustle and bustle of work and hardship during the subsidy period, when he was still passionately searching for tree roots and branches with beautiful shapes, strange ceramic vases, taking care of orchid pots, and cactus flower pots... to decorate the small room in the dormitory; and on moonlit nights in Me Tri, he and the young teachers enjoyed a cup of distributed tea or a glass of light wine, excitedly and anxiously waiting to see the cactus flowers bloom... At those times, the austere teacher Le Mau Han transformed into an artist who was passionate about and worshiped beauty...

People's Teacher Le Mau Han is such a person. A steadfast person, who believed and fought for his chosen ideals all his life; a teacher whose passion, intelligence and personality will forever shine in the respect, admiration and following of generations of students and colleagues.

Hanoi, November 14, 2021
Prof. Dr. Phung Huu Phu, Former Member of the Party Central Committee, Former Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the Hanoi People's Council, Former Standing Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, Former Standing Vice Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council