Archaeology: modern and interdisciplinary

Up to now, the Department of Archaeology of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is almost the largest training facility in the country, providing up to 90% of human resources in this field for research institutes, museums, relic management boards and many cultural and tourism agencies.

Modern and interdisciplinary science

Compared to other social sciences and humanities, Archaeology is one of the oldest majors in Vietnam. Before 1954, archaeological activities in Vietnam and Indochina were conducted by French scholars. In the 1960s, the Department of Archaeology was established at the Faculty of History, Hanoi University of Science, and is now the Department of Archaeology under the Faculty of History (University of Social Sciences and Humanities - VNU), with the task of both training and conducting archaeological excavations for training. Up to now, the Department of Archaeology of the University is almost the largest training facility in the country, providing up to 90% of the human resources in this field for research institutes, museums, relic management boards and many cultural and tourism agencies.

“Many people think that Archaeology is a seemingly backward field, or is simply about ‘digging’. Thinking like that is too simple and ‘crude’,” said Associate Professor Dr. Lam Thi My Dung. “In fact, this is an interdisciplinary, modern science with a lot of potential and is very easy to integrate and communicate with the world.”

Associate Professor Lam Thi My Dung also added: Previously, the world considered Archeology to be a branch of Historical Science - a branch of science that studies the past of mankind based on historical data, which are material remains left by humans underground and on the ground. Some places classify Archeology as a branch of Anthropology, which means not only reconstructing the picture of the past according to the flow of history but also suggesting many issues related to the lifestyle and behavior of our ancestors with the natural and social environment.

Archaeology is a field of study with great potential for development, because the need to learn about past life in order to draw out cultural knowledge and values ​​for today is an eternal need. In fact, many countries have been very successful in applying archaeological science to restore the original and unique values ​​of culture and ethnicity, thereby exploiting economic, tourism and social benefits. Archaeology is a very fundamental field of study, providing a lot of knowledge and understanding for many other fields of science. With its important contributions, Archaeology has developed into many narrow specialties such as: Urban Archaeology, Agricultural Archaeology, Environmental Archaeology, Marine Archaeology, etc.

Associate Professor Lam Thi My Dung affirmed that studying abroad is almost a mandatory requirement for researchers and lecturers at the Department, and more broadly for those working in archaeology in the country. Because Archaeology today uses many of the latest advances in science and technology: processing software, measuring devices, genetic technology, DNA, 3D techniques... Archaeologists need a lot of skills, from drawing, using maps to taking photos, recording videos, computer processing... Excavation is just one step, more important is how to process and evaluate the information collected to draw valuable conclusions. Therefore, archaeologists need a very broad background knowledge, including knowledge of social sciences and humanities and natural sciences. And it is even better if that person has a tendency to understand technology and engineering.

Nearly 100% of graduates work in the right profession

When we mentioned concerns about career opportunities for students majoring in Archaeology in Vietnam today, the Head of the Department firmly affirmed: “Almost 100% of graduates have jobs in their field, even before they graduate, many agencies and organizations have come to ask about recruitment. That is because the demand for human resources in this field in the country is currently very large, while the number of annual training is very limited”.

Agencies and units that need to recruit students majoring in this field are the Institute of Archaeology (under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences), the National Museum (formerly the Vietnam Museum of History), other archaeological management agencies such as museums and local relic management boards. In addition, many agencies and companies working in tourism also need to recruit students majoring in Archaeology. In particular, since 2001, the State has issued the Law on Cultural Heritage with clear regulations on the standards of human resources working in the field of Archaeology. This has opened up great job opportunities for students majoring in this field.

Associate Professor Dr. Lam Thi My Dung also highly appreciated the students who chose Archaeology, because: “In the context that many students are still quite passive and confused in choosing a major, students majoring in Archaeology often have a very clear awareness of the career they want to pursue. Right from the first year when entering the Faculty, they have gone on field trips, practiced archaeology, clearly understood the difficulties and hardships of the profession and were determined to pursue this career. They are truly young people with a great passion for national culture and love to explore the mysteries of history and the past”.

Staff and students of the Department of Archaeology working at the Vuon Chuoi mound site (Lai Xa village, Kim Chung commune, Hoai Duc district)

Students of the Faculty of History from the third year can register to study this major if they meet the requirements of academic ability. In the first three years, students learn general knowledge about history. In the fourth year, they learn specialized knowledge such as the basic characteristics of Vietnamese and world archaeology, the latest archaeological achievements, etc.; lecturers help them approach practical problems of the industry. In addition, the Department focuses on training excavation skills, going to the field, organizing work, and training students to work independently.

Archaeology students are also very active in seeking professional experiences right from their second and third years. Many students have been able to join domestic and foreign expert groups to excavate archaeological sites in many large projects. All of these advantages help students respond well to future jobs.

Good news…

Currently, the Department of Archaeology (Faculty of History - University of Social Sciences and Humanities) is the only training institution that has built a complete training system from undergraduate to graduate and doctoral levels in Archaeology. The training program of the Department is updated, based on learning from experiences from many countries such as France, Russia, and the United States. The Department also expanded its cooperative relations with many major universities in the world with highly developed archaeological sciences such as Seoul National University (Korea), Kanazawa University (Japan), Sun Yat-sen University (China), the Institute of Archaeology of the Federal Republic of Germany... Many major cooperative projects were implemented such as the AMS chronology research project of Hoa Binh culture with Seoul National University, the Sa Huynh culture research project with the German Institute of Archaeology, the Cultural Heritage Training and Research Project with Kanazawa University... In the country, the team of experts and scientists of the Department have contributed their efforts and left their mark with the discovery and excavation of many archaeological cultures of the country. The recognition of Hoi An, My Son, and Hue Citadel as world heritages also owes much to the teachers of the Department.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan visited the Museum of Anthropology (University of Social Sciences and Humanities). Established in March 2005, the Museum was built on the basis of a collection of archaeological artifacts collected by lecturers and students of the Department of Archeology over many years in the three regions of the North - Central - South.

Most recently, Associate Professor Dr. Lam Thi My Dung was invited by Kanazawa University (Japan) to teach and participate in the Graduate Program in Cultural Resource Management of Kanazawa University. The project has the participation of universities in Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Kanazawa University also proposed to grant 1 to 2 scholarships from the Japanese Government to graduate students and researchers of the University to participate in this project. The scholarship value is 160,000 yen/month, the study period is from 2 years to 4.5 years. Candidates must meet the requirements of a university degree majoring in Archaeology or related cultural majors, have good English proficiency, and pass the professional interview round of the partner. In 2012, a staff member of the Department was accepted into this program.

“This is a great opportunity for students majoring in Archaeology at the University to study in the most advanced environments, participate in practical excavation activities and learn from foreign experts” – Associate Professor, Dr. Lam Thi My Dung said – “In addition, the Department also has a new opportunity to raise its position and integrate with world Archaeology”.