The “Family Tradition” of HUST

In every home, there are things not written down in documents, not hung on the walls as slogans, yet enduringly preserved over the years. People call it a family tradition. At the 70-year-old Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) - the cradle of tens of thousands of engineers and scientists - there is also such a "family tradition".

1. At HUST, there was a generation who set aside their books and put away their pens to enter the battlefield. Many never returned. Many returned with wounds, leaving their youth behind amidst the bombs and bullets. That sacrifice was to protect the Fatherland and preserve a future where subsequent generations could study in peace and continue their unfinished dreams.
  In peacetime, that spirit is carried on by HUST people in many other forms.

It is the scientists who dedicate their entire lives in laboratories and lecture halls, tirelessly researching and contributing. It is the teachers who, through decades of teaching, have trained many talents for the country. It is the alumni who, whether busy with myriad tasks at multi-trillion-dong enterprises or working as modest civil servants or specialists, always turn their hearts towards the school that marked their beautiful youth.

Assoc. Prof. Bui Long Bien, a former educator associated with HUST for over 40 years, now nearly 90 years old, donated 1 billion VND to disadvantaged students striving for academic excellence. The scholarship fund donated by Teacher Bien was saved up over many years during his teaching and scientific research.
  Teacher Bien passionately shared: “My helping the students have better conditions to study also reflects social responsibility. The predecessors create conditions for the successors. And then the students, following that example, will also bear responsibility for the generations to come!”

Not only teachers, but many HUST alumni, upon becoming successful, also choose to return and support their juniors in various ways. Some establish scholarships, some sponsor laboratories and support research, opening up internship and employment opportunities for students.

Take the BK Fund, an innovative startup investment fund launched in early 2021, established by the HUST Alumni Network with founding investors who are outstanding alumni. BK Fund not only injects capital into early-stage tech startups but also acts as a predecessor – providing professional consultation, connecting experts, and helping HUST students perfect their business models and confidently enter the market while still in university.

Or when natural disasters and pandemics strike, HUST people do not stay on the sidelines. During the Central region floods in 2020, the HUST Alumni Golf Club donated 150 million VND to affected students. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Club awarded 100 laptops to disadvantaged students. In 2024, another 20 scholarships worth 200 million VND continued to be awarded to students overcoming difficulties...
  There are many, many more... It is impossible to list all the scholarships and the generosity of the previous generation towards the next at Hanoi University of Science and Technology. For HUST people, no matter where they are, they carry the affection for their old school in their hearts, so that when they mature, they return to uplift those who are starting the path they once walked. Predecessors guide successors, generation after generation, like a powerful source of energy keeping the HUST flame burning bright.

2. If the spirit of uplifting the next generation creates the length of the tradition, then gratitude creates the depth of the HUST "family tradition".

In C2 Square of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, there is a monument known to every student: The "Staff and Students Setting Aside Pens to Protect the Fatherland" Monument - a memorial to the generations of students who set aside their pens to go to battle from 1970 to 1972.

Every graduation season, when passing the memorial, one can see hundreds of fresh bouquets neatly arranged, stretching several meters from the base of the monument, spilling onto the walkway. These are the bouquets of new HUST bachelors, masters, and engineers, expressing gratitude to previous generations.
  The activities of offering and laying flowers of gratitude also take place on commemorative occasions such as Invalids and Martyrs' Day on July 27, the Founding Anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army on December 22, Vietnamese Teachers' Day on November 20, the opening ceremony, or the university's foundation day.

HUST people also do not forget the respect and gratitude for the teachers who have been and are dedicating themselves day by day.

On every anniversary of the founding of Hanoi University of Science and Technology on October 15, alumni from all over return to their old school. Today's successful engineers, scientists, and directors sit down again with their silver-haired teachers, recounting old stories, inquiring about their health, and passing the torch to the younger generations of students. Or every Teachers' Day on November 20, generations of former educators are invited back to their old school. The conversations, the handshakes, the greetings, though seemingly simple, all carry profound attachment and respect.
  And sometimes, that respect appears in very ordinary moments. It is when Assoc. Prof. Huynh Quyet Thang - Member of the 16th National Assembly, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, and President of Hanoi University of Science and Technology - amidst a packed schedule, still manages to stop by the Educator Bui Long Bien Scholarship Award Ceremony to respectfully say thank you to the teacher who always has special affection for the common HUST home. It is not an assignment on the working schedule; it is simply the heart of a HUST person for another HUST person!
  The tradition of "when drinking water, remember its source" has become a persistent undercurrent nourishing the HUST spirit - where gratitude and respect for teachers are preserved and spread through each generation. No matter where they go or what they do, every HUST person always looks towards their beloved school with all their love and profound appreciation.

The previous generation lifts the steps of the next generation. The successors do not forget the predecessors. And so, over nearly 70 years, that has become a tradition, a breath of life.

That is the "family tradition" of HUST!