As we welcome November, there’s a gentle sense of nostalgia in the air — the smooth transition from summer’s warmth to autumn’s calm, where the scent of new notebooks and chalk dust evokes Vietnam’s enduring passion for education. This season also leads us toward one of the most meaningful occasions on our calendar — Vietnamese Teachers’ Day (November 20). It is a time to pay tribute to those who have shaped lives through their wisdom, kindness, and patience. As we navigate an ever-changing world, education must continue to evolve to meet new challenges. My mother once told me, “Học như lội dòng suối ngược. Không tiến ắt lùi.” — “Learning is like swimming upstream; if you stop moving forward, you’ll be carried backward.” Her words remind us that education is not a destination, but a lifelong journey of perseverance and renewal.
Among those who embody this spirit stands Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, a scholar, poet, and patriot whose life continues to illuminate Vietnamese education. Born in 1822 in Gia Định Province, he lost his sight before completing the imperial examinations but refused to surrender to despair. Instead, he dedicated himself to teaching and writing, choosing moral resistance over violence during the French colonization of southern Vietnam. His notable works — Văn tế nghĩa sĩ Cần Giuộc (Elegy for the Soldiers of Cần Giuộc), Lục Vân Tiên, Dương Từ – Hà Mậu, and Ngư Tiều y thuật vấn đáp (Dialogue Between the Fisherman and the Woodcutter on Medicine) — celebrated the courage and virtue of ordinary people. Through poetry, he transformed literature into an instrument of conscience and patriotism. To him, true education began with the heart. He believed that knowledge without morality is like a lamp without light. In Lục Vân Tiên, he portrayed an ideal scholar who lives by justice and compassion: “Làm trai ở thế, ai cho hèn?” — “A man born into this world, who would allow himself to live in cowardice?”. In Văn tế nghĩa sĩ Cần Giuộc, he honored peasants who defended their homeland with unwavering courage: “Sống đánh giặc, thác cũng đánh giặc… Linh hồn theo giúp cơ binh, muôn kiếp nguyện báo đền nợ nước.”
Nguyễn Đình Chiểu’s teachings transcended class, extending learning to farmers, laborers, and villagers. He showed that wisdom is nurtured through compassion and integrity, not privilege.
At IGS, we carry forward that same light — to learn, to grow, and to act with conscience. For in every heart brave enough to grow kinder, bolder, and wiser, change has already taken root.