Researcher Le Huu Phong. — Photo giaoduc.edu.vn

HA NOI (VNS) — Le Huu Phong, a leading researcher of the Ba Na ethnic culture, passed away on Friday, leaving behind several unfinished works.

Phong died suddenly due to unspecified reasons, when he was at a training class in Pleiku city in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.

Born in the northern province of Hung Yen in 1965, Phong moved to Gia Lai Province to work in the cultural and educational sector in 1984. He was named rector of Mang Yang District's Ethnic Minority Boarding School in 2007. He was working as the head of Mang Yang District's culture and information office.

During the past 30 years, Phong spent a lot of time studying the local culture. His great passion for the Central Highlands culture and music helped him to integrate with the life of the local people.

He was also known as a Ba Na linguist, who authored the first Vietnamese – Ba Na bilingual dictionary, published in 2008, and several other books on the Ba Na culture. — VNS