On December 4th and 5th, 2011, the 3rd International Scientific Conference on Vietnamese Studies (“Engaging with Vietnam: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue”) was held at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. This conference was co-organized by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) and Monash University (Australia).The theme of this conference focuses on discussing the relationship between Western theories and methods and the localized values, experiences, and knowledge of Asia. Therefore, the main purpose of the conference is to encourage enhanced East-West academic dialogue to find optimal solutions in research and training in the social sciences and humanities. The fundamental reason is that, until now, most theories and methods in the social sciences and humanities have been heavily influenced by Western-centric perspectives. Through scientific dialogue, the conference aims to understand how projects, programs, and research results have been implemented by Asian scholars, and what their significance and role are. How are "East," "West," "Asia," and "local knowledge" related to each other in research and teaching of social sciences and humanities in the context of globalization? Could an "Asian era" become a reality in the 21st century and complement what the West has already achieved?
The conference received nearly 100 papers from professors, scholars, researchers, and postgraduate students from Australia, Indonesia, the United States, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Switzerland, China, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam… Among the speakers were world-renowned scholars such as Prof. Carlyle Thayer (Australian Defence Academy), Prof. Liam Kelley (University of Hawaii at Manoa), Prof. Stephen O'Harrow - Director of the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies (University of Hawaii at Manoa), Prof. Michael Singh (University of Western Sydney), Prof. Philip Hirsch (University of Sydney), Prof. Viv Edwards (University of Reading, United Kingdom), Dr. Charles Morisson - Director of the East-West Centre… From the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the following staff members presented papers and participated: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lam Thi My Dung (Anthropology Museum), Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan, Dr. Le Quynh Nga, Postgraduate Student Ly Tuong Van, and Ms. The conference featured lecturers Do Thanh Loan, MSc. Hoang Hong Nga (Faculty of History), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thien Nam (Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language), Dr. Nguyen Tuan Anh (Faculty of Sociology), Dr. Nguyen Thu Huong (Department of Anthropology), and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh (Faculty of International Studies). The special guest of the conference was Mr. Duong Trung Quoc, Member of Parliament, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Historical Association. In his speech titled "The Role of Intellectuals in East-West Cultural Exchange," Mr. Duong Trung Quoc posed the question: "Today we are discussing 'East-West' relations. But with regard to Vietnam, especially concerning the role of Vietnamese intellectuals, we cannot first ignore the 'North-South' relationship." As a historian, after reviewing Vietnam's historical process from the Hung Kings era to the present day, Mr. Duong Trung Quoc emphasized: "This North-South relationship has been a dominant factor throughout a long period of history and remains an indispensable element to this day." Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Australia to Vietnam, Allaster Cox, delivered a welcoming speech at the conference, highly appreciating the idea of cooperation between Monash University and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, thereby creating a broad forum that attracts the attention of researchers from many countries. In his welcoming speech, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Duc Nghieu, Vice Rector of the University, emphasized: “Specifically with Australia, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has had cooperation since the 1990s, when Vietnam had just implemented the Doi Moi (Renovation) policy.” To date, hundreds of faculty and students from our university have been sent to study and improve their skills at Australian universities such as the Australian National University (ANU), the University of Sydney, and the University of South Australia. With an advanced education system, high professional standards, a friendly environment, relatively close geographical distance, affordable tuition fees, and the use of English as the medium of instruction, along with numerous scholarships, Australia is becoming a highly favored destination for young Vietnamese people in general, and our faculty and students in particular.” Associate Professor Vu Duc Nghieu also expressed his hope: “Monash University will continue to cooperate with us not only in the “Engaging with Vietnam” project but also expand its interest to other areas such as faculty training, training high-quality human resources for some of our new fields such as social work, management science, policy analysis, art studies, anthropology…” and committed to “doing our best to create favorable conditions for scientists and students from both sides to interact, exchange and learn from each other.” In addition to the four plenary sessions held in the auditorium on the 8th floor of building E, the conference was divided into four subcommittees conducted simultaneously with hundreds of discussions, exchanges, and contributions. At the end of the conference, on behalf of the University leadership, Associate Professor Nguyen Van Kim expressed his gratitude to Monash University and the delegates and hoped for continued cooperation in the future. On behalf of Monash University, Dr. Phan Le Ha thanked the University. The University of Social Sciences and Humanities and colleagues from Monash University meticulously and successfully organized the 3rd “Engaging with Vietnam” workshop. Finally, Dr. Charles Morrison, Director of the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii, highly praised the workshop's professional quality and the meticulous organization by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, and declared his willingness to host the 4th “Engaging with Vietnam” workshop in Hawaii in October 2012.
