The calligrapher from Nghe An "causes a stir" in the capital's poetry scene.

(Baonghean) - This year, or maybe even another year, I heard that Mr. Tan will move to Vung Tau to live with his children and enjoy his retirement (and who knows, he might even switch to... babysitting). This also means that Hanoi will soon be missing an unprecedented English class, a beautiful memory for many generations of students: a class with hundreds of students, but absolutely silent when Mr. Tan's Nghe An accent rang out. And students from Nghe An (Mr. Tan's hometown), or poor students in general, would be exempt from tuition fees, with the promise: Later, if they have a job, they can repay him…

"New" like Teacher Tan!

The Facebook community recognizes a special account: the "Association of English Learners of Teacher Thai Ba Tan." But when you click on it, you'll find not only English lessons, but also... Buddhist teachings. It turns out that Teacher Tan is also a Buddhist. Therefore, his students, both in class and on Facebook, receive guidance on life philosophies from him. And his teaching style is incredibly easy to grasp! The man once famous for his translations of Russian poetry, especially Pushkin's, immediately uses his own unique style of poetry to teach his students: "Poetry-ifying" everything he wants to say, using his signature five-word verses, so that even if you close your eyes or cover up the author's name, you'll still know whose poem it is.

The profile picture on this renowned English teacher's personal page is an image of a man with graying hair next to a violin. This isn't a staged image; anyone who knows Mr. Tan knows he has a particular passion for classical music. Amidst his busy schedule—teaching, writing poetry, selling his own books (including over 70 volumes of translated poetry, original poems, short stories, English books, Buddhist books, etc.)—Mr. Tan even finds time to record albums of his own musical pieces. Having fallen in love with classical music during his student years at the Moscow State University of Foreign Studies (English translation department), he diligently learned to play various instruments: violin, saxophone, piano... His personal page, which attracts nearly 63,000 followers, therefore also features captivating musical pieces that he hopes will inspire others, especially young people.

Music is one of Mr. Thai Ba Tan's passions.

The "poor student" class of the "Western god"

"Teacher Tan," a play on words for "Western god," is how many young people jokingly call their exceptionally cheerful and skilled English teacher. A peculiar English class, opened at the Hanoi University of Technology (or sometimes the Hanoi University of Civil Engineering), has persisted in Hanoi for the past 25 years as a miracle of this traditional teacher from Nghe An: the class opens daily (except Sundays), starting at 6 PM, attracting an average of 300 students, with a minimum of 200 and a peak of… 500 (many even those already working still enjoy returning to their student classes), meaning each table, normally meant for two, now has to accommodate 3-4 people. And mostly, they sit on the floor. Those who arrive late might even end up… perched by the window for almost two hours. Therefore, the students jokingly say that studying in Mr. Tan's class is not only for practicing English but also helps to improve physical fitness, if they don't want to end up like the "slow ox drinking muddy water" (meaning they'll end up with cramped seats).

Surprisingly, when the teacher's warm Nghe An accent rang out, all those people (mostly young people) fell silent, absorbing every word of his lecture. Hanoi has never lacked large English centers with attractive offers such as native teachers, international curricula, or globally recognized certificates… but many people say that after trying them, they only want to return to the class of this "Western god." It's not just because of the cheap tuition, which almost never increases, and even allows you to defer payment until… graduation, starting work, "pay the teacher later"… but also because there, they not only learn English but also many other life lessons that the teacher skillfully weaves into the lesson, conveying them vividly with his witty, self-deprecating tone, characteristic of a learned and talkative teacher from Nghe An. Something like: "My wife and I are being honest/ We absolutely love children/ We had technical problems in the past/ We only had one baby," so we decided to advise our child: "Forget about family planning/ Population and family planning/ Women have to give birth/ The more children, the prettier they are"...

If anyone still doubts the abilities of young people, perhaps they should try attending Mr. Tan's class once. There, they will witness a truly enthusiastic learning atmosphere, with hundreds of eager young people striving for self-improvement – ​​something increasingly rare in the classroom. This very enthusiasm ignites passion in those who feel weary and discouraged on their path of earning a living and pursuing their education…

It seems that only in Mr. Tan's class does the concept of "learning on a budget" exist, along with heartwarming advertisements like this: "The teacher gives away free study materials every day... If you're poor and don't have money, you can learn on a budget for a while. You can buy a card and keep it unused; you can study anytime, anyone can study, even if you're halfway through, you can give it to someone else. If anyone suddenly needs money, they can bring an unregistered card to class, and the teacher will sell it for them at the original purchase price. Or you can exchange the card for the teacher's books. Isn't that great?...”

"Poor students" is a concept unique to Mr. Tan, referring to students who can't afford a student ID card and whom he lets pay later... until they start working (this group probably makes up about half of the average class of 300 students), accompanied by the "threat": "When you're rich later, just don't forget me." He says: "If you don't have money, just come and study with me, just don't lie about forgetting your card..." Furthermore, on some days, for no particular reason, he suddenly gives a card to... the fattest, the thinnest student in the class, or someone with a bright smile, or simply someone who can't afford a card...

Therefore, Mr. Tan's class was always filled with laughter, although hidden beneath it were tears of gratitude and emotion from the poor students, and even tears of affection from the cheerful old teacher himself...

Nghe An Newspaper would like to introduce some witty, simple, and down-to-earth five-word poems by poet and translator Thai Ba Tan, which contain profound life lessons. His five-word poems are like everyday conversations, so some people call them "oral poetry".

239

Trust is like a piece of paper.

Once you've crumpled it up,

It will be very difficult to restyle it.

Smooth and even, just like it was initially.

Similarly, in communication,

I accidentally said something wrong.

We will regret it.

And sometimes it can last a lifetime.

259

It may not have been reached yet.

That's the goal we're aiming for.

But as we keep walking,

That means we're getting closer.

The important thing is to take a step.

It doesn't matter if it's short or long.

I can't come today.

We'll come tomorrow.

265

A person's perspective on the world.

At the age of fifty

Just like before,

In their twenties,

Then obviously that person

I have wasted my time.

Thirty years old,

Intentional or unintentional?

This statement is philosophical.

Muhammad Ali,

Former boxing champion,

What message are you trying to remind me of?

Time is an asset.

The most precious thing in the world.

Not used properly,

It was difficult for me to grow into a mature person.

267

Words carry weight.

Everyone knows this.

So choose your words carefully.

To speak correctly and eloquently.

A person is very likely

Suffering or smiling

After listening to him speak.

Remember, choose your words carefully.

Nguyen Le