Effective cooperation in archival science between universities and organizations in Vietnam - FranceSpeaking at the conference, Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan - Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU, said that since the first academic meeting between the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and Aix-Marseille University in 2014, the two universities have regularly had many exchange activities, such as thematic seminars, international conferences, bilateral visits and working sessions, joint teaching courses and seminars, with increasingly deep participation of lecturers, researchers and postgraduates.
In particular, in recent years, these activities are not only limited to academic exchanges between two universities, but also expanded into a multi-stakeholder cooperation network: between universities, national archives, local historical archives, such as Aix-Marseille University, the French Embassy in Vietnam, AUF Asia-Pacific Region, the French National Archives Overseas (ANOM), Vietnamese archives - from the State Records and Archives Department, National Archives Center I, National Archives Center III, provincial historical archives, to archives of ministries and branches...
That effective cooperation is an opportunity for the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU to continue to affirm its strategic orientation: linking research and training activities with international partners and domestic archives, on the basis of common values in science, culture and historical memory.
Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan expressed his wish to continue expanding the cooperative relationship between the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU and organizations, universities and research institutes in France and Vietnam in developing archival science.
Prof. Dr. Guy Le Thiec - Principal of the School of Arts, Literature, Languages and Human Sciences (Aix-Marseille University)
Speaking at the workshop, Prof. Dr. Guy Le Thiec - Rector of the School of Arts, Literature, Languages and Humanities (Aix-Marseille University) affirmed the depth of the scientific and intellectual relationship between France and Vietnam. Despite turbulent periods in history, Vietnam and France are still connected by a priceless common documentary heritage, reflecting the memories, culture and development journey of the two peoples.
Moreover, it is the strong academic relationship between the elite researchers of both countries, which goes beyond the scope of cooperation between the two universities, extending to the national archives, the École Française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), the French National Archives Overseas (ANOM) and many leading research institutes of France and Vietnam. It is this intellectual connection that has formed a common scientific community, where knowledge, documents and people converge to preserve and promote the value of heritage.
Mr. Romain Joulia - Director of the French National Archives Overseas (ANOM) emphasized that (ANOM) is an important academic partner in preserving, digitizing and disseminating historical documents for international scientific research.
Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huong, Vice Principal of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU, spoke at the conference.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Phuong Ngoc - Vice Principal of the School of Arts, Languages and Humanities, Aix-Marseille University emphasized the important role of archival work in preserving and promoting the value of Vietnamese - French documentary heritage.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Phuong Ngoc - Vice Principal of the School of Arts, Languages and Humanities, Aix-Marseille University said that Vietnam is currently completing the dossier to request UNESCO to recognize the French-era documents - currently kept at National Archives Centers 1, 2, 4 of Vietnam and in France - as a World Documentary Heritage. This is the result of many years of cooperation, research and academic exchange between the two countries. Within that framework, cooperation in the field of archives is promoted through professional exchange activities, human resource training and experience sharing.
Last May, when the French President visited and worked in Vietnam with the French Minister of Culture, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the field of document preservation and archiving.
Delegates expressed their belief that the academic cooperation between universities, especially the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU and Aix-Marseille University, will continue to develop extensively, contributing to enriching the knowledge base and common heritage between Vietnam and France.
Discuss new approaches to archival sources on Vietnam - France relationsInheriting and promoting the achieved results and developing the cooperative relationship and scientific exchange, the international workshop "Archival documents on Vietnam-France relations - Interdisciplinary approach" was held to analyze and evaluate the role of archival documents in scientific research and promote international cooperation in preserving, exploiting documents, and developing digital humanities projects related to Vietnam-France relations.
The workshop was attended by leaders of the two universities, representatives of the French Embassy in Vietnam, the Association of French-speaking Universities (AUF), the French National Archives Overseas (ANOM), and many scholars from research institutes, archives, and universities at home and abroad.
The workshop included two working sessions with more than 15 scientific reports, focusing on four major topics: (1) sources and values of Vietnamese-French archival materials; (2) interdisciplinary approaches in documentary research; (3) application of technology and digital humanities in archival studies; (4) prospects for international cooperation in research and training.
Dr. Cam Anh Tuan - Head of the Department of Archival Studies and Office Administration, University of Social Sciences and Humanities reported at the conference
Dr. Cao Viet Anh, Institute of Han Nom Studies With the presentation “A family of scholars in the midst of colonial turmoil: Personal records of two mandarins kept at the National Archives Center I”, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Phuong Ngoc (Aix-Marseille University) pointed out how colonial administrative records reflected the life and social changes in Vietnam in the early 20th century, contributing to the reconstruction of the history of Vietnam - France relations from a human perspective.
The following reports at the conference discussed issues such as analyzing the academic value of Han Nom documents in the study of Vietnamese history (topic "Smashing ancient books to find their shadows - Traces of Vietnamese history through archival documents" by Dr. Cao Viet Anh, Institute of Han Nom Studies); recreating the first diplomatic turning point in Vietnam - France relations after World War II (topic "Documents on the visit to the French Republic by Government and National Assembly delegations in 1946" by Master. Le Thi Ly (National Archives Center III).
From the perspective of anthropology and archival sociology, MSc. Nguyen Van Ngoc (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) presented “Documents on the repatriation process of Vietnamese people in New Caledonia and New Hebrides in the French Diplomatic Archives: Value and accessibility”. Meanwhile, Dr. Cam Anh Tuan (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) reported “Collection of cut-out articles from the Humanity Magazine (L'Humanité) in the French National Archives Overseas: Archival and historical value”, showing how the French left-wing press reflected the Vietnamese national liberation movement. MSc. Dinh Kim Ngan (Archives Department of the Central Party Office) presented “Collecting, collecting and promoting the value of documents on Vietnam-France relations in the Historical Archives of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam”, emphasizing the role of Party documents in the study of bilateral diplomatic relations.
The topics of digital humanities and international cooperation in archiving brought many new perspectives to the conference. Philippe Le Failler (EFEO) with his presentation “Administrative, economic and technical archives: How to conduct research on Hanoi’s architectural heritage” introduced the approach to administrative documents in urban studies. Marc Bui and Pascal Bourdeaux (EPHE, France) followed with their presentation “Research on Vietnamese historical documents in manuscript or printed form using automatic recognition: Some illustrations from the Vietnamica digital library”, demonstrating the application of artificial intelligence in digital humanities.
The presentations at the workshop also had an interdisciplinary tone, such as: Associate Professor, Dr. Phung Ngoc Kien (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) with the paper "Intertextuality of archival documents on France - Vietnam relations in the digital age"; Bui Thi He (National Archives Center I) and Dr. Tran Thi Loan (National Academy of Public Administration) with the paper "Archival sources for research on colonial fairs and exhibitions in the late 19th - early 20th centuries"; along with the creative presentation of Marina Ludemann (Goethe Institute) and artist Ottjörg AC with the project "Hanoi, a meeting point: between archival memory and imagination".
The workshop provided a comprehensive, multi-dimensional picture of the Vietnam-France archives, from administrative history, diplomacy, culture to art, while affirming the role of international cooperation in preserving, digitizing and promoting the value of archival heritage to serve scientific research and academic exchange between the two countries.
Some pictures at the workshop:
There has been a long-term and close cooperative relationship between the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU and Aix-Marseille University for many years.
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