On November 17, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training announced a list of 50 exemplary educators who have made remarkable contributions to the city's educational development during the 50-year period from 1975 to 2025. This initiative recognizes the enduring efforts made since the reunification of Vietnam.

The list was curated from thousands of teachers, education administrators, and lecturers who have dedicated their lives to the cause of education in Ho Chi Minh City over the past five decades. Many of them continue to serve the sector today, while others have passed on, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire and shape future generations.

Among the 50 names are pioneers who laid the foundation for the city’s educational system in its most formative and challenging years.

One of them is Luong Le Dong, the first Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training after reunification. His tenure spanned from 1975 to 1976, during the military governance period. Although his time in office was brief, he played a crucial role in forming the educational administration in post-war Saigon.

Another notable figure is Bui Thanh Khiet, Director of the Department from 1976 to 1978. Born in 1924 in Sa Dec, Khiet joined the Liberation Army in 1945. He was captured, tortured, and imprisoned by the French but remained resolute in his revolutionary ideals. After studying and conducting research in the Soviet Union, he returned to southern Vietnam and held several significant positions in the military and revolutionary government. Following the country's reunification, he served as a Standing Member of the Military Management Committee of Saigon – Gia Dinh and was later appointed Director of the city’s Department of Education. He eventually moved to Hanoi to serve as Deputy Minister of Education.

Also recognized is Le Quang Vinh, who served as Director in 1978–1979. Vinh spent 15 years imprisoned as a death row inmate in the infamous “tiger cages” of Con Dao. After 1975, he was entrusted with numerous leadership roles, from directing the Department of Education to heading the Government Committee for Religious Affairs.

One particularly distinguished name on the list is Truong Thi Hong, who held the position of Director of the Department of Education and Training from 1981 to 1990. She remains the only woman to have held this role in over 50 years.

This selection of 50 educators symbolizes the resilience, vision, and dedication that have driven Ho Chi Minh City's educational transformation over the past half-century.

Le Huyen