60-year journey of building and developing the Faculty of Mathematics - Mathematics Department, Vinh University

On July 16, 1959, the Ministry of Education issued Decree No. 375/ND establishing Vinh Pedagogical University Branch (now Vinh University). Immediately after Vinh Pedagogical University Branch began operating, the Mathematics - Physics Department (the predecessor of the Faculty of Mathematics) was established and put into operation. After 60 years of construction and development, with the names: Mathematics - Physics Department, Faculty of Mathematics, Faculty of Mathematics - Information Technology, Faculty of Mathematics Education and now the Mathematics Department - under the Institute of Natural Education, the school has overcome many difficult periods, writing heroic pages in the history of education and training.

Despite the evacuation, the training scale of the Mathematics department still increased, and the quality of teaching and learning was maintained.

When it was first established, the Math - Physics Department had only 7 teaching staff, including teachers whose names, prestige and talent had become the pride of the Faculty of Mathematics - Mathematics Department and Vinh University, namely: Nguyen Thuc Hao, Nguyen Van Chu, Van Nhu Cuong, Hoang Ky, Dao Luyen, Nguyen Van Bang, Nguyen Huu Phuc... By the 1962 - 1963 school year, after more teachers from Hanoi Pedagogical University, Hanoi University of Science transferred to work and many excellent students of the first course were retained to teach, the Faculty of Mathematics had a staff of up to 34 staff, organized into 4 specialized groups: Analysis, Algebra, Geometry and Mathematics Teaching Methods.

Teachers and students of the Faculty of Mathematics at the Pedagogical Competition.

The past 60 years have marked a long development journey with many hardships and challenges. How can we forget the year 1964 when the US imperialists escalated their attacks on the North, bombing Vinh city, turning it into a fierce battlefield. To ensure safety, the school had to evacuate to Nghi Loc, Thanh Chuong districts (Nghe An); Thach Thanh, Ha Trung (Thanh Hoa); Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, Yen Thanh (Nghe An). Teachers and students had to simultaneously carry out the tasks of teaching, studying, scientific research, training cadres, building their lives and being ready to fight and join the army. Despite the evacuation, the training scale of the faculty still increased, the quality of teaching and learning was still maintained. In particular, from October 1966, the Mathematics Department was assigned by the Ministry of Education and the school to establish a special Mathematics class (under the Mathematics Department), which is the predecessor of Vinh University High School for the Gifted today.

After 9 years of evacuation (in 1973), returning to Vinh city, teachers and students of the Mathematics Department, along with the whole school, some went to the forest to exploit bamboo, some stayed to build classrooms, houses, and offices on land still smelling of bombs and bullets... The school's reconstruction only really began when the country was unified, teachers and students in the department were excited to both study and demonstrate the spirit of victory. However, after 30 years of war, the consequences left for the country were still very severe. During the period of 1978 - 1985, economic and institutional difficulties across the country had a significant impact on teaching and learning. Many teachers moved away, the number of students decreased, and life was very difficult, but generations of teachers and students found ways to overcome difficulties, excel in teaching, scientific research, and continued to train many excellent teachers.

Entering the period of innovation, building the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country, developing education and training is identified as an important task to improve the quality of human resources to serve the cause of national development. The period from 1986 - 2001, before Vinh Pedagogical University changed its name to Vinh University, was a period of favorable development in many areas of work of the Faculty of Mathematics. In addition to teaching activities being improved in efficiency, scientific research activities and compilation of documents and textbooks were strongly enhanced, meeting the changes in both quality and quantity for the teaching and learning activities of the faculty.

From 2001 to 2017, the Faculty of Mathematics expanded its training scale, improved its quality and developed its integration, achieving success in many fields. During this period, the Faculty was permitted by the Ministry of Education and Training to train additional regular majors: Bachelor of Information Technology, Bachelor of Mathematics, Bachelor of Mathematics - Applied Informatics, in which Mathematics Pedagogy is the traditional spearhead major... In 2017, following the school's policy of restructuring and developing the pedagogical sector, the Institute of Natural Education was established with 5 pedagogical training majors: Mathematics, Informatics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry. The Mathematics major has a professional structure of 4 subjects: Analysis, Algebra - Geometry, Probability and Statistics and Applied Mathematics, Mathematics Teaching Methods. Also from this time, the Mathematics major trains according to the CDIO approach program to closely follow the output standards, meet the requirements of society and focus on developing professional capacity for learners. In 2018 - 2019, Vinh University was permitted by the Ministry of Education and Training to train high-quality high school teachers in the field of Mathematics Pedagogy, making Vinh University the second university in the country (after Hanoi National University of Education) to train in this field.

2017 National Math Olympiad Team of Faculty of Mathematics, Vinh University.

2019 marks a significant event when the Faculty of Mathematics - Department of Mathematics, Vinh University celebrates its "60th anniversary". After more than half a century of construction and continuous development, the faculty has been duly recognized with many noble titles and awards. Currently, the faculty has 1 teacher awarded the title of People's Teacher by the State; 24 teachers awarded the title of Excellent Teacher by the State; the collective of cadres, lecturers, students and pupils of the faculty were awarded the Third Class Labor Medal; 1 teacher was awarded the First Class Labor Medal and 11 teachers were awarded the Third Class Labor Medal; 4 teachers were awarded the title of Professor and 41 teachers were awarded the title of Associate Professor. The Faculty of Mathematics - Department of Mathematics has trained 104 PhDs, nearly 1,800 masters and over 12,000 bachelors...
Along with training, the Faculty of Mathematics - Department of Mathematics has achieved many outstanding achievements in scientific research. The staff and lecturers have published nearly 1,000 scientific articles, of which 295 articles in international journals are cited in the MathSciNet database of the American Mathematical Society; chaired and completed more than 220 scientific topics, of which 15 are state-level topics (including NAFOSTED topics) and more than 50 are ministerial-level topics. 25 students were awarded the "Student Scientific Research" award by the Ministry of Education and Training; 148 students won prizes in the National Student Mathematics Olympiad; 4 students won the Vietnam Young Science Talent Award.

Professor Ngo Bao Chau took a souvenir photo with students of the Faculty of Mathematics, Vinh University. Photo: PV

Dr. Thieu Dinh Phong - Deputy Director of the Institute of Natural Education in charge of Mathematics shared: Looking back at the achievements of the faculty in the past time, many lessons have been drawn deeply through many generations. In particular, the solidarity and consensus in implementing the policies and guidelines of the Party and the State, the close direction of the school's Board of Directors for the collective of cadres, lecturers, students and pupils are key factors creating success. On the other hand, the faculty must promote democracy, the spirit of self-reliance, self-reliance to overcome all difficulties and challenges, always taking the quality and products of training and scientific research as the top criteria for all teaching and learning activities. The previous generation has the responsibility to nurture and help the next generation, creating regular support and assistance among the team of Math teachers and learners inside and outside the school. Maintain and develop cooperative working relationships with scientists, training institutions, and reputable research centers domestically and internationally.

60 years - a long journey of construction and development, although there have been many fluctuations and changes in scale, functions, tasks, and organizational structure to suit each historical period, but under the leadership of the school's Board of Directors, the collective efforts, the Faculty of Mathematics has successfully completed its tasks, meeting the requirements of comprehensive innovation in education and training, worthy of the position of a basic and traditional training unit of the school...

In the coming time, the Faculty of Mathematics, Vinh University is determined to make breakthroughs to affirm itself as a center for training high-quality and prestigious Mathematics teachers, with many training and scientific research links with universities and research centers in the country and around the world; bringing the training program of Mathematics Education to meet the accreditation standards of the ASEAN University Network for Quality Assurance (AUN-QA). We believe that with the existing tradition and brand, the collective of staff, lecturers, students and students of the Faculty of Mathematics - Faculty of Mathematics will promote the achievements gained in the past 60 years to firmly move forward to achieve many successes and victories in the new journey.