I took the entrance exam to the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University of Science during a special period:
A soldier who had served in the army for more than ten years, had lost all his knowledge from his school days, but dared to risk his life to take the entrance exam for the Faculty of Literature, either because he was scared or because he was too arrogant to take the exam. At that time, everyone knew by heart the saying: "Bach Khoa Math, Van Tong Tong". This saying implied the extreme difficulty of getting into these two faculties. The very high requirements of the Faculty of Mathematics and the Faculty of Literature at the two top schools in the North at that time were affirmed as a prestigious brand, and at the same time, it was also the dream of many generations of students. And not only those two faculties, to get into the Bach Khoa and the University in those years, one needed to achieve an extremely high exam score. That's why people also had a funny saying about the beauty of female students at these two schools: "Bach Khoa Devil, Ma Tong Tong". This was an unfair mockery of the female students at Bach Khoa and the University who were as graceful and beautiful as anyone else. But it must be admitted that the ratio of “beautiful people” in these two schools is quite low compared to other schools. This is also easy to explain. High school girls in those days, if lucky or unlucky enough to be blessed with a little beauty, certainly had to face many challenges and dangers. A female student of the Faculty of Literature and General Studies - my friend - confided: “To be honest, if a high school student is too beautiful, she cannot study. Boys surround her like flies. If she does not get married early, she will neglect her studies, how can she be in the mood to study and pass the entrance exams to those schools. Therefore, only girls who are not as beautiful as us can study diligently and pass the entrance exams here. People say “ghosts of General Studies” have their reasons.”
Professor Hoang Xuan Nhi and students of the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi National University
Our class of 21 entered school right after the country was reunified. Two-thirds of each class were veterans and Youth Volunteers. The youngest were 23 or 24. The oldest was 45. Most were married and had children. Meanwhile, most of the female students had just graduated from high school and were barely 16. At first, they addressed us as uncle and niece. By the second year, they were all brothers and sisters. The most frightening thing was their academic performance and their terrifying achievements. A long list of first and second prize winners in literature in the North. Some of them had become authors with their works published in newspapers. They even spoke to each other in Russian, English... it was deafening.
With such different elements, we became classmates in a course that had both the youthfulness of students and the dignity and sloppiness of cadres going to school. Hunger. Lack of everything. Each class had to elect an executive committee to take care of the students' lives. That executive committee had to buy all the canteen quotas and then distribute them to the brothers and sisters. Every two weeks, they would collect the remaining food stamps to organize a fresh meal for the class or each group of friends... Even torn clothes could be patched up by the skillful students and still look good. Each class was lucky to have 1 or 2 bicycles from the cadres going to school, which were considered valuable. Just like that, after more than four years of studying, we became a family. An extremely lovely family. Most of the students of the Faculty of Arts were talented, romantic, and extremely humorous.
I dare not compare with the students of the Faculty of Literature in later courses when the school was renamed Humanities, but it is true that the students of the General period left an indelible mark. They devoted themselves to the great march to liberate the country. While sitting in school, they studied and researched the very "footprints of soldiers" that they had left on the resistance journey. Therefore, along with their life experiences, they had very broad knowledge, social understanding, and upon graduation, most of them had jobs, excelling in jobs in the fields of humanities. The classes of students of the Faculty of Literature of Hanoi General University from the courses of 1985 and before have become quite famous. Dozens of them became writers, hundreds of others became famous journalists and teachers, taking on many leadership positions in press agencies, publishing agencies, art troupes, universities or cultural agencies...
Student of Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University of Science
*
* *
One extremely fortunate thing was that at that time we were also taught directly by famous professors of our country such as: Hoang Xuan Nhi, Nguyen Tai Can, Tran Quoc Vuong, Dinh Gia Khanh, Hoang Nhu Mai, Le Dinh Ky, Tran Dinh Huou, Phan Cu De, Ha Minh Duc, Bui Duy Tan, Do Hong Chung, Nguyen Van Khoa, Do Duc Hieu, Nguyen Kim Dinh, Le Hong Sam, Dang Anh Dao, Hoang Trong Phien, Thach Giang... The lectures of the teachers were extremely precious moments with a very high content of knowledge. I still remember the scene every time there was a lecture by teachers Nguyen Tai Can, Tran Quoc Vuong, Hoang Nhu Mai... the whole large yard in front of our classroom was packed with students from other faculties coming to listen. The names of the teachers, the personalities of each teacher, and even the details of each teacher's personal life became the subject for the students of the Faculty of Literature to weave into stories with extremely affectionate and mischievous feelings. The humorous rhyming sentences of the teachers' names that I heard and still remember on the first days of school were: "Luong Nhi, Viet Ky, noi Mai, Tai Can, lang m Duy Tan...". Mr. Hoang Xuan Nhi's salary was the highest in the school. The best writer was Mr. Le Dinh Ky. The most engaging lecturer was Mr. Hoang Nhu Mai and the most profound knowledge was Mr. Nguyen Tai Can. Mr. Bui Duy Tan was not lazy at all. In addition to his impressive knowledge, he also had a charming hidden mischief. But as a meticulous, strict person who specialized in teaching literature of Ly - Tran - Le, Mr. Tan had a style quite typical of literature at that time. His wife was all the way in Nam Ha, Mr. Tan lived in a loft of a few square meters below the faculty office in building C2. When at home, he often went shirtless and wore wooden clogs. His hair was cut high and his neck was white. One summer afternoon, he walked down to the public water tank between the two buildings C2 and C3 to get water. The students saw him wearing a pair of very loose military shorts. To make it neat, the teacher pulled the excess fabric on both sides of his pants up to his sides like two ears. The next day, the students of the Faculty of Arts challenged each other: "Walking, talking, shirtless. New head, old legs, elephant ears in pants". Guess who you are? The good thing here is combining the subject that Mr. Tan teaches with his very unique style. Mr. Do Duc Hieu had another strictness that often terrified us students. Mr. Hieu was thin, had severe nearsightedness, and spoke very softly and politely. He reminded us many times: "I don't know what you will become in the future, but today I ask you to write correctly, practice Vietnamese fluently". I can't forget one time when I checked my paper, I wrote in capital letters in the wrong place. When the teacher returned my paper, I was both embarrassed and amused to the point of tears. The teacher commented bitterly: "Oh, you wrote in capital letters again!". My friend was asked by the teacher to meet him in the faculty office at 2 pm. At 2:02, I stepped into the office door and saw a piece of paper stuck there by the teacher saying: "I have an appointment with you at 2 o'clock. It's 2:01 now, say goodbye to my brother." Next time, I dare you to be careless about time with the teacher.
Teachers of the Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU
In general, the teachers of our generation of students are so respectable and lovable. The students are poor. The teachers also live very poor. But the responsibility is very high and the relationship between teachers and students is close and intimate. Although the curriculum and learning materials are still lacking and sketchy, the teachers have passed on to us a rich store of knowledge that they have accumulated with great efforts in their teaching lives. Our ancestors used to say "Old teachers, young singers". We are very fortunate to have the blessing of being taught by teachers whose age and career have reached the peak. The life and teaching experiences of the teachers are truly examples for us to learn and follow in the future.
There are countless stories about the years as students of the Faculty of Literature. It will forever be a beautiful memory of life. The student soldiers of the 21st class of the Faculty of Literature back then each have their own job now. Most of them have become old men and women, retired, and some have wandered to paradise... Every time I think about them, looking back at those photos, I feel more and more that it was a beautiful time of life under the roof of the beloved and valuable Hanoi University of Literature.
Author:Nguyen Trong Tan
