The launch ceremony for the color painting "Legend of Luc Van Tien"

The ceremony was attended by Professor Michael Zink - Lifetime Secretary of the French Academy of Inscriptions and Literature, Professor Phan Huy Le - Honorary President of the Vietnam Historical Science Association, and Head of the EFEO's representative office in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Representing the University were Professor Pham Quang Minh - Rector; and Professor Tran Ngoc Vuong - Head of the Medieval Literature Department, Faculty of Literature. A large number of faculty and students also attended the ceremony.

Opening the ceremony, Professor Pham Quang Minh – Rector of the university – on behalf of the university leadership, expressed the honor that the University of Social Sciences and Humanities was chosen to welcome Professor Michael Zink – Lifetime Secretary of the French Academy of Inscriptions and Literature – on his first visit to Vietnam and to attend the launch of his work “The Legend of Luc Van Tien in Color Illustrations”. This is an opportunity for students at the university to interact with and access major literary research works that carry core values.

Following the Rector's remarks, Professor Phan Huy Le – honorary president of the Vietnam Historical Association – shared the story of the discovery of the manuscript of this work. According to him, the illustrated manuscript of the Tale of Luc Van Tien originated from the idea of ​​a French naval artillery captain named Eugène Gibert in the late 11th century, when he was present in Vietnam. Fascinated by the famous work of the great poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu, he organized the creation of a handwritten manuscript of this famous epic poem in both Nôm script and French, with illustrations by a Vietnamese man named Le Duc Trach, between 1895 and 1897. Upon returning to France in 1899, Gibert donated this work to the French Library.

In 2011, during a visit to the French Institute Library, Professor Phan Huy Le, a history professor at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, was introduced to some valuable documents, including one with remarkably fresh, distinctive, and delicate illustrations, despite being created more than 100 years ago. Professor Phan Huy Le was extremely surprised to discover that this was the famous Vietnamese work, Luc Van Tien, which had been kept in this library for over a century without anyone knowing about it.

On the occasion of Professor Michel Zink, Lifetime Secretary of the French Academy of Inscriptions and Literature, visiting Vietnam and awarding the Order to Professor Phan Huy Le, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) and the French School of Far Eastern Studies in Hanoi decided to organize a ceremony to introduce the long-standing origins, discovery process, and special historical, cultural, and linguistic value of the work Luc Van Tien.

During the reception, Professor Michel Zink also shared the difficulties encountered in translating and publishing the work. According to him, the biggest challenge the research team faced in turning this work into a book was financial and technical difficulties. He also expressed his gratitude to the benefactors who helped the team in the process of producing this printed work. He emphasized that "The Legend of Luc Van Tien in Color Illustrations" is a unique work containing many core values. The work's content is about morality, focusing on the principles of human conduct with the concept of "literature as a vehicle for morality." The text provides many scientific explanations that researchers can use to study various issues such as art history and painting history. It is also a valuable resource for Vietnamese scholars. In this edition, the work was proposed to be translated from French into English.

Immediately after the ceremony concludes, the delegation will travel to the French Embassy. There, Professor Michel Zink, lifetime secretary of the French Institute of Inscriptions and Fine Arts, will present a medal honoring Professor Phan Huy Le for his valuable contributions to the preservation of Vietnam's historical and cultural heritage.