Project won the VNU Science and Technology Award: "Foreign affairs activities in Thang Long - Hanoi"

The practice of foreign affairs activities in Thang Long - Hanoi over the past thousand years has shaped a system of viewpoints, principles, and diplomatic methods that are both deeply scientific and delicately artistic in diplomatic activities. All of these have contributed to the formation of the foreign affairs culture of Thang Long - Hanoi. The book synthesizes typical foreign affairs activities that have taken place in Thang Long - Hanoi over the past thousand years, thereby summarizing some historical lessons as well as pointing out the issues facing Hanoi's foreign affairs in particular and the country in general.

The book consists of 8 chapters with the following contents: Chapter 1 - Thang Long in the foreign affairs of the Ly Dynasty (1009-1225); Chapter 2 - Thang Long in the foreign affairs of the Tran Dynasty (1226-1400); Chapter 3 - Dong Do - Dong Quan in the foreign affairs during the resistance war against the Ming Dynasty and the Early Le Dynasty (1426-1257); Chapter 4 - Thang Long in the foreign affairs of the Mac and Le - Trinh Dynasties (1527-1789); Chapter 5 - Thang Long - Hanoi in the foreign affairs during the Tay Son Dynasty and the Nguyen Dynasty (1789-1945); Chapter 6 - Typical foreign affairs activities of Hanoi in the period 1945-2006; Chapter 7 - Some comments on foreign affairs activities over a thousand years of history on the land of Thang Long - Hanoi; Chapter 8 - Historical lessons and some issues raised.

The work has the participation of leading History experts from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities: Associate Professor Dr. Pham Xuan Hang, Associate Professor Dr. Vu Quang Hien, the late Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Hai Ke, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Kim, Professor Dr. Nguyen Quang Ngoc, Associate Professor Dr. Vu Van Quan. The book was compiled within the framework of the program summarizing the thousand-year journey of Thang Long - Hanoi.

The book is assessed to have exploited a large, rich, and diverse number of documents related to the research topic, including 184 books in Vietnamese, English, French, Han Nom and many archival documents... The work also has a rich and important appendix such as the Statistical Table of 207 Vietnamese feudal missions from 954 to 1883; Statistical Table of a total of 84 Chinese missions to Thang Long from 1010 to 1841...

The highlight of the book is that from the perspective of cultural geography and historical geography, the collective of scientists has focused on clarifying the role of Thang Long - Hanoi in converging and initiating foreign political thoughts, viewpoints, and ideologies, the art of diplomacy, forming and implementing the country's foreign policies and guidelines through different historical periods. The book has selected and introduced an overview of the background and career of typical diplomats in the history of the nation - people whose talents, enthusiasm and dedication in the field of foreign affairs have always been closely associated with the development stages of the land of Thang Long - Hanoi for nearly a thousand years. This is truly one of the prides of Hanoians today, and at the same time it is necessary to be recognized as an important human resource of the capital that needs to be thoroughly exploited and widely promoted in the integration period for the purpose of development.

Chapters 7 and 8 of the work are considered to have profound scientific and practical political significance. The authors have made objective and comprehensive comments and assessments on foreign affairs activities over a thousand years of history in Thang Long - Hanoi; clearly pointing out the creativity and humanity in choosing the nation's diplomatic approach. That approach has been increasingly perfected, reaching the level of art in handling foreign relations issues in the face of complex contexts and situations in each historical period.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Trinh Vuong Hong (Vietnam Military History Institute), this is a historical summary work with the nature of basic research, and at the same time, it is also an applied research work. With only half a thousand pages, the collective of authors has outlined the foreign history of an entire nation for 1000 years. In which, readers are attracted by the unique and profound foreign affairs events/handling/behavior. The most important contribution and also the crystallization of the collective's labor is in chapters 7 and 8. The author identifies the role of Thang Long in establishing principles of conduct with feudal China; the role of diplomacy in contributing to the victory of the resistance wars...

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Quang Minh (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) commented: The system of historical lessons in foreign affairs activities over the past thousand years in Thang Long - Hanoi was summarized by the authors on four aspects: general goals, general principles, general methods, and general solutions. These results have useful reference value both in theory and practice for the current foreign affairs work of the Capital. In particular, the proposal on paying attention to developing the foreign cultural environment is of utmost importance and must be placed at the top priority in the strategic orientation for developing foreign affairs activities of the Capital as well as the whole country today.

The work helps readers gain a basic, systematic understanding of the picture of foreign affairs activities in Thang Long - Hanoi and the people who have made important contributions to the intelligence and diplomatic capacity of Vietnam. Through the authors' comments and assessments of the characteristics of foreign affairs activities and the historical lessons, the book clarifies the position and stature of the capital's foreign affairs throughout history, as the capital, the capital of Vietnam. Through many historical changes, the capital of the Ly, Tran, Le dynasties... and the capital of the whole country after the resistance war against the US to save the country, this is also the place that marks many diplomatic and foreign affairs events of the nation, affirming its central position and being the heart of the whole country.