“Nguyen Quoc Hung and the 20th century”

Associate Professor Nguyen Quoc Hung was born in 1936 into an intellectual family in Hanoi. After studying primary school in Hanoi, he attended Tan Trao High School - Tuyen Quang (1949-1951) and the Social Science Teacher Training College of the Central Campus (Nanning - China). After graduating from the Teacher Training College, he was assigned to teach secondary school at Ninh Binh town secondary school. In mid-1957, he transferred to work at Inter-zone III Education Zone. From 1958-1960, he worked at the Son Tay Education Department. In 1961, he was assigned to study at Lenin Pedagogical University in Moscow, majoring in History. In 1964, according to the State's decision, he was one of the social science students from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe who returned to Vietnam and continued studying at the History Department, Hanoi National University. He was a student of the first class of the World History major (1965-1966). In 1966, after graduating, he was retained at the Faculty of History, Hanoi National University, to teach the Modern World History course and topics on imperialism. After the establishment of Hanoi National University in 1993, he was assigned to be the head of the International Relations group in the general program. Also in 1993, he, along with Professor Phan Huy Le and Associate Professor Le Quang Thiem, participated in the Executive Board to prepare for the establishment of the Faculty of Oriental Studies. When the Faculty of Oriental Studies was officially established in 1995, he transferred to work at the Faculty, holding the position of Vice Dean of the Faculty and Head of the Department of Japanese Studies, contributing to the establishment of the fledgling Japanese Studies industry in Vietnam.

Associate Professor, People's Teacher Nguyen Quoc Hung - former Head of the Department of Japanese Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies

As a teacher, Associate Professor Nguyen Quoc Hung is well aware of the importance of preparing class content. In order to teach well the assigned subjects, he devoted a lot of effort to self-study and equip himself with more knowledge, especially in areas related to economics and finance of imperialism... Perhaps, the sense of self-reliance and overcoming difficulties trained in the Central Campus environment in the past helped him form a high capacity for self-study. In 1986, after the 6th National Party Congress, the renovation policy and the policy of international integration required promoting in-depth research on international relations. Associate Professor Nguyen Quoc Hung, with his professional acumen, advocated incorporating research achievements on international relations into undergraduate and postgraduate teaching content, in order to contribute to serving the international integration policy and multilateral diplomacy of our country. In particular, he was interested in issues of World Order, international organizations such as the United Nations, ASEAN...

As an expert in world history, Associate Professor Nguyen Quoc Hung has published many works of fundamental significance on modern world history, history of international relations, history of the Soviet Union (Russia) and history of Japan. Typical are textbooks onModern World History 1917-1945(1984),Modern World History 1917-1995(1998),October Revolution and the national liberation movement(1987),United Nations(1992),International relations in the 20th century(2000),History of the Russian Federation 1917-1991(co-written with Nguyen Thi Thu, 2002),Ho Chi Minh – The international soldier(2005),International Relations - Theoretical Aspects and Issues(co-written with Hoang Khac Nam, 2006),History of Japan(editor, 2007),United Nations and United Nations peacekeeping forces(co-written with Nguyen Hong Quan, 2008)... He participated in compiling history textbooks (world history section) for high school students such asHistory Textbook Grade 9, History Textbook Grade 12…In addition, he participated in editingVietnamese Encyclopedia(4 volumes). Associate Professor Nguyen Quoc Hung is the one who discovered, collected and translated the book.Speech by Nguyen Ai Quocat the Third Congress of the Red Trade Union International (1924) and was included inHo Chi Minh Complete Works.He was the first person to translate and introduce important documents on international relations such asStatement of the three powersat the Tehran Conference of 1943,Agreement of the Three Great Powers on Far Eastern Affairsat the Yalta Conference 2-1945,Document of military surrender of Nazi Germany 5-1945, Declaration of Human Rightsof the United Nations (1948).

Associate Professor Nguyen Quoc Hung demonstrated his educational management ability early when, at the age of 19, he became the Principal of Ninh Binh Town Secondary School. When working at the University, he was trusted to hold many management positions such as Acting Head of the History Department (1983-1984), Deputy Head of the History Department (1983-1990), Deputy Director of the Asia-Pacific Research Center (1990-1995), Deputy Head of the Oriental Faculty (1995-2000), Head of the Department of Japanese Studies (1995-2005). Regardless of his position, he always completed his management work well and focused on training his successors. He especially invested in building a team of cadres with in-depth professional orientation, emphasizing the effort to continuously study and research, turning the training process into self-training. When assigning teaching tasks to young staff, he always pays attention to balancing between subjects that provide basic knowledge and subjects that focus on in-depth research, helping lecturers both supplement their knowledge and have the opportunity to convey updated research achievements into the lecture content. He enthusiastically guides young staff from how to compile lesson plans and textbooks, to creating timetables, contacting and inviting lecturers outside the school, etc. He attaches great importance to building cooperative relationships with research units inside and outside the school. He has established a network of collaborators for the field of Japanese Studies, including experts from the faculties of History, International Studies, the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies, the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies, etc. and many universities and research institutes in Japan. He is also particularly interested in compiling textbooks and reference materials to improve the quality of training. He is the editor-in-chief of the bookHistory of Japanmore than 400 pages thick (2007) and was the one who encouraged the department's brothers and sisters to compile the book.Lecture on Japanese Studies(5 volumes) in both Japanese and Vietnamese with the participation of Japanese and Vietnamese professors and researchers. A prominent feature in his working principles is that he requires carefulness, diligence, and honesty from staff and students. He himself is an example for the younger generations to follow. Moreover, he always pays attention to building solidarity within the department and nurturing the personality of the younger generation. His working philosophy has become the operating principle of the Department of Japanese Studies for the past 20 years.

The book "Nguyen Quoc Hung and the 20th Century" has just been released to readers as a gift from generations of lecturers and students of Japanese Studies to Associate Professor, People's Teacher Nguyen Quoc Hung on the occasion of his 80th birthday anniversary. The book synthesizes his typical works in 40 years, from 1973 to 2013.

For the faculty and students of the Department of Japanese Studies, the two wordsMr. Hungalways evokes feelings of respect, gratitude, closeness and intimacy. From the students of the K53 to K50 course who were welcomed to the school and directly taught by him, to the later courses who did not directly study with him but read books and heard about him through the stories of their fellow students, the students of the Department always feel the pride of being a member of the big family of Japanese studies, of which he was the one who worked hard to build a solid foundation. During his years as Head of the Department of Japanese Studies, he always gave way so that young lecturers could have the opportunity to study and practice abroad to improve their qualifications, while he only went on a business trip to Japan once. It is difficult to tell all the gratitude and memories of generations of students towards him. The greatest thing that the staff and students learned from him was the sense of responsibility and the silent sacrifice of aTeacher - Father.

This book expresses the gratitude and deep affection that generations of lecturers and students of Japanese Studies send toMr. HungOn the occasion of the 80th anniversary of his birth. The book synthesizes his typical works in 40 years, from 1973 to 2013 according to four main contents.

Part 1: World History and International Relations.This section collects research articles by Associate Professor Nguyen Quoc Hung on the Russian October Revolution and the history of the Soviet Union, World War II, the Cold War, international organizations and typical international events in the late 19th and 20th centuries.

Part 2: East Asia and Vietnam.This is the section focusing on Associate Professor Nguyen Quoc Hung's research on Vietnamese history, Japanese history, East Asian history and typical events in the relationship between Vietnam and East Asian countries.

Part 3: Translation.This section introduces the translation of four historically significant documents, including documents discovered and collected by Associate Professor Nguyen Quoc Hung while he was studying in the Soviet Union.

Part 4: Epilogue.This section records the feelings and memories of Associate Professor Nguyen Quoc Hung with his friends and colleagues at the Faculty of History, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

On the occasion of the publication of the book, the Department of Japanese Studies would like to express our deep gratitude to Associate Professor Nguyen Quoc Hung and his family for providing valuable materials for editing and publishing the book. We would like to sincerely thank the Faculty of Oriental Studies and generations of students for enthusiastically organizing and responding to activities to celebrate his birthday. We would also like to sincerely thank The Gioi Publishing House for creating the best conditions for the book to be released on the occasion of Associate Professor Nguyen Quoc Hung's birthday. We believe that the book not only provides important materials and the author's profound insights on world historical issues of the 20th century, but also helps readers better understand the personality and spirit of careful and passionate work ofMr. Hung.

Hanoi spring 2016.