Lifelong learning: 80-year-old man gets PhD, works hard at teaching

Recently, General Secretary To Lam wrote an article on Lifelong Learning. In the article, there are important contents such as: "Lifelong learning is not a new issue. Right after the success of the August Revolution, President Ho Chi Minh launched a movement for the entire people and army to eradicate illiteracy. He advised: "... If you want to know, you must compete to learn. Learning never ends. Learn forever to progress forever. The more you progress, the more you see that you have to learn more"; "The more society advances, the more work there is, the more sophisticated the machines are. If you do not learn, you will fall behind, and if you fall behind, you will be eliminated, you will eliminate yourself".

General Secretary To Lam also wrote: "Lifelong learning has become a rule of life; it not only helps each individual recognize, adapt, and not fall behind the daily changes of the current world, enrich their intelligence, perfect their personality, overcome difficulties and challenges to increasingly progress and position themselves in modern society; more importantly, this is an important key to improving people's knowledge and training human resources, promoting socio-economic development, and is the only way and inevitable direction for every country to ensure prosperous and sustainable development. Lifelong learning helps each member of society have the conditions and opportunities to improve themselves, improve the quality of life of themselves, their families, clans, villages, wards, communes and the whole country under the leadership of the Party...".

In fact, in daily life, there are many admirable examples of lifelong learning. Thanh Nien Online introduces to readers beautiful stories of the love of learning, the will to self-study for life, without limits of age, work, or role of people in society.

A familiar image in Phong Phu commune, Binh Chanh district, Ho Chi Minh City, old man Doan Hoang Hai with a simple bicycle

PHOTO: THUY HANG

Old man loves to study, gets doctorate at age 80

In Hamlet 20, Phong Phu Commune, Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, many people know Mr. Doan Hoang Hai, a retired cadre, former Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Post Office. Every day, he rides a simple bicycle to neighborhood meetings, mobilizing people to keep the residential area clean, mobilizing people to contribute to building the Hamlet 20 community house or flood prevention works...

Mr. Doan Hoang Hai is 75 years old this year but is still healthy and clear-headed. He just received his doctorate in 2024 - at the age of 74, majoring in Business Administration, Tra Vinh University. The journey to get his doctorate of the U.80 man was full of effort.

"As a PhD student since 2018, every month I take the bus back and forth between Ho Chi Minh City and Tra Vinh to study, research, and work with my PhDs and professors. I am doing my PhD thesis on the topic "Factors affecting human resource development of enterprises: The case of telecommunications enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City". During my studies, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing, traveling and studying encountered many difficulties, but I was still determined to overcome them to get my PhD degree on August 3, 2024," he said.

80-year-old Doan Hoang Hai receives his doctorate

PHOTO: NVCC

The day he received his doctorate was an unforgettable day for Mr. Doan Hoang Hai. At the hall of Tra Vinh University, representing 7 new doctors and 408 new masters receiving their diplomas, he gave an emotional speech.

He said: "We want to dedicate this initial success of ours to our families and loved ones. Because behind it are the silent sacrifices of fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, daughters, sons, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, grandchildren and colleagues, of new masters and doctors. More than anyone else, they are the ones who have motivated us to overcome difficulties, conquer our dreams and reach the goals we once dreamed of."

The old man who received his doctorate at the age of 74 said: "I am not satisfied and content with my achievements, because knowledge is a vast sky, as the proverb says 'What we know is just a small drop, and what we don't know is an ocean...'.

Mr. Doan Hoang Hai with his wife, sons and daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren on the day he received his doctorate degree.

PHOTO: NVCC

Lifelong learning, inspiring students

Mr. Doan Hoang Hai used to work at the Ben Tre provincial radio communication team, and was on duty at the Saigon - Gia Dinh Regional Party Committee switchboard during the resistance war against the US. He was wounded in the war, lost one eye, and was a war invalid with a disability rate of 76%, but he always tried his best in studying and working.

He worked at the Ho Chi Minh City Post Office until 2011 when he retired, and since then he has not allowed himself a single day off from work.

Having a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in public administration from the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration while working at the Ho Chi Minh City Post Office, he still takes advantage of his free time to study for a certificate in university teaching theory, a certificate in practicing traditional medicine... For many years, he has been a guest lecturer in a number of subjects at universities.

In particular, since 2024, after obtaining his doctorate, he has become a full-time lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade, teaching subjects such as human resource management and management. At the same time, he is still teaching entrepreneurship and office management at Gia Dinh University.

Dr. Doan Hoang Hai is a lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade.

PHOTO: PH

Living in Phong Phu commune, Binh Chanh district, to get to Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade in Tan Phu district, the 75-year-old man has to wake up early, leave his house at 5:30 to go to the bus station, take two buses and catch another motorbike taxi to get to school. The house is far away, and he is old, but he has never been late for class. Students of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade really love this respected lecturer with profound knowledge in both theory and practice. In the classroom, students call him "teacher", but after class, young people surround him and affectionately call him "grandpa", "grandpa".

Dr. Doan Hoang Hai encourages students to study documents and practical issues in advance, then go to the lecture hall to discuss in groups and ask questions with lecturers to understand the problem more deeply. Between semesters, he often asks students if his teaching methods are okay, and what students think lecturers need to change to improve. "I always listen to students to know where I need to make more efforts, what changes to make teaching better. No matter what age, I think teachers always need to listen to the voices of students. I also want to show students that I always study hard, work hard, and contribute to society even though I am 75 years old, to inspire them to self-study and actively learn throughout their lives," said the lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade.

Dr. Doan Hoang Hai wants to inspire lifelong learning for students.

PHOTO: PH

Passion for building bridges and houses for the poor

Mr. Doan Hoang Hai has a whiteboard in his office, on which he writes a dense schedule of work from Monday to Sunday, from morning to night. From self-study, teaching at universities to meetings in hamlets, communes, meetings with fellow countrymen and many clubs, to charity programs, helping the poor in Ben Tre, giving scholarships to poor but excellent students...

The old man is the Party Secretary of Hamlet 20, Phong Phu Commune, Binh Chanh District, and the Standing Deputy of the Ben Tre Fellow Countrymen Liaison Committee in Ho Chi Minh City. He boasted that in 2024 alone, the committee mobilized philanthropists, charitable units and businesses to raise 210 billion VND to build bridges and charity houses... for the poor in Ben Tre.

The old man in a recent conversation with Thanh Nien Newspaper reporter

PHOTO: THUY HANG

In addition, he is also the Vice Chairman of the Traditional Resistance Club of the Southern Central Postal Information Department; Head of the Radio Information Department of the Saigon - Gia Dinh Regional Party Committee. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the National Reunification Day April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025, he and his comrades had many activities such as visiting the cemetery of martyrs who sacrificed their lives, visiting wounded soldiers, and old comrades...

The 75-year-old man has 9 grandchildren, all of whom are good students. Every month, the family always has a meeting with their children and grandchildren, where everyone gathers for family activities. The grandfather and grandmother ask questions, remind, reward, and encourage the grandchildren to study.

The old man confided: "One of the motivations that helps me always strive to study, to study for life is to always feel useful, to contribute, to dedicate myself to society, to be an example for the students I am teaching and first of all, to be an example for my own children and grandchildren. My son is also studying for a doctorate like me, and when my grandchildren see their grandfathers always studying hard despite their old age, they will also try their best to study, and not give up easily when facing difficulties."