The University of Social Sciences and Humanities signs a cooperation agreement with the Vietnam Buddhist Association of Hai Phong City.

On behalf of the University's leadership, Vice Rector Dang Thi Thu Huong expressed gratitude to Venerable Thich Quang Tung, PhD, and the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Association of Hai Phong City for trusting and choosing the University of Social Sciences and Humanities as a partner to implement professional activities related to the collection, research, preservation, and promotion of Buddhist cultural values. With its strong team of scientists and experts in various fields: Sino-Vietnamese studies, history, culture, tourism, religious studies, linguistics, etc., and its experience in successfully implementing projects on research, collection, and translation of documents, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is committed to effectively cooperating in collaborative projects with the Vietnam Buddhist Association of Hai Phong City.

Speaking at the meeting, Venerable Thich Quang Tung, PhD, thanked the school for the warm welcome and affirmed his complete confidence in the success of cooperative activities, especially in research, collection, translation, and systematization of Buddhist materials in Hai Phong city.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides signed an official cooperation agreement to implement two key areas:
1. Coordinate the organization of a national scientific conference with the theme: “Commemorating 45 years of Hai Phong Buddhism's development alongside the nation 1981-2026”. Time: tentatively mid-May 2026.
2. Project Implementation: “Research and Translation of the Complete Collection of Buddhist Inscriptions in Hai Phong City”
The system of Buddhist stele inscriptions in Hai Phong is a valuable source of documentation reflecting the history of the formation and development of Buddhism and the socio-cultural life of the locality. This is because the stele inscriptions are reliable sources for studying the history of Buddhism in Hai Phong City. However, in reality, many steles in temples still exist but lack rubbings, so the actual number of Buddhist stele inscriptions in Hai Phong is still greater than the rubbings printed by the French School of Far Eastern Studies (EFFO) before 1945. Furthermore, research and translation of stele inscriptions and other Han Nom Buddhist documents in the province are limited. Therefore, it is necessary to organize the statistical collection, supplementation, transcription, translation, annotation, and publication of all Buddhist stele inscriptions to maximize the value of this source of Buddhist stele documentation in the city. The Vietnam Buddhist Association of Hai Phong City, in collaboration with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, is conducting surveys, collecting, and researching Buddhist materials, including epigraphic texts, to implement the project: "Research and Translation of the Complete Collection of Buddhist Epigraphic Texts of Hai Phong City".
Both sides also agreed to establish a Steering Committee and assign responsible focal points to ensure that the activities are implemented effectively.