Welcome to "Vietnam Archives Day" January 3, 2012

Sixty-five years ago, on January 3, 1946, President Ho Chi Minh, President of the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, signed Circular No. 1CP/VP addressed to the Ministers, stating: “Considering that some government offices have arbitrarily destroyed or sold old documents and files. This action is destructive, out of fear of losing documents of special value for national construction. Therefore, the Ministers are requested to instruct their staff to safeguard all documents and files and to prohibit their destruction without a clear order from above. Please note that any files or documents no longer needed will be sent to the archives of the Ministry of National Education for safekeeping. Officials who disobey this order will be severely punished.” The circular clearly stated, “Archival documents of special value for national construction.” This directive not only helps prevent the arbitrary destruction of archived records and documents but also raises awareness among officials and employees regarding the preservation and promotion of the value of national archives. It is one of the first documents of our State on archival work, laying an important foundation for the Vietnamese archival sector. Given the immense significance and importance of archival work to society and the cause of building and protecting the socialist Fatherland of Vietnam, on September 17, 2007, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 1229/QD-TTg on the traditional day of the Vietnamese Archival Sector, which stipulated: “January 3rd of each year is the traditional day of the Vietnamese Archival Sector – named “Vietnam Archival Day” with the purpose of: Educating about the traditions of the Vietnamese Archival Sector, raising awareness and a sense of responsibility among archival workers and the entire society in protecting and promoting the value of archival documents, serving the cause of building and protecting the Fatherland; Encouraging labor emulation movements, raising discipline and professional ethics of cadres, civil servants, and employees in the Archival Sector; Commending and rewarding individuals and collectives with outstanding achievements in protecting and promoting the value of documents.” "Archives." Over six decades since President Ho Chi Minh signed and issued Circular No. 1C/VP on January 3, 1946, the Vietnamese archival sector has developed and made significant contributions to the cause of building and protecting the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It has built and gradually perfected the system of agencies managing national archives and archival documents; drafted and promulgated many legal documents creating a legal framework for managing archival work; and many valuable archival documents have been exploited and used to serve the needs of historical research, management, and administration of agencies and organizations, serving the task of protecting national sovereignty and meeting the legitimate needs of the people. In the field of training, over the past decades, thousands of cadres from secondary school, college, university to postgraduate levels have been trained and have become the main human resources for agencies and organizations from the central to local levels. International cooperation activities are constantly expanding. The Vietnam Archives is currently a full member of the International Council of Archives (ICA), the Southeast Asian Regional Branch of the International Council of Archives (SARBICA), and the International Association of French-Speaking Countries (AIAF). Celebrating the traditional day of the Vietnamese Archives sector, the faculty, lecturers, and students of the Department of Archival Studies and Office Management are even more proud of their achievements, more aware of the heavy but glorious responsibility of a leading training institution in the country, and excitedly welcome the Vietnamese Archives Law, which was passed by the National Assembly on November 11, 2011, and promulgated by the President on November 25, 2011.