Have you ever wondered about seemingly small and familiar things in life: why do we eat rice and fish sauce... but not bread, milk, or soy sauce? Why do we wear certain clothes while other ethnic groups wear different ones? What is a stilt house? What is a thatched-roof house with mud walls?... or why do we worship our ancestors? What are communal houses/pagodas/shrines/pagodas/pagodas/supreme residences? Why are there customs during Tet (Vietnamese New Year) such as giving New Year greetings, even refraining from sweeping the house or collecting trash?... or why are wedding and funeral customs different in each place?... These are all cultural values; and in each region and each ethnic group, these values have their own unique, rich, and fascinating characteristics. Understanding culture means comprehending cultural values, from familiar everyday life to more general issues such as cultural space, cultural industries, cultural identity, cultural integration and globalization; thereby developing an appreciation for traditional culture, an awareness of preserving and promoting cultural values in the context of contemporary society; and respecting the cultural values of other ethnic groups in different spaces.
The Department of Cultural Studies was officially opened at the Faculty of History, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi in 2020, building upon the foundation of the Vietnamese Cultural History specialization within the History department since 2000 and with the faculty of the Department of Cultural Studies (originally named the Department of Vietnamese Cultural History) – a unit established in 1998, headed by Professor Tran Quoc Vuong.
Since its establishment, the Department of Cultural Studies has begun teaching the common course "Fundamentals of Vietnamese Culture" to units under the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, in accordance with the spirit of the Ministry of Education and Training, which states:Strengthening education for young people and students about national cultural values and Vietnamese cultural heritage, enhancing national pride and awareness of heritage protection.”Simultaneously, the university opened a specialization in Vietnamese Cultural History for history students who are interested in and passionate about learning about culture. Students pursuing the specialization in Vietnamese Cultural History will study general history for 3 years, and in the 4th year, they will specialize to study more in-depth modules on cultural studies based on the knowledge of history, such as: Cultural Heritage; Religion, Beliefs and Festivals; Customs and Traditions; Cultural Contact and Exchange; Cultural Space; Folklore; Ethnic Culture; Gender Culture... The specialization in Vietnamese Cultural History has been maintained and trained for 25 years, with approximately over 500 students having graduated.
Students majoring in Vietnamese Cultural History are doing their graduation internship in Da Nang-Hoi An.
To support the development of the field of Vietnamese Cultural History, and to further expand training programs to meet the societal demand for high-quality cultural human resources, in 2020, the Cultural Studies program – an interdisciplinary, modern, and highly practical program that equips students with fundamental and in-depth knowledge of Vietnamese and world culture in the context of globalization – was officially launched at the Faculty of History.
The interdisciplinary and modern training program is designed to help students broaden their critical thinking, research skills, and creativity in the field of culture. Students majoring in Cultural Studies have access to...rich and diverse cultural fields, such as: Folk culture; Ethnic culture; Cultural elements:religion, beliefs, customs, traditions, festivals, celebrations, etc.;Contemporary issues:cultural heritage, cultural and creative industries, culture and media, cultural integration and exchange in the digital age,...
Students can choose to develop their expertise along the following specialization paths:
- Cultural studies
- Cultural management
- Cultural industry
- Heritage Economy
In addition to theory, students are encouraged to develop practical skills through real-world learning activities. Many modules include:Cultural heritage,Cultural industries, cultural communities and practices, cultural institutions, cultural contact and exchange...Learning activities are organized in open classrooms, such as surveys in local areas, museums, cultural and creative centers... Students begin practical training from their second year with a course module.Cultural practices(Internship duration is approximately 7-9 days), and a graduate internship in the fourth year (The internship lasts approximately 10-14 days.) to develop professional skills and plan for the future.
Students of the K65 Cultural Studies program are doing practical training in the Cultural Institutions course at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology.
Students of cohort K67 in the field of Cultural Studies are undertaking a practical course on the Fundamentals of Vietnamese Culture.at the Temple of Literature - National University historical site
K65 Cultural Studies students are doing their graduation internship in Hue.
K66 Cultural Studies students complete their graduation internship at My Son, Quang Nam.
Training in Cultural Studies at the Department of History is handled by a team of professionals.The full-time lecturers are highly qualified professionals.enthusiasm in teachingof the Faculty of History, with the most direct and closest involvement coming from the lecturers of the Department of Cultural Studies; and at the same timeThe training program also receives regular and responsible collaboration from various parties.leading researchersfrom:Institute of Cultural Studies,Institute of Ethnology (belonging toVietnam Academy of Social Sciences);Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts; Hanoi University of Culture; and experts from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.along with many other cultural and artistic organizations.
Full-time lecturers of the Department of Cultural Studies conducted a survey in Ninh Binh in 2025.
With training orientations includingCultural studies, cultural governance, cultural industries, and heritage economics.The program aims to trainhigh-quality human resourcesThey are capable of working in many fields such as research, teaching, cultural management, media, tourism, heritage preservation, development of cultural and creative products, etc.
Students majoring in Cultural Studies and Vietnamese Cultural History can further their education at the postgraduate level with two Master's programs in Cultural Studies and Cultural Management, as well as a Doctorate in Cultural Management at the Faculty of History, University of Social Sciences and Humanities; and also have opportunities to study at other training institutions in Vietnam and abroad.
With the motto "Learn to understand - Learn to create - Learn to integrate"The Cultural Studies program at the Faculty of History, University of Social Sciences and Humanities aims to train human resources with strong professional competence, open-minded thinking, and flexible adaptability, ready to contribute to the sustainable development of culture and society."
Official document No. 173/VP dated January 10, 1995, from the Ministry of Education and Training.
