Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Xuan Khang and his fate with the History industry

Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Xuan Khang was born on July 19, 1954 in a farming family in a village along the Red River in Nam Hong Commune, Nam Truc District, Nam Dinh Province. Promoting the tradition of studiousness of the village where he was born and raised, his childhood was filled with days of constantly overcoming difficulties, learning and striving to always be one of the excellent students of the school from Primary to Secondary level. In September 1971, when he was just 17 years old, like many other students, he received the Admission Notice from Hanoi University, he was extremely happy. However, that joy only followed him from home to school because on the day of admission he learned that he was not admitted to the Faculty of Literature as he had wished. However, "studying History and doing History for me is like a fate" - he confided. Because the more he studied History, the more he loved History and became passionate about it without knowing when, but it is certain that the lessons with famous teachers in the "Four Pillars of the Court" of History such as Professor Dinh Xuan Lam, Professor Phan Huy Le, Professor Ha Van Tan and Professor Tran Quoc Vuong brought him to the profession of History.

Associate Professor, Doctor, Meritorious Teacher Dang Xuan Khang

After graduating from the 4.5-year training course of Course 16 in January 1976, he was retained as a lecturer in June of that year. In the first two years at the faculty, he worked as an Assistant to Academic Affairs and also worked professionally with the Department of World History in the Modern World History group. According to the assignment of the Department, he became one of the first people to research and teach about Africa in the Department of History because this was a completely new field, no one had researched this continent. That requirement also came from the historical reality of the African revolutionary movement that was developing strongly, even like Vietnam, many African countries after gaining independence declared to follow the path of socialism such as Angola, Mozambique or Ethiopia. Three books on Africa were quickly completed in a short time with Professor Vu Duong Ninh (then Head of the Department of World History) to promptly serve the teaching work of the Faculty and the Department:African countries- episode 1,African countries- episode 2andThe struggle against apartheid in South Africa.

Also during that time, from the suggestion of a brother and colleague who had just successfully defended his PhD thesis in the Soviet Union - Prof. Dr. Vu Minh Giang (former Vice President of VNU): "The department needs someone to research Japan because in the future Japan will occupy a very important position in the economic development of Vietnam", he came to Japan from there - it seemed like a coincidence or fate. Starting with learning Japanese at an old age, especially when he had been using Russian for a long time before that. However, with diligence and hard work, he initially conquered the challenge. In 1991, with the help of Prof. Phan Huy Le, he received a scholarship from Keio University - the first university in Japan founded by the famous reformer Fukuzawa Yukichi during the Meiji Restoration in 1858. During his 2 years of studying and researching in Japan, he devoted much of his enthusiasm to the Meiji Restoration and the educational reform of Japan during this period. To him, Japanese schools have contributed greatly to changing the position and role of Japan in the international arena. That is the reason why he devoted himself to researching and exploring the history, people and educational culture of Japan with the desire to find lessons that can be applied to Vietnam.

In 1994, he returned to Vietnam to continue his teaching work and was the first lecturer to teach in-depth about Japanese history and culture at Hanoi University in the 1990s of the 20th century. From June 1995, he was appointed as Deputy Head of the Department of World History, Faculty of History, in charge of teaching Modern World History and Japanese History for the Faculty of Literature and the Faculty of Oriental Studies. In October 1998, he was transferred by the University and appointed as Deputy Head of the Faculty of International Studies, and at the same time taught the subject of Modern International Relations History. And then, fate took him in a new direction with a new political mission as Deputy Head of the Department of Organization and Personnel in 2002. Although his managerial work distracted him a lot, he still prioritized his time for teaching and scientific research. At the end of 2002, he successfully defended his PhD thesis:Educational reform and its main impacts on Japan's socio-economic development (from the Meiji Restoration to the post-World War II period)and was awarded the Pham Than Duat Prize (Third Prize) by the Vietnam Historical Science Association for outstanding doctoral theses of the year. Six years after receiving his doctoral degree, he was awarded the title of Associate Professor of History by the State Title Council in 2009. In 2014, with many outstanding contributions to his teaching and scientific research career, he continued to be awarded the title of Meritorious Teacher by the State.

Up to now, after more than 39 years of working at the school, having held many different positions and different management responsibilities, Associate Professor Dr. Dang Xuan Khang has always maintained his passion for scientific research. Associate Professor Dr. Dang Xuan Khang's contributions in the academic field must first of all include a system of typical articles and works related to Japanese history and culture such as:Fukuzawa - famous reformer of the Meiji Restoration, Historical Research Center,1991;Developments of Japanese education from the late 19th century to the present, Faculty of Science, Hanoi National University,1995;Some issues on cultural integration and maintaining national cultural identity in Japan, Statistical Publishing House, 1996;Reasons for the success of the Meiji Restoration, Japan Studies Journal, 1996;The International Context of the Meiji Restoration”//Eastern cooperation and development, VNU Publishing House, 2003;The Meiji Restoration in Japan with Vietnamese scholars and the patriotic education they led//Vietnam - Japan Relations. Historical and Current Issues, VNU Publishing House, 2003;Some main ideas of Japanese educational reform during the Meiji Restoration, World Publishing House, 2004;History of Japan, World Publishing House, 2007;Reform movements in some East Asian countries in the mid-19th - early 20th centuries, VNU Publishing House, 2007;The problem of building a modern state apparatus in Japan under the Meiji government, Journal of Historical Research, 2008;Women and Japanese Education under the Impact of Meiji Restoration Educational Reform//Asian Women and Education - Asian, European and Other Perspectives(International Conference, 2012)… In addition, it is impossible not to mention the scientific research topics that Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Xuan Khang has chaired or participated in, contributing to the practical teaching of undergraduate and graduate students in the faculties of History, Oriental Studies and International Studies. Among them, the most typical are:Thoseissues of history and culture of the East and Northeast regionsAsia, 2001;Some post-cold war regional conflicts: history and problems,2005;Reform movements in some East Asian countries in the mid-19th - early 20th centuries,2007; and most recently, the National University Key TopicDictionary of World Historical Events (1500-2000).

As an experienced researcher and lecturer at a leading university in the country, he also has made very positive social contributions. In addition to participating in giving opinions in the National Council for the Appraisal of History Textbooks,In addition to the Modern World History section for grade 12, he also participated in discussions and gave comments on many drafts and legal documents of the Ministry of Education and Training as Chairman of the School Union such as: Law on Higher Education, Circular on Regulations on Working Regime for Lecturers, Circular on Regulations on Standards for Ranks of Civil Servants, University Charter; at the same time, he was also the one who directly organized many seminars and workshops on innovation in university education management...

Writing about Associate Professor, Doctor, Meritorious Student Dang Xuan Khang, in addition to the simple, rustic lines above about his contributions to the department, faculty, school and society, my most important impression of him is that he is a tolerant, kind teacher, always devoted to his students, a diligent, meticulous, kind colleague and always willing to help the next generation of colleagues.