A young man in Ho Chi Minh City has come up with a model of sharing joys and handy tidbits with his peers to help quench their thirst for knowledge.

The class, called “Lop Hoc Vui Ve” (Happy Class), held at Apartment 306, Second Floor, 179C Hai Ba Trung Street, District 3, is initiated and cherished by Phan Khac Huy, 27.

Low fees, huge knowledge, great joys

Without tomes or books and with only several small tables and refreshments, the class addresses everyday questions such as why Ben Tre (bamboo wharf), a province home to many coconut trees, is not called Ben Dua (coconut wharf), or the old names of streets and ancient tombs in Saigon (former name of Ho Chi Minh City).

With Huy’s sense of humor and witty, conversational “lecturing” style, over 40 students kept gasping with delight at the tidbits he shared and the vivid images, particularly old ones, from the projector.

A voracious reader of Vietnamese history and culture, and an antiquity collector, Huy fascinates his “students” by offering intriguing looks at simple, small things which often go unnoticed by many.

He also tries to maximize real-life experiences to his sessions by adopting his collectibles or self-made items as teaching aids and holding field trips after sessions on rice growing, certain historical places of interest or the cuisine of different regions.        

Participants also lovingly dub Huy’s class “Lop Hoc 1 To” (a one-bowl class), as tuition is nominal, with participants paying VND20,000 (US$1) only for each session, the sum which is enough for an average bowl of “hu tieu” (stretchy rice noodles).

Huy has read extensively from books and always tried to seek expert opinions, which also impresses his “students.”

The young man enthusiastically encourages opinion exchange in classes. After each session, he always makes time for brief conversations with each of his “students.”

“Up to 66 percent of the participants work in different areas, and even those who are students adopt various majors. They have vast specialized knowledge which I can learn from. For example, if I do a session on time-honored ‘nha ruong’ (central Hue City’s hallmark wooden houses), ideas from a participant, an architect who has designed this kind of house, are of great value to me,” Huy shared.

“As an urban planner, I find learning about historical facets with Huy an effective way to start with any planning projects, as they shape our planning in the first place and help planners determine which elements to retain. As for me, Huy’s sessions are both for personal gain and work improvement,” commented Nguyen Thanh Viet, a master’s degree holder in urban planning and designing from the prestigious University of Sheffield in the UK.

A long way to go

Entering the HCMC Medicine and Pharmacy University in 2005, Huy, who was born into a literary family in southern Vietnam’s Tien Giang Province, dropped out later as he realized he is not cut for a medical career.

He then opened his own company Coi Viet, which offers courses in life skills and holds events in art and culture.

In 2011, the man came up with the idea of launching an online periodical, “Bat Hoi,” on Vietnamese culture and history to share with his like-minded friends.

He took charge of all phases including gathering articles and writing his own, designing and taking photos.

Fourteen editions of the magazine have been released so far, with each focusing on different themes on culture and art.

He gathered quite a large number of fans and gave online “teaching” sessions. His “Lop Hoc 1 To” class was formed then.

After one year, only by word of mouth and Facebook, his number of fans rose sharply.

He then opened the class offline on Thursday every two weeks, and launched a library which is open for free to students.

His library boasts more than 1,000 books on various areas, including time-honored, treasured ones, as well as old mementos which he has collected from every nook and cranny on Saigon streets.

Huy is planning to invite more guest speakers who are experts in culture and history and hold long-term courses on various subjects, including how to properly sing the recently UNESCO-recognized “don ca tai tu” (southern traditional music).

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