Centennial teachers who believe in the Party all their lives

They are the veteran teachers Ngo Xuan Lan and Phan Huy Xy. Both of these venerable teachers, Xuan Giap Thin, have reached the age of one hundred. However, they still shine with sensitivity and clarity in every sentence and every word. They are teachers, very simple teachers, but they have instilled in us extremely great emotions.

Mr. Ngo Xuan Lan lives with his youngest son and his wife in a small house with a lush vegetable garden in Yen Binh hamlet, Hung Dong commune, Vinh city. By the window overlooking the narrow yard is the table where he has been diligently working for many years. On the table, there are many documents, books, newspapers, pens and ink. There is also a small white square clock that keeps ticking, ticking day after day, month after month, as the owner does regularly. While chatting with Mr. Ngo Xuan Lan at the table, I looked at a neatly typed A4 sheet of paper. On it were numbered items and written:

“1. Good study:Orphaned at the age of 4, poor family, overcame difficulties to study well, ranked first in the district in the elementary school exam; ranked third in the province in the elementary school exam. From 1960-1963 studied at Hanoi Pedagogical University. Graduated with honors, perfect scores in all subjects. From 1973-1976 completed the Philosophy graduate course at Nguyen Ai Quoc Advanced Institute. Graduated with honors.

2. About work:He was principal of Yen Thanh Secondary School from 1954 to 1960. He was awarded the title of Emulation Fighter of the Education Sector of Nghe An Province for 3 consecutive years from 1957 to 1960. In the 1965 to 1966 school year, he led Yen Thanh 2 Secondary School to achieve comprehensive results. 100% of students graduated from high school (graduating from high school at that time was not simple). Of these, 85 students were admitted to study at universities abroad, much more than other schools in and outside the district. At the same time, the Party cell admitted 1 teacher and 17 students to the Party. Perhaps this was the only high school that admitted the most students to the Party. The students who were admitted to the Party and studied abroad all grew up and took on important positions, including Tran Quang Chau, an Academician and Director of the Institute of Aviation Science; Nguyen Tam Chien is the Consul - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador of Vietnam to the United States... On January 15, 2015, at the 50th Anniversary of the school's founding, former students came to greet and hug me. Mr. Dao Quang Hieu - PhD in Mining Geology gave me a book of poems with the inscription: Respectfully dedicated to teacher Ngo Xuan Lan, who has made great contributions to my life.

Throughout my career, I have always completed my tasks excellently at secondary school, high school, at the Propaganda Department of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee and at Tran Phu Nghe Tinh Party School"...

Born in Vinh Tuy, Vinh Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district (Nghe An), teacher Ngo Xuan Lan said that his hometown is the cradle that nurtured the spirit of learning and the desire to rise up of generations. In his story, the veteran teacher repeatedly mentioned that Vinh Thanh is the place where Uncle Ho visited in December 1961. And that event seemed to urge and inspire the aspirations of the children of the rice fields to constantly strive to contribute with the trust that Uncle Ho had entrusted.

Talking about his life and contributions in a few short sentences, teacher Ngo Xuan Lan said: "In March 1945, when Japan staged a coup against France, I had two uncles released from prison. They were Mr. Ngo Xuan Ham, who later became the first Chairman of Yen Thanh District in 1945, and in 1948 became Secretary of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, and Mr. Ngo Xuan Hung. They came to enlighten me and assigned me tasks. A year later, I made great efforts and was admitted to the Party. At that time, joining the Party was not simple, and after joining the Party, I had to go through two years of testing. I was the first Party member of Vinh Tuy village."

In our age, this year of the Dragon, teacher Ngo Xuan Lan has just turned 100 years old. 100 years - a century with countless ups and downs, changes that the history of the homeland and the country has gone through. For a person, 100 years is also thousands of rains, sunshine, storms, and challenges. But for the pre-revolutionary cadre, the veteran teacher - Mr. Ngo Xuan Lan, just a soft smile and everything is numb again. Anyone who has met and talked with teacher Ngo Xuan Lan will surely agree with me about her soft voice and light laughter. It must be a very confident and calm person to have such a demeanor. He said that he spent most of his life dedicating himself to the education sector, and lived to this day thanks to the guidance of the Party, Uncle Ho and the country. Therefore, this spring, even though he has entered his 100th year, the former teacher still does not stop reading, learning and practicing. At his small desk, he studies every day. It seems that he has not missed any news, from internal information for Party cell activities to Nhan Dan Newspaper, Nghe An Newspaper, publications of Vietnam News Agency, then television, radio... Teacher Ngo Xuan Lan said: "I am very excited because Nghe An, our hometown, is changing every day. The lives and economy of the people are constantly improving. I read the newspaper and know that Nghe An collected 21,275 billion VND in budget last year, Vinh city is being built to gradually become the center of the North Central region. That is very good, but I also wonder how Nghe An can develop strongly like the two neighboring provinces of Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh".

The veteran educator also said that if he does not watch the news or read books or newspapers for 3 days, he will "fall behind". "For difficult problems, I call my relatives to ask" - said teacher Ngo Xuan Lan. The person he often calls to get answers to "difficult problems" is Mr. Nguyen The Ky - former member of the Party Central Committee, former General Director of VOV - a former student of teacher Ngo Xuan Lan. The content he is interested in can be the fight against corruption that our Party is launching; information about an individual or a certain field...

“Vietnam, from a poor country that was enslaved, experienced many fierce wars, and was embargoed, has now become one of the countries in the world with a stable economic development. This is very exciting. Nghe An is a poor province, but now its economic scale is in the top 10 of the country. No one in our country is hungry. In my life, I never dared to think or imagine about today's achievements.”

What is especially meaningful to teacher Ngo Xuan Lan and her family is that at the end of 2024, she will receive the 80-year Party membership badge.

Translator of Uncle Ho's poems into French and Portuguese

“My age, my father declared that I was born in 1926. My father was a teacher. My father said: I reduced your age by one year to prevent you from having to repeat a year. So my exact age is September 15, 1925. In January of this year, I will turn 100 years old.

The books I wrote include: “Still Waiting for Tet”, “Dreaming and Dreaming”, “How Long Do You Longevity?”, “Towards One Hundred and Hundred”… I still think that I will live to “one hundred and hundred”. “One hundred and hundred” in my opinion is the age from 101 to 109 years old. I told my students and friends that I will try to live until I am 106 years old, which will be 2030 and exactly 100 years since the Communist Party of Vietnam was established.

Above are the shares of veteran teacher Phan Huy Xý - former lecturer at Vinh University when we visited him on the last day of the year of Quy Mao, preparing to welcome the Lunar New Year of Giap Thin.

The veteran teacher Phan Huy Xý lives and works in a small room. There is a bed, in front of which is a desk with a small desk lamp. The room is surrounded by a lot of books and documents. He is truly a special teacher. He can speak and write fluently in 3 foreign languages: French, Portuguese and Russian, and also knows English. In this veteran teacher, although his hearing is no longer clear, his demeanor still exudes great sensitivity, intelligence and courtesy. From his figure to his voice, he always exudes humility and ease. Only when asked about books and writing does he enthusiastically share. With that personality, that person, reading, writing and research are not only personal needs but also a driving force to convey inspiration, energy and vitality to everyone. He said: "Every day I have to read a few chapters, write a few articles to slow down my aging. I am weak but I think I am not confused yet!" Definitely so. Because he not only writes and reads in Vietnamese but also writes poems and articles in French and Portuguese every day.

The veteran teacher Phan Huy Xý was originally from Dien Nguyen commune, Dien Chau district (Nghe An) but his family lived in Yen Thanh district. His father was also a professor during the French colonial period, so he also oriented his son to pursue a career in education. Phan Huy Xý studied at the National School in Hue, then studied at the National School in Vinh and then returned to Hue. In March 1945, when Japan staged a coup against France, Mr. Phan Huy Xý returned to Nghe An. During this time, he participated in training and teaching at popular education courses in response to President Ho Chi Minh's call to "eliminate illiteracy". In 1947, Mr. Phan Huy Xý officially became a "State teacher" - as he said. After that, he taught and became the Principal of the first public secondary school in Yen Thanh. In 1960, he worked at Vinh University.

Generations of students who studied with Mr. Phan Huy Xý cannot forget a teacher with profound knowledge, special foreign language skills, and a kind teacher who devoted himself to his students.

During the period 1987-1990, teacher Phan Huy Xý was sent as an expert to work in the People's Republic of Angola. This was the period when he perfected his Portuguese language. Teacher Phan Huy Xý said that he studied and learned Portuguese by himself. In just a short time, he wrote 1,800 poems in Portuguese. Notably, during his time as an expert in Angola, teacher Phan Huy Xý translated 75 poems from President Ho Chi Minh's Prison Diary into Portuguese. He also spent time writing and drafting many research articles about Uncle Ho in Portuguese and French to teach and propagate in Angola. The radio station and many press agencies of this African country also used hundreds of articles and documents by educator Phan Huy Xý in their publications.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday (1990), teacher Phan Huy Xý was recognized and honored as the person who translated Uncle Ho's Prison Diary into Portuguese.

Talking about the development of the country today, veteran teacher Phan Huy Xý pondered: “I am very happy about the development of our country and our province. I still tell my friends that I am a “communistes sans parti”, meaning a Communist without a Party. Because of my belief in the Party and the country, as long as I am alive, I will continue to contribute and hope to witness the day when our Party turns 100 years old.