In marine research, NCTMCA members always focus on fundamental values, traditions and cultural infrastructure, and classes of people living along the coast and on islands. In the minds of Vietnamese people and many coastal communities in Vietnam, the sea and ocean are the living environment, the space for survival and development. Many myths, legends, philosophies of life, and even feelings and scientific knowledge in the national cultural treasure... have been formed in association with the sea. Ancient residents in all three regions of the North - Central - South, have early demonstrated their ability to exploit the sea, adapt, and integrate with the environment and life of the sea. In the process of creating the essential foundation for the birth of early states, the economic, social, intellectual and cultural heritage of coastal and island communities have contributed to the formation of the consciousness and thinking of the nation. In that sense, the life and philosophy of life of Vietnamese people always contain elements ofWater, imbued with and blended with the river environment.Wateris a source of life, a cultural sign, always reminding us of an ancient past in the history of the nation's birth.Wateris also a manifestation of dynamic thinking and it itself has created a hybrid to synthesize into a sacred concept: "Country”. That concept has becomeconstantculture, civilization of many generations of Vietnamese people.
From the very environment of the sea and rivers, the Vietnamese people have become accustomed to the way of life, the way of thinking and have created for themselves the knowledge and ability to control rivers and conquer the sea... The legends of the founding of the nation such as Lac Long Quan - Au Co, Son Tinh - Thuy Tinh, Chu Dong Tu - Tien Dung or Mai An Tiem... all bear cultural imprints, deep feelings for the sea and the connection betweenmainlandwithseaIn coastal and marine spaces, many communities have carried out economic activities, fishing, aquaculture, developing trade, marine services... The sea and river environment also inspire creativity, spread art and at the same time contribute to forging bravery, intelligence, community solidarity, awareness of the living environment, survival space and exclusive economic zone...
With that source of thinking and approach, in Part 1 of the book, the authors focused on presenting the "perceptions and interpretations" of cultural spaces, awareness of the sea, sovereignty and maritime security of resident communities and polities in the context, social space, culture of the region and the world. The process of settlement and concentration has created a mixed situation and diverse cultural nuances of ancient cultures. The owners of ancient cultures such as Dong Son, Sa Huynh - Champa, Phu Nam... knew early on how to make and use rafts, various types of boats as means of transportation, exploiting marine resources, and communicating on rivers and seas. Continuing the tradition, in the 16th-18th centuries, the residents of Dang Ngoai as well as Dang Trong were also able to build many types of boats and they themselves used boats and their knowledge and experience to reach out to exploit marine resources, master the coastal island chains and further, the oceanic archipelagos such as Hoang Sa, Truong Sa...
In the research articles, in order to move towards a more comprehensive and profound understanding of Vietnamese history and culture, the authors have not only clarified the indigenous factors and endogenous factors but also made many efforts to delve into the study of exogenous factors and external influences on Vietnamese history, society and culture. In the book, the approach from the sea (View from the sea) continues to be the experiment and experience of the Research Group. Besides, based on the main axis of thinking and basic research methods of Historical Science, the Interdisciplinary Research perspective, combining History with Archeology, Sociology, Anthropology, etc. is also promoted in many monographs.
Looking back at the history of Vietnam, we see that from the tradition of exploiting the sea, adapting to the marine environment to the promulgation and implementation of policies on managing the sea and islands, protecting exclusive economic zones... all show a tradition of rivers, sea and maritime trade of the Vietnamese people. Throughout the dynasties from Ly, Tran, Le So, to Mac, Le Trung Hung and then Nguyen... wherever and whenever the national journey is always associated with economic activities and marine culture. In the 17th-18th centuries, along with the Trinh lords in Dang Ngoai, the Nguyen lords in Dang Trong had many dynamic and open policies to promote foreign economic activities. Those positive and proactive policies brought Dai Viet nation into integration with the common developments of the Asian Commercial Era (Age of Asian Commerce).
Inheriting previous research achievements (and the Group's strengths), the picture of maritime trade activities has been presented quite deeply in Part 2 of the book. I believe that many issues presented have been, are and will continue to be topics attracting the attention of domestic and foreign researchers. Along with a number of overview research articles, the book has in-depth research articles on the activities of economic centers and ports in the Northern, Central and Southern regions. It is worth noting that the research issues are always viewed in a systematic way and thanks to that systematic approach, the scale and nature of the trading ports, the role of the dynasties... are also outlined and analyzed more comprehensively. In the book, the industrial and commercial economic activities of the Mac Dynasty, the Le Trung Hung Dynasty and the Nguyen Dynasty have been presented from a new perspective. With open policies and strong commercial thinking, the monarchies prepared the basic conditions for a major integration of the country with the universal market economy.Mass-market economy) of Asian peoples. The Mac Dynasty as well as the Le - Trinh and Nguyen dynasties implemented many new policies and management methods while constantly encouraging the development of industrial and commercial economy.
On the journey to the South of Vietnamese history, some articles in the book have made elaborate researches on a strip of land in the Central region with a system of commercial ports stretching from Thanh - Nghe Tinh to Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien - Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai... Famous ports in the Central region such as Chiem Cang - Hoi An or Thi Nai - Nuoc Man, which originated from the Champa era, have been presented with new perceptions and placed in new perspectives. An elaborate research on economic centers such as Nghe - Tinh has helped us understand more about the historical depth and position of the Central region's ports. In history, typically during the Ly - Tran era, Nghe - Tinh played the role of an economic gateway, a centerfreightimportant to the Dai Viet nation. In addition, issues such as the relationship between the sea and the continent; the establishment process and characteristics of the East-West trade system, the intra-Asian trade network or the role ofsourceand the market system such as Cam Lo,... have been presented vividly with a lot of rich and authentic scientific information. Through the treatises, we see that the foreign economic activities of Dai Viet - Dai Nam nation always have a close relationship with production activities, with domestic and international trading centers. On the other hand, foreign economic activities are always under the influence of the policies of the central government as well as the localities.
To clarify the contributions, visions and maritime thinking of some dynasties and historical figures, celebrities, Part 3 of the book focuses on presenting the policies of the Le - Trinh government in Dang Ngoai as well as the Nguyen lords in Dang Trong along with the careers of some figures in Vietnamese history in establishing and protecting sovereignty over seas and islands, protecting marine resources and trade relations at sea. This is the initial choice of the Research Group among many historical figures that need to be studied and honored. In the national process, they are representatives of many social classes from a talented general Tran Khanh Du famous for the victory of Van Don in 1288 and the commercial thinking of the Tran Dynasty to Lord Tien Nguyen Hoang, the founder of Dang Trong; The governor Le Dinh Kien, who played an important role in the revival of Pho Hien and finally a person, a character and a destiny like Nguyen Anh - Gia Long, the king who founded the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). The Nguyen Dynasty is the dynasty that left the most afterimages, the most concepts, dimensions of evaluation and thoughts in the development of modern Vietnamese history.
These heroes and kings lived in different eras and dynasties, but all had a strong vision of the sea and a strong mindset about the sea. In my opinion, this topic needs to be further explored and researched more comprehensively to understand more about the tradition of sea-orientedness, the process of exploration, and the struggle to establish sovereignty over the sea of the Vietnamese people. In the book's content, the case study of Le Quy Don also helps us understand more deeply about a personality, a perspective on the sea, the position and resources of the sea, and the challenges from the sea... of a typical Confucian intellectual of the Le Trung Hung dynasty. Through constant dialogue with Eastern and Western information and knowledge flows, the famous intellectual and scholar Le Quy Don equipped himself with a profound knowledge of the sea.
The analysis, evaluation, and research of some historical figures show the marks, attitudes, responses, and decisions of historical figures. They all wanted to overcome the constraints and constraints of time, of habits, of thinking, and of Chinese intellectual traditions... to reach a broader vision, to approach regional and contemporary thinking. Thinking about the behavior and consciousness of the ancients, it can be said that rising up on one's own, breaking out of stereotypes and institutions to affirm one's own position, absorbing human knowledge, and integrating with the common development of humanity has always been a need and aspiration for the nation's eternal development.
Finally, it must be said that the book:Vietnam - Traditional maritime economic and culturaledited by Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Kim and Dr. Nguyen Manh Dung is an effort and at the same time recognizes a new research achievement ofAsian Trade Research Group. In the book, there are monographs that have been published in specialized scientific journals in the country and internationally, but there are also articles that are new research results, published for the first time. As someone who has been involved in the management and professional activities of the Department of World History, Faculty of History, University of Social Sciences and Humanities for many years, I would like to respectfully introduce to researchers and readers a research work that demonstrates the spirit of collaboration and the efforts to explore, always aiming at new research topics and contents of the members of the Group.Asian Trade Research.
Hanoi, June 25, 2014
Prof. Dr. Vu Duong Ninh
Author:USSH
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