Thousands of students came to bid farewell to teacher Van Nhu Cuong for the last time.
•October 12, 2017 16:31
Thousands of students, family members, and friends came to pay their respects to teacher Van Nhu Cuong.
At 9:30 AM on October 12th, generations of students gathered in the courtyard of the Ministry of National Defense Funeral Home (5 Le Thanh Tong Street, Hanoi) to attend the memorial service for Associate Professor Van Nhu Cuong. Outside the courtyard, a large screen displayed images of the life and work of the dedicated teacher.
Students held up signs representing their graduating classes to gather their friends for a joint visit to pay their respects. Associate Professor Van Nhu Cuong, born in 1937 in Quynh Doi village (Quynh Luu district, Nghe An province), passed away in the early morning of October 9th after a three-year battle with liver cancer.
With over 50 years of teaching at both university and high school levels, Professor Van Nhu Cuong had hundreds of thousands of students. Each student who came to pay their respects wore a picture of their teacher on their chest.
At 10:30 AM, the memorial service began. Many students in Luong The Vinh school uniforms were among the first to pay their respects to their teacher. Mr. Cuong served as the principal of Luong The Vinh school for 25 years, and later as the chairman of the school's board of directors.
Professor Ngo Thuc Lanh, a People's Teacher and former teacher of Associate Professor Van Nhu Cuong, walked with a cane to the coffin to bid farewell to his student. Besides teaching mathematics, Professor Cuong was also known for his literary talent, poetry, and inspiring opening speeches. He frequently offered critical commentary on pressing educational issues.
"In 1955, after graduating from Hanoi Pedagogical University, Mr. Cuong did his internship and taught in my class, which at that time was the third grade (9th grade then, equivalent to 12th grade today) of Trung Vuong - Dong Khanh Girls' School, class of 1951-1958. Later, he became the son-in-law of the class, so the whole class has many memories with him," shared Ms. Tran Thuy Lan, Principal of Chu Van An High School.
The room where the memorial service was held was at times so crowded that it was impossible to move.
Mrs. Kim Oanh, the wife of teacher Van Nhu Cuong, was unable to stand and had to sit down to receive the condolences of those who came to pay their respects.
Teacher Nguyen Thi Dan (Khuong Dinh) spoke and wept as she looked at her teacher's portrait: "Farewell, teacher. I will always remember you."
11th-grade students wept as they walked past the coffin of their teacher, who had been a mentor to generations of students at Luong The Vinh High School.
In the condolence book, Hanoi City Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung wrote: "Paying respects to Associate Professor Van Nhu Cuong. Associate Professor made many great contributions to the education of the capital and the country. Associate Professor will forever be an exemplary role model for many generations of students in the capital and the country."
It was noon, but the stream of visitors paying their respects was still continuous. Later that afternoon, the remains of thầy Văn Như Cương will be taken to the Văn Điển crematorium for cremation.
