Learning Han Nom to become a bridge between ancient and modern timesTran Thanh Nga, born in 2001 in Hanoi, is a senior student majoring in Han Nom, Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi. She has just won the USSH Youth Awards - Youth for Humanities 2023 in the field of Study - Scientific Research.
2023 Humanities Youth Award in the field of Learning - Scientific Research
When Thanh Nga introduced herself as a student of Han Nom, most people were surprised because few people knew about this major, and asked many "half-crying, half-laughing" questions. In response to those questions, she often answered simply: "Han Nom is a major that studies the history and culture of Vietnam and other countries with similar cultures based on documents written in Han and Nom characters."
Some outstanding achievements of Tran Thanh Nga
Sharing the reason for choosing Han Nom, Thanh Nga said that when choosing her major, she read an interview with Dr. Dinh Thanh Hieu, Head of Han Nom Department, Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi. In it, Mr. Hieu commented that Han Nom is a major that acts as a "bridge between traditional and modern cultural values", providing learners with both knowledge and moral values.
Thanh Nga and Dr. Dinh Thanh Hieu
Impressed by that statement, as well as realizing that the teaching objectives of the major were suitable for her personal interests, Thanh Nga decided to choose Han Nom major. This is a major that connects the ancient and the modern, so it requires students to meet certain standards.
First, it is memorizing Chinese characters, transcribing and translating some ancient texts. Higher requirements can be mentioned as understanding the ideology and political views of philosophers of many different schools.
When she first started studying, Thanh Nga was really overwhelmed by the number of Chinese characters she had to remember, the amount of knowledge she had to learn, or the amount of teaching in each document. For a new student who did not have a solid foundation in Han Nom like her, memorizing and learning traditional Chinese characters became extremely difficult. However, this was the foundation for learning more specialized knowledge, which made her feel that she needed to try harder to study.
Her initial Chinese and Nom characters were not accurate or beautiful, and had many errors. Faced with this difficulty, Thanh Nga determined to practice writing, writing over and over again until she could remember the characters and how to write them. Gradually, as she remembered more characters, her strokes became more confident, flexible, clear and beautiful.
Thanh Nga's handwriting practice sheets (from left to right) from first year to third year
“The specialized subjects are carefully selected by teachers to convey to us many good humanistic values of our ancestors. The amount of knowledge from the major has helped me change a lot in my thinking as well as my way of life. For me, this is the most valuable thing that the Han Nom major has brought to me,” she shared.
Thanh Nga compares her field of study to a key that opens the treasure trove of traditional culture of our ancestors. According to her, in the current era of integration and development, preserving and promoting national identity is extremely important. Han Nom is one of the solid foundations for the Vietnamese people to build a culture rich in national identity.
She recognized that if one wants to study Han Nom well, one needs to ensure two factors: a love of learning about tradition and a talent for literature.
Passionate about scientific research, dream of helping children in disadvantaged areasIn 2022, Thanh Nga was one of two students from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities whose student scientific research was awarded at the Hanoi National University level. Her topic "The first learning of the Rites of Ancient Primary Education: Research on the "Minh Luan" chapter of the book Tu Chu Tu Tieu Hoc Toan Thu" won the first prize at the Hanoi National University level, and was later developed and selected to be published in the commemorative book of the "Han Nom Research 2022" Conference.
At the 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Han Nom Industry, November 2022
Currently, Thanh Nga is interested in and conducting a number of research topics on Confucian classics in Vietnam. Although this is the direction that many researchers have been pursuing, for her, scientists always have to find new perspectives to diversify the problem.
Thanh Nga hopes that her next research articles will continue to be read and commented on by everyone. From there, a young person like her will learn more profound experiences on the journey of scientific research.
“Scientific research is not a smooth road full of roses, but I will continue to pursue it after graduation. Because, during the research process, I can understand more arguments and gain more knowledge. I hope that I can go as far as possible on this path,” Thanh Nga confided.
Han Nom is a major that often requires working with documents and books, so some people think that this major is quite boring. Or people often think that Han Nom students just sit still and rarely participate in extracurricular activities.
But the truth is not like that, during her studies, Thanh Nga always participated in all programs and events organized by the Youth Union and Student Association. She also achieved the title of "5 Good Students" at the school level. Thanks to the Youth Union and Association work, she gradually developed a hobby of participating in volunteer activities, especially in protecting and helping children.
Thanh Nga in some student activities
During her extracurricular activities, she got to know many students who shared her interest in learning about Asian cultures. They shared with her a lot of interesting knowledge with diverse perspectives. This was very meaningful to her in the process of finding and completing scientific research topics.
Thanh Nga is expected to graduate from university this July. She is looking for opportunities to teach in remote areas, helping children in disadvantaged areas access knowledge. This is the dream she has cherished since her first days in university. After that, she plans to pursue graduate studies in Han Nom to continue her path to becoming a researcher.
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Let's learn about Han Nom major, Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU here
Information about training program
Name of training major:
+ Vietnamese: Han Nom
+ English: Sino-Nom
Graduation title: Bachelor
Training period: 4 years
Name of diploma:
+ Vietnamese: Bachelor of Han Nom
+ English:The Degree of Bachelor in Sino – Nom
Career opportunities
Expert in collecting and preserving Han Nom documents
- Research specialist on ancient texts, historical relics, folklore
- Teaching Han Nom and Chinese at schools
- Chinese translation and interpretation for agencies and businesses
- Editor at press agencies, specialized magazines, Chinese tour guide,...
Ability to learn and improve after graduation
After graduating from university, depending on their ability and needs, students can continue to study at higher levels (Master of Han Nom and Doctor of Han Nom) at training institutions inside and outside of Hanoi National University.
