Pavement professor has passion for people

Phan An is a name like any other in a country of over 80 million people. Phan An, a random name, although not promising either a best-selling novel or a cheap 9pm sit-com on VTV3, is extremely popular amongst scientists and those who care about scientific development. To "Pavement Professor" An, the author of dozens of ethnographic studies during the last 35 years and father of the well-known Study of marriage between Vietnamese women and Taiwanese men (2004), his nickname doesn't matter. What he really cares about is researching ethnography and anthropology in Viet Nam.

Born in central Quang Nam Province in 1944, 18- year-old An became increasingly interested in social sciences as a student at the University of Social Science's faculty of Ancient History from which he graduated in 1966.

After serving six years in the army, and following South Viet Nam liberation in 1975, An returned to sate his passion at the Institute of Stable Southern Development, under Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences, where he has been working as an anthropologist ever since.

Love of street life

The nickname "Pavement Professor" has been attached to Phan An for years, becoming popular amongst both his old and young colleagues and used more than even his real name. To the professor, his nickname is "a million kilometres away from offence", and, on the contrary, gives him much joy and happiness.

An said that his tag derived from his love of cafes and beer at street vendors.

"Sitting by the road side or at a shop with a cup of coffee or glass of beer in my hand, I await inspiration to come knocking on my door. It never fails me," An explained.

At that moment, people do not see a 67-year-old man sitting at a table, but a professor passionately discussing macro-economy and the development of the South.

An got the idea for his well known Study of marriage between Vietnamese women and Taiwanese men (in the South) after accidentally witnessing dozens of girls line up and get into a car right in front of where he was casually sitting drinking beer. He soon discovered that the girls were being taken to a "skimming" and "interview" round in preparation for getting married to Taiwanese men. An decided to research this particular phenomenon no matter what it took. His research took him countless years to conduct and brought him both fame and controversy.

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