Outstanding former students from Nghe An at Hue National School

(Baonghean) - Quoc Hoc Hue is a great school. It has produced many generations of famous students in history that no other school in our country can compare to. Among them, many generations of excellent students from Nghe An have contributed to the glory of this school with a long tradition.

The most outstanding former student of Nghe An who studied at Quoc Hoc Hue was President Ho Chi Minh. When he went to school, his name was Nguyen Sinh Con, Nguyen Tat Thanh. In the 1908-1909 school year, he studied at Quoc Hoc Hue. Because he participated in the anti-tax protest with the people of Thua Thien Hue, Nguyen Sinh Con was followed by French secret police.

On August 7, 1908, Mr. Chouquet, the third principal of the Hue National School, responded to the request letter No. 526 dated March 4, 1908 of Silvain Lévecque, Resident of Central Vietnam, regarding the background of Nguyen Sinh Con: “I am pleased to inform you that we have accepted into the Hue National School a student named Nguyen Sinh Con, originally from Nghe An” (translation). That is, in 1908, Nguyen Sinh Con was not expelled from the Hue National School due to anti-tax protests. After dropping out of school and finding a way to save the country and becoming a great leader of the Vietnamese Revolution, everyone later knew that this was the greatest Hue National School student. His statue in his youth has been erected for more than ten years now in the main yard of the current Hue National School.

Students of the old Hue National School.

After President Ho Chi Minh was Dang Thai Mai, a native of Thanh Chuong. He was a professor at the Hue National School from 1928 to 1930. He was arrested by the French in 1930 and sentenced to 3 years for participating in the Red Relief Movement. After being released from prison, Dang Thai Mai moved to Hanoi to live and teach at Gia Long Private School (1932). In 1935, Dang Thai Mai, along with his friends Hoang Minh Giam, Vo Nguyen Giap... founded Thang Long Private School. In 1944, he published the work Literary Theory - the first progressive literary theory book.

In 1946, he was a delegate of the 1st National Assembly, a member of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and the Minister of Education in the Resistance Coalition Government. Director of the University Preparatory School and Advanced Pedagogy of Inter-Zone IV, Director of the Hanoi Pedagogical University, and Director of the Institute of Literature. Dang Thai Mai had a profound knowledge of Confucianism and was knowledgeable about classical French literature, modern Chinese literature, and modern Vietnamese literature. Dang Thai Mai was a sharp critic. In 1982, he was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Medal by the State. In 1996, he was posthumously awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize (first round) for Literature and Arts by the State.

Another famous former student of Quoc Hoc Hue is Mr. Ta Quang Buu, from Nam Dan. In 1925 - 1926, Ta Quang Buu passed the second-class Thanh Chung exam (first place was Hoang Xuan Han). He studied in France, and received a bachelor's degree in Mathematics in Paris. He was one of the founders of the Hue Frontline Youth School (a school that trained officers for the Viet Minh). From 1965 to 1976, he was the Minister of Universities and Vocational High Schools. He received the Ho Chi Minh Prize (first round) for science and technology. Since 1986, after Professor Ta Quang Buu passed away, Quoc Hoc Hue has established the Ta Quang Buu Prize.

Dang Van Viet was born in 1920, from Nho Lam village, Dien Tho commune, Dien Chau district. His ancestors were famous generals Dang Tat and Dang Dung. His grandfather was Dinh Nguyen Hoang Giap Dang Van Thuy (Giap Thin exam - 1904), his father was Pho Bang Dang Van Huong (Ky Mui exam - 1919), Deputy Minister of Justice of the Nguyen Dynasty, Governor of Nghe An under the Tran Trong Kim government. Since 1947, Mr. Huong was the Minister of State in charge of work in the three provinces of Thanh - Nghe - Tinh in the Ho Chi Minh Government.

Dang Van Viet was a student at the Hue National School. After graduating with a full baccalaureate in 1942, he went to Hanoi to study at the Indochina Medical College. In March 1945, Japan staged a coup against France, and he returned to Hue, attended training courses at Phan Anh's Vanguard Youth School, and joined the secret Viet Minh cell in the classroom. On August 17, 1945, he and his classmate Cao Pha were allowed to hang the Viet Minh flag in front of Ngo Mon Gate, marking the successful uprising led by the Viet Minh Front to seize power in Hue. He was a former lieutenant colonel of the Vietnam People's Army, whom the French called "The Gray Tiger of Route 4".

We can also mention famous former teachers, students, and students of Quoc Hoc Hue from Nghe An such as Bach Van Que, from Hung Nguyen, studied at Quoc Hoc in 1936 (later Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province); Mr. Cao Xuan Huy (Dien Chau), grandson of Minister Cao Xuan Duc, graduated from Quoc Hoc Hue in 1922; Cao Manh Thong (Cao Xa, Dien Chau), studied at Quoc Hoc Hue in 1941-1945; Dang Van Huong (1887-1954), a student of Quoc Hoc Hue who passed the "Thanh Chung" Western exam, with the rank of Minister.

In 1946, President Ho Chi Minh wrote a letter “Respectfully addressed to Mr. Dang Van Huong” inviting him to be a Minister without a Ministry in the first Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Professor of Mathematics Nguyen Canh Toan, born in 1926. In 1946, he was a teacher at Huynh Thuc Khang School, Nghe An, a branch of Khai Dinh School in Hue, which was evacuated. Later, he became Deputy Minister of Education. Professor, Doctor Nguyen Tai Can, born in 1926, studied at Quoc Hoc Hue in 1945; Nguyen Tat Dat (Nguyen Sinh Khiem) born in 1888, studied at Quoc Hoc Hue with his younger brother Nguyen Tat Thanh in 1909, participated in many anti-French activities in Hue. Professor Nguyen Thuc Hao, born in 1912 in Nam Dan, was the valedictorian of Quoc Hoc School, was recognized by the State as the first professor of Mathematics, and was awarded the title of People's Teacher...

Regarding literature and art, there is painter Le Van Mien, from Nghi Long, Nghi Loc. He is the first modern painter of our country, a great educator of the country in the early 20th century, a beloved teacher of Nguyen Tat Thanh at Hue National School. Professor, Doctor of Literature, member of the Vietnam Writers Association Nguyen Duc Nam, former teacher of Huynh Thuc Khang School. Poet Phan Xuan Hat, born in 1931, from Hoa Thanh, Yen Thanh... Many other famous names can be mentioned. Until now, Hue National School still has teachers and students from Nghe An teaching and studying.

An interesting thing is that up to now, Quoc Hoc Hue has always been located next to Dong Khanh Girls' School, so teachers and students often jokingly call it "Anh School" (Quoc Hoc - Khai Dinh) - "Em School" (Dong Khanh). Those two schools are always destined to be together. Hundreds of couples from Anh School are married to Em School. Those are very typical Hue memories that only Quoc Hoc Hue has, including famous couples from Nghe An such as: Nguyen Thuc Hao - Le Thi Van Dung, Ha Huy Tap - Nguyen Thi Giao; Vo Nguyen Giap - Nguyen Thi Minh Thai (first wife, sacrificed, from Vinh)... The history of the two famous schools in Hue is closely linked to the history of hundreds of families of husbands, wives, children and grandchildren, which is a rare thing.

From the above summary, it can be seen that Nghe people have contributed to the reputation of the famous Hue National School.

Minh Khoi