"The sea and the land - the role and network of interaction in the river basins of Central Vietnam"

In his opening remarks at the conference, Professor Pham Quang Minh stated that the conference's theme holds significant scientific and practical importance. Practically, Vietnam is a country with diverse topography and abundant natural resources, encompassing seas, rivers, mountains, and land from north to south. From a scientific perspective, this topic has attracted considerable international attention. Currently, there is ongoing debate between two groups of scholars worldwide. The first group, the "sea-based" perspective, emphasizes the importance of the sea in Vietnam, as the sea and coastal areas account for one-third of Vietnam's land area. The other group presents a "mountain-based" perspective. The conference's theme, concerning the relationship between land and sea, aligns with these two schools of thought. Therefore, if these two viewpoints could be widely disseminated, researchers' understanding of Vietnamese history would be significantly enhanced. This is all the more significant in the context of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities having recently established the Center for Marine and Island Research, as an affirmation that this will be one of the areas of interest in the University's overall research landscape in the future.

Professor Pham Quang Minh - Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, delivered a speech at the conference.

In his opening remarks at the seminar, Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc stated: Vietnamese history unfolds within the territory of Vietnam, encompassing numerous relationships between people and between people and nature. Current perceptions primarily revolve around the Vietnamese people. In the South, wherever the Vietnamese went, the Vietnamese followed. The Southern, South Central, and Southern regions are only considered from the 16th and 17th centuries, neglecting the Champa and Chenla periods. Clearly, these incomplete views of Vietnamese history need to be addressed.

The national-level social science research and compilation project on "History of Vietnam" has particularly emphasized the objectivity, completeness, comprehensiveness, core essence, and naturalness of the country's history; and requires expanding historical sources to many related disciplines such as Geography, Archaeology, Economics, Linguistics, Folklore, etc., and using interdisciplinary research methods.

Professor Dr. Nguyen Quang Ngoc - Vice President of the Vietnam Historical Science Association, delivered a speech at the conference.

In this collaborative effort by the scientific community, this conference discussed the relationship between the sea and the land, particularly the role and network of exchange in the river basins of Central Vietnam throughout the country's history. The conference attracted the attention of many researchers in ancient and medieval Vietnamese history, Champa, archaeology, cultural studies, and geography from various provinces, cities, and institutions. The papers presented were considered well-researched and provided a wealth of source material, especially field research documents offering fresh insights and assessments on the topic.

Professor Vu Minh Giang, Vice President of the Vietnam Historical Science Association, delivered a speech at the conference.

Some of the papers presented at the conference included: “The Sea and the Land - The Role of Rivers in Central Vietnam” (Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Kim, University of Social Sciences and Humanities), “Natural Characteristics of Some Major River Systems in Central Vietnam” (Prof. Dr. Truong Quang Hai, Vietnam Institute of Studies and Development Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi), “The Go Sanh Pottery Exchange Network during the Champa Period” (Dr. Dinh Ba Hoa, Binh Dinh Museum), “Sacred River Axis in Quang Tri during the Champa Period” (MSc. Le Duc Tho, Quang Tri Center for Conservation of Historical Sites and Scenic Spots), “The Riverine Exchange Network in Central Vietnam in Comparison with the Model of the Northern Delta” (Dr. Do Thuy Lan, University of Social Sciences and Humanities), “The Role of River Systems in Central Vietnam in Cultural and Commercial Exchange” (Dr. Dinh Duc Tien, University of Social Sciences and Humanities), Exchange along the Thu Bon River during the Sa Huynh and Early Champa Periods (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lam Thi My Dung, University of Social Sciences and Humanities), “Cha Citadel” In the history of Champa: New research findings (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Toi, Center for Citadel Studies - VASS)...