Associate Professor Doan Van Dien, approaching the age of 90, has donated 2 billion VND (approximately $80,000) to Nong Lam University in Ho Chi Minh City to establish a permanent scholarship fund. His motivation? A desire to give back - to life, to his students, and to the teaching profession.

Two weeks ago, Nong Lam University received an extraordinary gift: 2 billion VND from former rector Dr. Doan Van Dien, who served from 1989 to 1994. The funds are being used to establish the Doan Van Dien Scholarship Fund, aimed at supporting underprivileged students and recognizing outstanding lecturers.

The news spread quickly - not because of the amount alone, but because of the touching story behind it: a nearly 90-year-old educator who has devoted his entire life to education and never kept anything for himself.

“All I have is a Resistance Medal”

Born in 1937 (or 1936 by the lunar calendar) in Phu Yen, Doan Van Dien joined the revolutionary movement at age nine. At 17, he moved to the North to study math and physics at Hanoi National University of Education, eventually shifting to agricultural mechanical engineering. From then on, his life followed a singular path - education. He rose through the ranks as a lecturer, department head, vice-rector, and ultimately rector. He also served three times as a B cadre (northern officials assigned to southern regions), crossing the Truong Son range during wartime.

After reunification, he returned to Nong Lam University (then University of Agriculture IV) to help establish the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering. Starting with just a few dozen students, he helped it grow into a reputable faculty, laying the foundation for agricultural mechanics in southern Vietnam. Five years later, he became rector during a difficult post-reform period, when education faced many hurdles and uncertainties.

I met Associate Professor Dien at his modest, tree-shaded home on Hoa Hung Street in District 10, Ho Chi Minh City. Though well into his nineties, he speaks with calm clarity, his eyes still bright. He told me that despite his long career in education, he never received the title of Meritorious or People’s Teacher, feeling he wasn’t worthy. He also declined the opportunity to complete paperwork for the Labor Order medal.

“All I have is the Resistance Medal from the war against America - an honor many Vietnamese received,” he said with quiet composure.

After retiring from public service, he received a monthly pension of 6.4 million VND (around $250), which has since risen to about 11 million VND (approximately $440). Yet, retirement to him is just an “administrative formality.” For the past two decades, he has continued building schools and working in education because he believes in its power to transform individuals and society.

After leaving Nong Lam University, he helped found Lac Hong University and later Viet Thanh High School, calling it his dream of “creating a decent school.”

“When we started Lac Hong, I dreamed of it becoming the Harvard of Dong Nai. People said I was delusional - Harvard has centuries of history and global prestige, while Lac Hong started from nothing. But I believe the Southeast region has all the right conditions to host a top-tier university,” he shared.

At Viet Thanh High School, he hoped to explore why so many students appeared uninspired. “Many are bright and capable but lack solid foundations. I wanted to try a model of root-strengthening education to ensure students enter university with a true base,” he explained.

The teacher must be better than the student - but must teach so that one day the student surpasses them...

Looking back on his 60-year career, Mr. Dien said he has experienced all the ups and downs of Vietnamese education. He believes education cannot be separated from production and real life. Students must learn theory to understand, practice to act, and ethics to grow.

He insists that “a teacher should be one step ahead of the student, but must teach in a way that ensures the student will be a step ahead after graduation.”

According to him, a good teacher must possess deep knowledge and broad vision to guide others - but their ultimate goal should not be to keep students behind, but to help them move forward, beyond even the teacher’s own achievements. A teacher must not hoard knowledge but must open minds and offer opportunities.

$80,000 - savings from 20 years and a heart full of gratitude

Initially, Dien had planned to donate an even larger sum to Nong Lam University, but circumstances didn’t allow it. Ultimately, he contributed 2 billion VND, the result of over 20 years of dedicated work in private education. According to the agreement, the university will deposit the funds into a bank account, using the interest to provide annual scholarships to disadvantaged students and to reward deserving lecturers. The fund will be awarded every year on Opening Day and on November 20, Vietnamese Teachers' Day.

He didn’t stop there. He also established a 1 billion VND (around $40,000) scholarship fund in his hometown of Xuan Loc (now Dak Lak), named after his late brother Doan Van Tuong, a martyr. This fund, too, will be deposited, and the interest used to award scholarships annually and perpetually. He hopes to establish a similar fund at Lac Hong University when conditions permit.

At this late stage of life, Associate Professor Dien rarely talks about achievements. Instead, he speaks of an “inner fullness.” When I asked how he would sustain himself in retirement after giving away most of his savings, he replied calmly, “Knowing what’s enough is enough. I’ve given my children the tools to thrive. This part - this is to repay life, my students, and the profession. These scholarships are my way of showing gratitude to those who helped me become a teacher.”

Le Huyen