Emotional speech of 87-year-old man admitted to master's degree at Can Tho University

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the "care" of Can Tho University towards me, an elderly student who was lucky enough to pass the exam... - Mr. Nguyen Tan Thanh, 87 years old, a new graduate student shared at the opening ceremony of Can Tho University's graduate school.

Watch the clip of the speech of the old man who passed the master's degree (according to CTU):

Can Tho University held the opening ceremony of the 2024 postgraduate program this morning. Among the students admitted to the master's program was Mr. Nguyen Tan Thanh, 87 years old, a student majoring in Vietnamese Literature.

At the ceremony, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Trung Tinh, Principal, congratulated the students and postgraduates who passed the competency assessment exam to be admitted to the majors at master's and doctoral levels.

“Today we have a very special student, Mr. Nguyen Tan Thanh. Mr. Thanh was a former student of the school in its early days. He was admitted to a master's degree in Vietnamese Literature, which demonstrates a spirit of studiousness and lifelong learning that is worthy of respect,” said Associate Professor Dr. Tran Trung Tinh.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Trung Tinh, Rector of Can Tho University, awarded the scholarship "Elderly people with lifelong learning spirit" to Mr. Nguyen Tan Thanh. Photo: Hoai Thanh

Can Tho University awarded the scholarship "Elderly people with lifelong learning spirit" for the 2024-2025 school year, worth 24 million VND to Mr. Nguyen Tan Thanh.

Speaking, Mr. Nguyen Tan Thanh expressed his gratitude to Can Tho University for its "care" for him - a "lucky" senior student.

“I consider this a special and humane gesture from Can Tho University. I am determined to repay this spiritual debt with great efforts in the upcoming school year,” he said.

Mr. Nguyen Tan Thanh: The path I have outlined is very clear... Photo: Hoai Thanh

The 87-year-old graduate student shared about the near-death experiences he had before entering elementary school in the countryside until finishing high school: falling into the river, being bitten by a rabid dog... He said he came from a poor working-class family, loved reading, was always diligent, progressive, and never gave up. However, due to circumstances, his studies had to be interrupted for 5 decades.

“Today, despite my old age, I am still determined to resume my studies, and the school has granted me a scholarship. The act of granting a scholarship to an elderly student like me is also a message to all students : "Education is a lifelong career, a bright path with no end," said Mr. Thanh.

Mr. Nguyen Tan Thanh was born in 1937 and graduated from university with a degree in Literature in 1972.

He used to be a Literature teacher at Can Tho High School and Chau Van Liem School, and was the teacher of many generations of students, including lecturers at Can Tho University. He knows 9 foreign languages, each with a standard certificate.

Talking about continuing to take the master's exam this time, he shared on the day of the exam (last May): "I want to set an example for young people about studying seriously, always striving to the best of my ability to achieve the best results."

Mr. Thanh said he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1972, then continued his studies for a master's degree. When his graduation thesis was almost completed, in 1975, his supervisor passed away, along with many other reasons, so he was unable to complete his studies.

Later, he planned to study again but a family tragedy struck: His wife died, leaving behind four young children. In his memory, “the day my wife died, my youngest child was only 1 and a half months old. At that time, life was difficult, so I had to put my dream of studying aside and find a way to raise my children.”

Up to now, his children are all successful, 3 of them are teachers.

When he felt that he had finished taking care of his family and raising his children, Mr. Thanh thought about going to school to get a master's degree. His children always supported him in pursuing his dream of pursuing a master's degree.

For Mr. Thanh, a master's degree will help his path of research, creation and service to arts, culture and education to be smoother. "Culture and arts are a very large and rich field, with development factors, so we need to study, study more, study forever... Going to school now is really late, but if we go late, in hardship and still reach the destination, it is still meaningful. The path I have outlined is very clear, and my stance will never change."

Mr. Thanh said that after finishing his master's degree, if his health is still good, he will study for a doctorate, continuing the journey of improving his qualifications that he has cherished for a long time.

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