It was four years ago. We were standing at the grave of our teacher and saying goodbye. A few days later Nguyen Minh Tuan (for me just Tuan), a former PhD student from the Faculty of Journalism of VSU and now a PhD in Philology, returned home to Vietnam. There were letters and video calls... But I have never seen him in person since then. At the end of last year, after a business trip, VSU Rector Dmitry Endovitsky said: “I met a student of Kroichik in Hanoi, he is our graduate!”. This is how I came up with the idea of this interview - an interview with my friend Tuan. To be more specific, with Nguyen Minh Tuan, a graduate of the Faculty of Journalism of VSU and a teacher at the Faculty of Journalism of the Military University of Culture and Arts of the People's Army of Vietnam.
Students from Vietnam with teachers from the Faculty of Journalism. Tuan is on the left.
When and why did you come to Voronezh?
“I’ve always said that it was an accident that I ended up in Voronezh. In 2008, I lived in Vietnam and I submitted an application to go and study in Russia, even though I had always planned to study in an English-speaking country (I was learning English and was invited to study in Australia). The decision to go to Russia came unexpectedly. This might have been my destiny.
Now, when I look back, I realise that I have always liked challenges and wanted to gain a lot of experience in other countries. Besides, when I studied in Vietnam, I learned a bit of Russian, and I thought it was an interesting language. I’ve also like Russian literature since I was a boy. I read Pushkin, Lermontov, Lev Tolstoy, Maxim Gorky, and Yesenin. My family have always been fond of the Soviet Union and Russia.
In 2008, I went to Russia together with other 9 Vietnamese students. We were first told that we were going to study journalism at Moscow State University. But there were some last minute changes, so we went to study at VSU.
This is how I ended up in Voronezh.
We were a bit disappointed at first. But this feeling quickly went away, as we saw the beauty of the local nature, the kindness of people here, and learned about the great history of the place. What was also of great importance, was a very tight community of Vietnamese students here. This was very encouraging.”
Tell me about the time you spent in Voronezh.
“In 2009, after a year of preliminary training, my four friends and me enrolled at the Faculty of Journalism of VSU. Here we studied for 6 years, until we obtained our master’s degree diplomas in 2015. When I think of the Faculty of Journalism and Voronezh, I imagine a lot of bright young people. I have a lot of memories of the university, the teachers, and our friends. I remember the roads, streets, shops, and even bus stops...
In 2015, I completed my master’s degree course and returned to Vietnam. But I kept thinking about Voronezh. I loved this place too much. So, in 2016 I decide to return to enrol on a PhD programme at the Faculty of Journalism of VSU. After that, I lived in Voronezh for about three years and learned a lot about it. The years I spent in Voronezh as a PhD students are the most memorable. I was lucky to get to work with Professor Lev Kroichik, the faculty’s legend, who was my research advisor. It was his selfless work that helped me to complete my research and defend my PhD thesis despite the fact that he died after a severe illness in April 2019, before my defence. It was a great loss for VSU, for the Faculty of Journalism, for his family, colleagues, and several generations of students. And for me.
Tuan (on the left), the chief editor of the Vietnamese newspaper VTC News,
and Lev Kroichik in front of the building of the Faculty of Journalism.
I defended my PhD thesis in May. It was not just a thesis, it was a tribute to Lev Kroichik. I was the last of his international PhD students.
That summer I said goodbye to Voronezh and returned to Vietnam.
I don’t know when I’ll visit Voronezh again. I think my life will be full of all sorts of challenges.”
What have you been doing since you completed your PhD course at VSU?
“When I came home, I worked for an online newspaper, VTC News. Returning home after over 10 years in Russia was hard. It was a cultural shock, and I faced a lot of difficulties. However, I worked a lot as a journalist, and it helped me to adjust to my new life and my work environment. I was a keen journalist and I used the knowledge and skills I had acquired in Russia. I also did a bit of teaching at universities.
In 2020, I realised that I wanted to make a career as a teacher, so I joined the Military University of Culture and Arts of the People's Army of Vietnam, where I am now a teacher of journalism. Back in 2018, I facilitated contacts between the Military University of Culture and Arts and Voronezh State University aimed at collaboration in the field of journalist training (especially military journalists). And when I joined the Military University of Culture and Arts, I was determined to maintain this partnership.”
What do you do now?
“I teach journalism and communication at the Faculty of Journalism of the Military University of Culture and Arts and at some other universities in Hanoi. I am also a correspondent for the magazine “Military art and culture”. I’m convinced that journalists should combine theory with practice in their work. So to be a good teacher, I should be a good journalist. The rapid development of the Internet and mass media in Vietnam and South-East Asia requires teachers and journalists like me to catch up with the theory and practice all the time in order to comply with the modern requirements, the digital era, and the digital transformation. Being a journalist gives me a certain status and authority in the modern society, but at the same time it poses a lot of challenges, which require flexibility and constant learning.”
Do you keep in touch with anyone in Russia?
“I have a lot of friends in Russia. There are also teachers whom I respect very much. I keep in touch with them through social media. I want to share my joys and sorrows, my memories of Russia and of the wonderful Voronezh Region. Keeping in touch with them also gives me an opportunity to update my knowledge with regard to scientific studies and innovations in education in Russia, especially in teaching journalism. The Russian school of journalism has had a great influence on the academic search, education, and professional journalistic activities in Vietnam. Promotion of the Russian school of journalism in Vietnam is now my top priority.
Last year’s meeting of Vietnamese graduates of VSU with the rector Dmitry Endovitsky in Hanoi during the Expo Russia in Vietnam 2022 was a very nice surprise. We were very glad to talk to our talented and respected rector. We learned a lot of news about VSU and its current educational activities. I’m glad that VSU remains one of the best universities in Russia.
We (me and other Vietnamese graduates) stay in touch with the rector and hope that we can become a “bridge” between VSU and Vietnamese universities and develop our academic collaboration.”
Tell me more about the VSU Vietnamese Alumni Association.
“After I completed my PhD course and returned home, I kept thinking about Voronezh. I felt really nostalgic. I feel overwhelmed every time I see something about Voronezh or VSU. It is true for all Vietnamese VSU graduates.
The first thing that came to mind when I returned home was to create an association of graduates from Voronezh universities. Then I told my friends about the idea. This meant we could meet, share our memories about Russia, our love to Voronezh, show each other photos, videos, comments, etc.
This is how our VSU Alumni Association was created three years ago. We’ve held a lot of important events since then. The association has profiles on social networks. We organise annual reunions in Hanoi, cooperate with other Vietnamese organisations in Russia as a part of cultural exchange and promotion of the Russian language and the achievements of Russian researchers. We collaborate with organisations including “Vietnam and Russia Friendship Association”, The Russian cultural centre in Hanoi, the VSU Vietnamese Alumni Association in Voronezh... Today we facilitate cultural exchange, and academic collaboration between Vietnamese universities and VSU, as well as other universities in Voronezh. Besides, we want to contribute to the development of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and the Russian Federation.”
VSU Vietnamese Alumni Association. Hanoi, 2022 (Tuan is on the right).
What do you think of Russia? How does it look from Vietnam?
“I see Russia as a country with a great history and a unique culture. Russia has a lot of generations of national heroes and outstanding people who contributed greatly to its society and humanity in general. Russia is large and rich in natural resources. Russian people are kind and sympathetic. A lot of Vietnamese were fond of the Soviet Union and they are fond of modern Russia as well. Our countries have more in common than meets the eye. We have a lot in common from the point of view of our histories, cultures, and personalities. We’ve often had to fight for our countries. We were brought up as patriots. Today Russia faces a lot of difficulties caused by global competition and geopolitical conflicts. I believe that Russia can overcome these difficulties, if it remembers its history - the way the country was formed and the way it has been developing over the last thousand years. I believe that Russians are a very peaceful people. They will find a peaceful solution in the end. It’s not just my personal opinion. It’s what progressive mankind wishes for.”
Would you like to return to something you experienced in Russia and in Voronezh?
“Voronezh is my home. I lived there, I studied there, and I learned a lot there. Youth is the best time of life for any man, and my youth is connected with Voronezh and Russia. This is why I always want to go back to that place and pay tribute to Voronezh and its people, to VSU.
Maxim Gorky once wrote about his “universities”. In the same way I’m proud to say that my university is VSU.
Of course, I would like to go back and walk familiar streets and avenues - Prospekt Revolutsii, Ploschad Lenina, 40A Kholzunova st. (the building of the Faculty of Journalism). I would like to see green fields, swim in a warm river, walk through the golden birch forest. I would especially like to meet my teachers and visit the grave of Lev Kroichik...
Life is a fast journey with several stops. For me, Voronezh and VSU have become the most impressive stops. I have a lot of good memories of them. There I acquired new knowledge and the desire to move forward - to new happy stops. But, at some point in time I will return to those places.
Text by: Pavel Ponomarev
Photos from personal archives of the speaker
