These debates affirm the enduring vitality of The Tale of Kieu over time.Highly appreciating the significance of the seminar, Professor Lai Quoc Khanh, Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, affirmed that Nguyen Du and The Tale of Kieu play a particularly important role in the history of Vietnamese literature. To assess these values, scientific research and discussion are necessary.
The debate about The Tale of Kieu between Pham Quynh and the Confucian scholar Ngo Duc Ke 100 years ago was brief, but its value resonates deeply. An international scientific symposium titled "Nguyen Du and the Legacy of The Tale of Kieu on the 100th Anniversary of the Tale of Kieu Debate," organized by the Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, aims to re-examine this debate and to re-examine The Tale of Kieu itself as a literary and artistic heritage with new research and perspectives.
Prof. Dr. Lai Quoc Khanh - Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi
In his opening remarks at the seminar, Associate Professor Pham Xuan Thach, Head of the Department of Literature, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, emphasized that the scientific issues surrounding The Tale of Kieu have been debated in many forums and are far from over, showing that The Tale of Kieu, despite being a classic work, still raises many scientific questions that need answering.
Exactly 100 years ago, a significant literary event took place in Vietnam, then a French colony: the debate on the Tale of Kieu between Pham Quynh and the Confucian scholar Ngo Duc Ke at the end of 1924. The debate followed a speech by Pham Quynh, the editor of the Nam Phong magazine, praising the Tale of Kieu with the now-famous words, "As long as the Tale of Kieu exists, our language exists; as long as our language exists, our country exists."
The 1924 debate on The Tale of Kieu can be considered a significant literary event, revealing the different ideological motivations at the beginning of the 20th century involved in evaluating and interpreting a past literary phenomenon of the Vietnamese people.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Xuan Thach - Head of the Department of Literature, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi
The seminar attracted the participation of domestic and international scientists, lecturers and students from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Kansai University (Japan); Aix Marseille University (France); Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences…
Prof. Dr. Tran Nho Thin - Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi
Professor Tran Nho Thin, from the Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, presented a comprehensive overview of cultural and literary unification, viewed from the perspective of The Tale of Kieu in Southern Vietnam at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. The speaker stated that, through studying the reception of The Tale of Kieu in Southern Vietnam from various perspectives during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it can be said that The Tale of Kieu has multifaceted significance at the national level. It not only contributes to creating a shared national cultural space but also encourages the development of a modern national culture and literature. This could serve as the context for discussions about the national literature, the role of The Tale of Kieu in national literature, and national culture in general.
Dr. Doan Anh Duong - Institute of Literature, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences
In her paper "National Cultural Heritage and Modern Nationalists," Dr. Doan Anh Duong stated that in the early 20th century, Nguyen Du's *Truyen Kieu* (The Tale of Kieu) was used by nationalist intellectuals in their nationalist discourses. Among those intellectuals advocating for moderate reform, *Truyen Kieu* was considered a classic work of Vietnamese national literature, its value used to affirm the cultural and historical traditions to the French invaders. Meanwhile, among those intellectuals advocating violent revolutionary liberation, *Truyen Kieu* was seen as merely "pornographic," and therefore they vehemently condemned any acts of glorifying it. This work thus became a symbol of the different nationalist tendencies in Vietnam at a time when the French colonialists were intensifying their exploitation and "civilizing" of the colony. Dr. Doan Anh Duong's paper... Doan Anh Duong examined the debates surrounding The Tale of Kieu, thereby revealing the mindset of indigenous intellectuals and the way they translated traditional culture into the process of creating modern state models in Vietnam under colonial rule in the early 20th century.
The debate surrounding The Tale of Kieu was constrained by the colonial context, thus obscuring the subject matter and instead highlighting the differing political, social, and cultural choices. Despite receiving special attention and veneration, The Tale of Kieu had to wait until decades later, when a literary school was established by the emergence of a new generation of Western-educated intellectuals and a more open and diverse reading community, before it was recognized as a classic in the Vietnamese literary and cultural treasury.
MSc. Nguyen Dao Nguyen presented a paper on Pham Quynh's praise of The Tale of Kieu and the rise of discourses on national culture and spirit.
Ms. Quách Thị Thu Hiền, M.Sc., discussed the topic "Prostitution in the early 20th century: A perspective projected from the attitudes of Vietnamese Confucian scholars in the early 20th century towards 'Kiều'".
The Tale of Kieu and its powerful influence in many countries.Dr. Junko Nimura, a professor in the Economics Department at Kansai University, Japan, presented a paper on the topic "Adaptation and Illustration of the Novel Kim Van Kieu in Japan," providing an overview of adaptations of the original Chinese work, *Kim Van Kieu*, in Japan. The speaker emphasized that both Vietnam and Japan are heavily influenced by the original Chinese work, but in each country, the adaptations have been presented in different literary forms and with distinct cultural nuances.
Dr. Junko Nimura, professor of economics at Kansai University, Japan, presented a paper at the seminar.
Dr. Junko Nimura highly appreciates the subjective creativity of adapted works. Accordingly, in Vietnam, the novel was creatively adapted into poetry, and then into painting. In Japan, the novel was adapted by the duo Bakin and Kuniyasu in a different form, adapting to the new cultural environment. Thanks to these adaptations, the work is conveyed across time and space by changing its form. These works have transcended time and space with literary and cultural values that reflect the unique identity of each nation.
Dr. Truong Hong Quang - translator and researcher on The Tale of Kieu in the Federal Republic of Germany.
Dr. Truong Hong Quang, a translator and researcher on The Tale of Kieu in the Federal Republic of Germany, brought to the seminar new information about translations of The Tale of Kieu throughout different periods in Germany, showing that The Tale of Kieu has captivated readers in many countries, especially Western countries, with the timeless values of this classic work.
The seminar concluded with lively discussions among participating scientists and lecturers, offering new perspectives on The Tale of Kieu and its vitality and influence not only in Vietnam but also abroad; it not only captivated the research enthusiasm of domestic scientists but also held a special appeal for international scholars.
