Professor Le Thuoc

(Baonghean.vn) Professor Le Thuoc was born in 1891 in Trung Le village, Ngu Lam commune, now Duc Trung commune, Duc Tho district, Ha Tinh province. He graduated from Hue National School in 1909 and taught elementary school in Vinh. Later, he studied Chinese characters and in 1918 took the provincial examination, passing with the highest score (Giải nguyên) at the Nghe An school. Continuing his work of teaching and studying, in 1921, he graduated from Hanoi Teacher Training College and became the principal of Cao Xuan Duc School in Vinh, also serving as an inspector of primary and elementary schools in Nghe An.

Therefore, in the Indochina General Yearbook (Annuaire Général de L'Inđochine), under the section on Inspection of French-Vietnamese Schools, it is recorded: "1922-23: Pihé: Headmaster and Lê Thước: Apprentice." Not long after, he was transferred to teach at Vinh National School. Because he frequently contacted former political prisoners such as Lê Huân, Nguyễn Đình Kiên, and politically active modern scholars like Tôn Quang Phiệt, Trần Phú, Hà Huy Tập, Trần Mộng Bạch, Phan Kiêm Huy… in 1927 the authorities transferred him to the Albert Sarraut School, to teach Vietnamese in French to a large number of students, mostly children of French officials and capitalists. Later, he was transferred to teach in Cao Bằng and then back to Thanh Hoá. He retired in 1943. Perhaps this was because he was a patriotic teacher who hated authoritarianism?!

Over thirty years of teaching and learning, Professor Le Thuoc left a beautiful impression on his students. Professor and scientist Nguyen Xien wrote in the newspaper To Quoc (issue 10 - 1975): “The most valuable harvest during our time studying at Vinh National School was his (Le Thuoc's) lectures on Vietnamese, French, and history. His graduation thesis from the College of Education, entitled “Vietnamese Sinology,” was the first to raise the issue of national consciousness in our country's history… teaching us to love our mother tongue. He instilled in us a sense of pride in our country's literary heritage…” The second part consists of Le Thuoc's writings. By then, he had published the books: *The Story of Nguyen Du* (1924), *The Career and Literature of General Uy Vien Nguyen Cong Tru* (1928), and a wealth of materials on the historical and literary research projects he was developing.

Retiring at the young age of 52, Le Thuoc returned to his rural life, plowing the fields and teaching his children and grandchildren. Of course, the core of his being remained that of a researcher. Following the success of the August Revolution, Le Thuoc was happy to be a citizen of an independent and free country. When the nationwide resistance war broke out, he and his family enthusiastically and exemplarily fulfilled their duties in the rear. His son, Le Thieu Huy, died on the Mekong River in March 1946 while on an international mission assisting Laos. Another son was wounded, and a son-in-law also died in the resistance war.

In the autumn of 1954, Le Thuoc was invited to work at the Museum Department of the Ministry of Culture, and later at the Publication Department of the Ministry of Education. His work mainly involved translating and editing books and historical and literary documents in both Chinese and French. Another invaluable quality was his constant willingness to offer advice and assistance to young researchers. They were grateful to him, a highly respected and virtuous teacher. In 1964, he resigned.

Thus, he retired twice in his life. But even with this second retirement, for him, retirement did not mean ceasing his research work. As before, he continued to have many important articles published in literary magazines, history journals, the newspaper Tổ Quốc, and in the literary documentary section of the Văn Nghệ weekly newspaper.

By briefly reviewing the academic path, intellectual capacity, endurance, and dedication of Professor Le Thuoc, we can explore how he came to know and what memories he shared with his classmate, Nguyen Sinh Cung (birth name Nguyen Tat Thanh), during his time at Hue National High School.

Le Thuoc was one year younger than Nguyen Sinh Cung, but at Quoc Hoc (National School), he was one year ahead of Cung. This was because Thuoc's childhood was more fortunate than Cung's. In 1900, while Cung and his brothers were living in Hue, their mother passed away. They had to follow their father back to their maternal hometown (Hoang Tru). In 1901, after Nguyen Sinh Sac (Cung's father) passed the Pho Bang examination (a higher-ranking scholar), the family returned to their paternal hometown, Kim Lien village (in the same district as Hoang Tru). In the autumn of 1905, Cung returned to Hue with his father and continued his studies at French-Vietnamese schools.

The two men lived in different provinces, but if they were willing to cross two ferries (on the Lam River and its tributary, the La River), the distance from Kim Lien to Trung Le as the crow flies wouldn't be far. Le Thuoc's years as a civil servant were mainly spent in Vinh. After passing the imperial examination but before taking up an official position, Mr. Sac went to Duc Tho to teach. His son, Cung, also accompanied his father to visit the hometowns of the aforementioned Can Vuong leaders. Later, the two sons, Le and Nguyen, attended the same school. Although each had their own circumstances and studied in different classes, they couldn't help but maintain a connection. When Nguyen Sinh Cung became the supreme leader of the nation, President Ho Chi Minh, with immense influence on the international stage, Le Thuoc couldn't help but reminisce about the days they had lived and studied together in Hue. However, with his utmost humility, the professor didn't reveal anything prematurely. Only much later did we learn that the Archives of the Hanoi Institute of History still preserves three memoir excerpts, with handwritten notes by him about that precious relationship...

Professor Le Thuoc passed away in October 1975 in Hanoi. With his passing, we have lost a living treasure trove of information in the form of a scholar and professor of modern studies, a highly knowledgeable and dedicated individual always ready to contribute to society!

Chu Trong Huyen