Vietnam probes PhD monk who never earned high school diploma
Metadata
- Vietnam probes PhD monk who never earned high school diploma
- August 14, 2024
- Article Body Text <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A state-backed Buddhist monk who prompted an online uproar for dismissing a popular religious pilgrim as a “thug” has landed in hot water after it was discovered that he received a doctorate degree from a prestigious law school despite never having graduated from high school.</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In March 2022, Thich Chan Quang, also known as Vuong Tan Viet, received a doctorate in Constitutional and Administrative Law from Hanoi Law University, or HLU, after successfully defending his dissertation the prior year.</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, Quang, the head of the Chan Quang Pagoda in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, invited public scrutiny of his educational background in June after slamming unofficial Buddhist monk Thich Minh Tue as a “thug who wears ragged attire and holds a rice cooker” in a sermon.</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tue, whose real name is Le Anh Tu, </span><a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/vietnam-unrecognized-monk-05172024015230.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">drew a wide following on social media</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in May when influencers documented his pilgrimage across Vietnam on TikTok and other social media platforms. </span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Tue is not a monk, supporters were drawn to his simple lifestyle and humble demeanor, which they felt set an example for the country’s Buddhist clergy.</span></p> <hr/> <p><b>RELATED STORIES</b></p> <p><a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/video-clip-unoffical-monk-thich-minh-tue-walking-brother-07122024152726.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">New video clip shows unofficial monk Thich Minh Tue walking with brother</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/barefoot-monk-youtube-rock-07082024002723.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vietnamese YouTubers fined for video of rock resembling monk</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/missing-monk-us-congress-07022024235219.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">California congressman raises case of missing ‘monk’</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/thich-minh-tue-vietnam-monk-buddhism-07012024161545.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">No word from Thích Minh Tuệ in nearly 3 weeks, monk's relatives say</span></a></p> <hr/> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In questioning Quang’s school record, social media users noted that the monk was admitted to HLU’s doctorate program despite never having received a master’s degree and that he earned his doctorate “at warp speed” in just over two years. They also suggested that his high school equivalency diploma appeared “fabricated,” although no evidence was provided to support the claim.</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The criticism prompted the university to issue a statement on June 25 defending its decision to confer the degree, saying it was made in adherence to Ministry of Education and Training, or MOET, and university regulations.</span></p> <p></p> <p><b>Investigation underway</b></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Tuesday – nearly two months later – Vietnamese state media reported that the legitimacy of Quang’s doctorate degree was in doubt as the monk, who is also the head of the finance committee for a government-sanctioned Buddhist organization, had never earned a high school diploma.</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The report cited Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, or DOET, Deputy Director Le Hoai Nam as saying that Quang was neither on a list of students taking part in the GED high school equivalent exams on June 6, 1989 – the year of his supposed graduation – nor a subsequent list announcing the results for all examinees.</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Deputy Director Le told reporters that the discovery was the result of a recent review of Quang’s educational background jointly conducted by the Ho Chi Minh City DOET and an inspection delegation from the Vietnam Committee for Religious Affairs.</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><figure class="image-richtext image-inline captioned" style="width:620px;"> <img alt="Thich Chan Quang receives his doctorate from Hanoi Law University in March 2022. (GHPGVN)" height="414" src="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/monk-doctorate-high-school-08132024165644.html/eng_vtn_thich-chan-quang_08132024-2.jpeg/@@images/736c498e-d071-4589-81fc-900a77ea5b5f.jpeg" title="ENG_VTN_THICH CHAN QUANG_08132024.2.jpeg" width="620"/> <figcaption class="image-caption">Thich Chan Quang receives his doctorate from Hanoi Law University in March 2022. (GHPGVN)</figcaption> <small></small> </figure> </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meanwhile, in response to media inquiries, a HLU representative said the university was aware of the findings of the joint review and would take action in accordance with MOET guidelines dealing with doctorate candidates using fake diplomas for enrollment and creating fraudulent records for the purpose of obtaining degrees.</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Quang did not graduate from high school, he earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Foreign Languages, now known as Hanoi University, in 2001 and a bachelor’s degree in law from HLU in 2019.</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Associate Professor Hoang Dung told RFA Vietnamese that anyone found to have falsified their qualifications is subject to having their subsequent degrees revoked.</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This means that all of his bachelor's degrees and his doctorate are at risk,” he said. “The next step involves Hanoi University and Hanoi Law University issuing official decisions to revoke these degrees.”</span></p> <p></p> <p><b>Silent for months</b></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking to RFA Vietnamese, lawyer Le Quoc Quan, who earned undergraduate and master's degrees from HLU, said that the university now finds itself “in a difficult situation, as it has defended what was wrong.”</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The deeper they dig, the more issues they will find – from his GED diploma to his bachelor's degrees,” he said.</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lawyer Quan speculated that MOET and HLU had likely been aware of Quang’s lack of a high school education but chose not to share it with the media “as this issue could be much more complicated and involve several [government] agencies.”</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A second lawyer who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity also suggested that MOET may have remained silent about what he called “a series of irregularities and wrongdoings by HLU” with regards to Quang’s doctorate degree to avoid exposing its failure to monitor the university.</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“HUL’s examination of candidates' qualifications might be problematic,” said the lawyer, who declined to be named due to security concerns. “If MOET pushes the issue too hard, it could damage the reputation of the education sector and [doctorate] training programs and lose face for a leading university that trains future leaders and those who uphold justice.”</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The lawyer also suggested that MOET may have chosen to remain quiet about the case as it involves Vietnam’s Ministry of Justice, whose former Minister Le Thanh Long was promoted to deputy prime minister in late June.</span></p> <p></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2020, Hanoi-based Dong Do University – one of Vietnam’s oldest private institutions – was at the center of a scandal involving the issuance of bachelor’s degrees to 193 individuals who had not completed their studies. At least 55 of these individuals went on to use their fraudulent degrees to enroll in postgraduate programs, including PhD programs.</span></p> <p></p> <p><b><i>Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.</i></b></p>
- Content Type Text
- Language English
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Subtitles / Dubbing Available No
- Rights Giac Ngo
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date August 14, 2024 13:33 EDT
- Byline By RFA Vietnamese
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English