Attending the ceremony were Professor Nicolas Maïnetti - Director of the Francophone University Organization in the Asia-Pacific region, Professor Philippe Papin - Project Leader, Professor Hoang Anh Tuan - Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Associate Professor Nguyen Tuan Cuong - Former Director of the Institute of Han Nom Studies, along with specialists, students, and researchers participating in the Project.
Vietnamica is the abbreviated name of the European Project on the Historical Research and Digitization of Vietnamese Epigraphic Documents – one of the prestigious projects funded by the European Research Council (ERC) of the European Union for a period of 5 years, from 2019 to 2024. The project aims to research the history of Vietnamese tribute through epigraphic texts (focusing on the Hậu stelae), digitize Vietnamese social science documents stored in Europe and Vietnam; participate in training Master's and Doctoral students in epigraphy; establish an electronic library, translate and publish monographs and comprehensive studies on the history of Vietnamese tribute from the first half of the 20th century onwards. In September 2025, the Vietnamica Project's concluding conference was held at the French School of Far Eastern Studies (EFEO) in Paris, France.
Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Hoang Anh Tuan emphasized the immense academic value and postgraduate training support of the Project, especially for young researchers in Vietnam: “Although the Project started at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic was developing complicatedly, posing many difficulties and challenges, with the leadership of the Project Steering Committee, especially Professor Philippe Papin, and the responsible and dedicated participation of numerous scientists, PhD candidates, and students, the Project has been successfully implemented to date: funding 20 in-depth research projects, dozens of PhD and Master's students receiving scholarships, many valuable scientific works published, and many epigraphic heritage sites digitized into open data sources for a large number of scientists in Vietnam and internationally to access and utilize. Not just a research project, Vietnamica has created an international academic forum, investing in research on Vietnam in many fields related to history.” "The project aims to preserve and digitize Vietnamese epigraphic materials using both traditional and modern approaches, focusing on the study of the Hau stelae within the historical and cultural context of Vietnam." With these significant contributions, Rector Hoang Anh Tuan expressed his deep gratitude to the European Research Council (ERC) – the sponsoring organization, the Francophone University Foundation (AUF), the Project Management Board, and scientists both domestically and internationally. He also expressed his hope that Vietnamica's activities will continue in Vietnam in the future. The University of Social Sciences and Humanities is committed to continuing its focus on and development of research and training in classical studies, epigraphy, and Sino-Vietnamese studies – fundamental academic values of Vietnam.
Principal Hoang Anh Tuan delivered a speech at the ceremony.
Also at the ceremony, representing the Executive Board, Professor Philippe Papin – Project Leader – presented an overview of the objectives and achievements: Over the past 5 years, Vietnamica has brought together 43 members, including 12 master's students, 6 doctoral candidates, and 3 postdoctoral researchers, and 22 experts from various universities and research institutions in Vietnam who have received scholarships from the Project to carry out theses, dissertations, and in-depth research. Among them, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has 7 master's students, 1 doctoral candidate, and 1 postdoctoral researcher.
One of the Project's key activities was organizing in-depth research on stelae. The Project organized a series of scientific activities (workshops, seminars, field research, research reports) in various locations in Vietnam and France, and published many valuable scientific publications: 39 books in total, including several important ones such as the important monograph on stelae in Late Vietnam in French entitled "La chair des stèles" (The Chair of the Steles).
Enquête sur les donors et les Épigones du Bouddha et des divinités, au Vietnam, des origines à la fin du XVIIe siècle(tentative translation: "The Epigraphic Organism: A Historical Study of the Activities of Offering to Deities and Buddhist Spirits in Vietnam from the Origins to the End of the 17th Century") by Professor Philippe Papin;
The Later Vietnam Imperial Library(3 volumes);
Vietnamese Inscriptions and Etories(consisting of 7 volumes);
Directory of Vietnamese Han Nom Inscriptions(11 episodes);
Collecting and translating epigraphic documents from the 17th to the 20th centuries.(4 episodes),…
Some of the project's products have been published.
Delegates took a commemorative photo at the display table showcasing some of the Project's representative publications at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
In addition, the official website of the Project is at the following address:
https://vietnamica.online/The website has been officially operational since 2022. It features scanned copies of thousands of books about Vietnam, primarily in French and Vietnamese, published between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It also includes full texts or excerpts of publications from the Project from 2020 onwards. These resources are currently being supplemented, updated, and improved, and are all available free of charge to readers.
To acknowledge the responsible and effective participation of doctoral students, master's students, and young researchers, the Executive Board and Scientific Council of the Vietnamica Project awarded certificates to the doctoral and master's students at the ceremony. With a passion for Vietnam's epigraphic heritage and a diligent and serious work ethic, many doctoral and master's students successfully completed their dissertations and theses on time, while also actively participating in collecting, translating, and systematizing materials.
Professor Philippe Papin, Professor Nicolas Maïnetti, Professor Hoang Anh Tuan, and Associate Professor Nguyen Tuan Cuong presented certificates to the doctoral and master's students.
On behalf of the doctoral and postgraduate students, Dr. Bui Quoc Linh (Institute for Conservation and Development of Traditional Culture) emotionally shared:
“Participating in the Vietnamica Project not only provided us with valuable financial support to complete our dissertations, but also gave us the opportunity to work with leading scientists and experts both domestically and internationally, fueling our passion to explore the values of Vietnam's vast epigraphic heritage. We are proud to have contributed a small part to the success of the Project. On behalf of the doctoral and master's students, and young scientists who directly benefited from the Vietnamica Project, I express my deepest gratitude to the sponsoring agencies, the Project organization, the Project Steering Committee, and the scientists who accompanied, supported, and encouraged us throughout the process.”
Dr. Bui Quoc Linh expressed his hope that young researchers in Vietnam would have more opportunities to participate in meaningful projects like the Vietnamica Project.
The delegates attending the ceremony exchanged and discussed several directions for continuing the activities and results of the Vietnamica Project.
The ceremony was not only an opportunity to look back on the five-year journey of hard work and success of the Vietnamica Project, but also a significant milestone in affirming USSH's position in the field of Vietnamese epigraphy and archaeology, while opening up new opportunities and directions for international cooperation in the future.
