Introduction to the Development History of the Faculty of Physical Education, National Defense, and Security

From the very moment of its establishment on January 6, 1959, the Hanoi Primary and Secondary Teacher Training School (now Hanoi Metropolitan University) already operated with a training scale of 12 classes dedicated to training and developing primary and secondary school teachers. Among the School's professional divisions, the Aesthetics Division (Tổ Thể mỹ) was responsible for teaching Physical Education (now known as Physical Education subject) to all teacher trainees throughout the School. During the period of the American air war of destruction against the North, the School was evacuated to Vinh Phuc province, and the Physical Education teachers had to additionally take on the task of military training for teacher trainees in accordance with wartime requirements. The Physical Education teachers also served as members of the Military, Physical Education, and Hygiene Committee, which was responsible for assisting the School's leadership in organizing and managing military training activities, combat operations, and the general welfare of the entire School — functioning similarly to an administrative department.

The Staff of the Faculty of Physical Education, National Defense, and Security

      In the 1970–1971 academic year, when the School was named the Hanoi 10+3 Teacher Training School, the Faculty of Music – Fine Arts – Physical Education was established for the first time, becoming one of the School's 6 faculties at that time. In addition to teaching the general Physical Education subject to all teacher trainees across the School, the Faculty also participated in training Literature – Physical Education teachers.

     In 1978, when the institution became Hanoi College of Education (Trường Cao đẳng Sư phạm Hà Nội), the Physical Education Division remained a professional division under the Faculty of Social Sciences for an extended period. The Physical Education lecturers continued to teach the general Physical Education subject to all students throughout the School, while simultaneously training Physical Education teachers at the college level. At the same time, the Physical Education teachers — with the support of non-Physical Education staff who were veterans — also taught the General Military subject (later renamed National Defense Education, and subsequently National Defense and Security Education) to all students in the School. The Physical Education Division briefly suspended the teaching of General Military for four years (1984–1988), during which the School had a separate Military Division with four officers seconded from the Army. Afterward, to better reflect the actual duties of the division, the Physical Education Division and the Military Division were merged and renamed the Physical Education – Military Division, later becoming the Department of Physical Education and National Defense – Security.

      In June 1997, the Hanoi People's Committee issued a decision to establish the Faculty of Music – Fine Arts – Physical Education, formed on the basis of three professional divisions — Music, Fine Arts, and Physical Education — which were separated from the Faculty of Social Sciences. From 2011 onwards, the Faculty began receiving lecturers specializing in National Defense and Security Education, gradually improving the quality of this subject in line with the School's overall development requirements. On June 14, 2013, the Faculty was renamed the Faculty of Physical Education and Arts, continuing its mission of teaching Physical Education and National Defense and Security Education to students throughout the School, as well as offering undergraduate college programs in Physical Education, Music Education, and Fine Arts Education.

        After the School was elevated to university status as Hanoi Metropolitan University, on June 29, 2017, the Music and Fine Arts Departments were transferred to other faculties. The Faculty of Physical Education and Arts was renamed the Faculty of Sports Science and Health, with the aim of specializing in undergraduate training in Sports and Physical Education fields to meet the needs of Physical Education, Sports Coaching, community health promotion, and improving the physical stature of Vietnamese people. At the same time, the Faculty continued its mission of teaching Physical Education and National Defense and Security Education to all students throughout the University.

    To better align with the Faculty's actual responsibilities, on September 27, 2024, the University Council of Hanoi Metropolitan University issued Resolution No. 17 NQ/HĐT on restructuring the University's organizational apparatus. The Faculty was renamed the Faculty of Physical Education – National Defense and Security Education, with the following specific structure, scale, and functions.

 Regarding functions and duties: The Faculty is a specialized academic unit of the University, responsible for researching, training, and developing teachers specializing in Physical Education, while also carrying out the teaching of Physical Education and National Defense and Security Education across the entire University. It assigns and manages the teaching of subjects undertaken by Faculty lecturers for other training programs of the University; and establishes linkages and cooperation in training and scientific research with educational institutions outside the University in its assigned fields. The Faculty carries out its duties in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Higher Education and the Charter on Organization and Operation of Hanoi Metropolitan University.

         Regarding personnel: The Faculty currently comprises 24 staff and lecturers, including 4 Doctors (1 of whom holds the title of Associate Professor), 18 Masters, and 2 Bachelor's degree holders. The Faculty Leadership Board consists of 2 members: Associate Professor Dr. Pham Dong Duc – Dean; and Master Nguyen Duc Quang – Vice Dean.

         Regarding training programs and scale: In addition to teaching Physical Education and National Defense and Security Education to all students across the University, the Faculty also implements an undergraduate Bachelor of Physical Education Teaching program with an enrollment of over 100 students per year. It is also currently coordinating the development of a master's degree program in Theory and Methodology of Teaching (specializing in Theory and Methodology of Physical Education) with an expected intake of approximately 20 students per year.

         Throughout its training process, the Faculty's graduates have consistently met the needs of society in general, and of the capital Hanoi in particular. The Faculty has trained numerous generations of teachers, coaches, athletes, and administrators with high professional qualifications and ethical standards for the Education and Sports sectors of the capital and the nation as a whole.

       In the area of scientific research, the Faculty's lecturers have affirmed their prominent role through scholarly works that have significantly influenced the development of Education, Training, and Sports in Hanoi and across the country. Notable contributions include: Faculty lecturers serving as General Editors-in-Chief, Chief Editors, and authors in the development of the 2018 National Physical Education Curriculum and Textbooks for general education; serving as Head of the Editorial Board of the Vietnamese Encyclopedia covering the fields of Sports, Tourism, Costume, and Cuisine; and serving as Chief Editors of numerous university-level Physical Education and Sports textbooks.