“Vietnamese intellectuals in the historical process of the nation”

The Vietnamese people are a nation with a cultural tradition. One of the factors that make up a culture is intelligence, knowledge and the role of intellectuals, talented people in every period and era of development of the nation's history. Realizing that talented people have a very important role for the nation, right from the Ly Dynasty, the first university (Quoc Tu Giam) was opened in 1076 to train talented people. The examination system of the Ly and Tran dynasties contributed to the development of Dai Viet civilization. During the early Le Dynasty, the first Hoi examination was opened in 1442 to select the first place, the second place, and the third place. And during the reign of King Le Thanh Tong, the examination system was even more important. The responsibility of intellectuals for the destiny of the country and the nation in Vietnamese history is very clear and there are many shining examples. With all their talent and enthusiasm, talented people always take the lead whenever the country is in difficulty or in danger (responsible scholars). Throughout history, there have been many intellectuals who have brought glory to the country such as Mac Dinh Chi, Chu Van An, Nguyen Trai, Than Nhan Trung, Luong The Vinh, Nguyen Binh Khiem, Le Quy Don, etc.

Continuing the tradition of the nation, during the years of fighting against the French colonialists and especially after the success of the August Revolution in 1945, President Ho Chi Minh and the Government sincerely called on and wished talented people to contribute to the revolutionary cause of the nation. Many intellectuals actively supported and helped the Government and participated in the resistance war, many intellectuals living and working abroad returned home to participate in the resistance war and national construction. With the correct viewpoints and policies of the Party, the Government and President Ho Chi Minh attaching importance to the role of intellectuals, many outstanding patriotic intellectuals fought and sacrificed with the people of the whole country for national independence and socialism. It can be affirmed that the Vietnamese intellectual team has made great and important contributions to the victory in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.

In the process of national renewal today, the role of intellectuals is increasingly valued: the intellectual team has also made many contributions to the people and the country, affirming and promoting its role in the new period, being the core force in creating and disseminating knowledge, becoming a particularly important resource, creating the strength of the nation in the development strategy. Although there are still some limitations, the Vietnamese intellectual team has promoted the spirit of responsibility to actively contribute to the cause of renewal for the goal of a rich people, a strong country, democracy, fairness, and civilization.

To help readers have a systematic view of the Vietnamese intellectual community and their role in the historical process of the nation, the National Political Publishing House - Truth publishes the bookVietnamese intellectuals in the historical process of the nationby Prof. Dr. People's Teacher Nguyen Van Khanh. The book consists of two parts: Part I consists of 8 chapters, presenting different viewpoints on intellectuals, the formation and development of the Vietnamese intellectual team in the middle, modern and contemporary periods. The book focuses on clarifying the contributions of intellectuals in the economic and social fields of the country, especially in the process of building and developing the country through the periods. Part II of the book briefly introduces the background and career of typical Vietnamese intellectuals who have made outstanding contributions in the fields of politics, economics, culture, society, military, diplomacy, science, literature and art...

The book covers a wide range of topics, including events and characters that are still being researched and have different opinions. Respecting the author's opinions, we try to keep them intact for readers to research, refer to and consider this as a personal opinion.

We would like to respectfully introduce the book to readers.

October 2015