Studying the period of Chinese domination (179 BC - 938 AD) in Vietnamese history.

In Vietnamese history, the study of the millennium of Northern domination is crucial to many major issues of national history and culture. This topic, however, still contains many interesting and challenging scientific questions, ranging from macro-level approaches, assessments, and understandings to questions regarding the research of historical documents. The importance, allure, and mystery of the 1000 years of Northern domination have attracted the attention and research of many generations of scholars, such as Henri Maspero and Leonard Aurousseau of early 20th-century French historiography, Dao Duy Anh, Phan Huy Le, Tran Quoc Vuong, and Nguyen Quang Ngoc of modern Vietnamese historiography, and Stephen Dennis O'Harrow, Keith Weller Taylor, Li Tana, and Judith Cameron in European and American research circles over the past 40 years.

However, for the younger generation of scientists in Vietnam and internationally, not many have chosen to research this historical period, a task that demands exceptional abilities, skills, passion, patience, and perseverance. The primary source materials for this academic topic are ancient Chinese texts, mostly from China, archaeological evidence, inscriptions, and folklore—all dating back more than a thousand years. Furthermore, this is a long, complex, and turbulent period of history, subject to many different, even contradictory, viewpoints and assessments. Until recently, at the Department of History, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, two young researchers have enthusiastically faced the challenge of pursuing research on Vietnam's history under Chinese rule.

Pham Le Huy, a Master's degree holder and lecturer in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University, is currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Ancient and Medieval Vietnamese History. Since graduating from Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan) in 2008, Pham Le Huy has focused on the issue of Annamese leaders during the Tang Dynasty (7th-10th centuries AD) and published his first scientific work. Through his doctoral research at the Department, Pham Le Huy, with his strong research capabilities, passion, and extensive foreign language skills, has made significant scientific contributions to the documentation and understanding of the period of Chinese rule in Vietnam with his work "The ruling class in Giao Chau - An Nam during the Sui-Tang domination period." along with numerous in-depth research papers in academic journals and forums both domestically and internationally.

Dr. Dang Hong Son, Deputy Head of the Department of Archaeology, Deputy Dean of the Faculty, is a historical archaeologist, expert on Vietnamese and East Asian architectural materials of the Pre-Modern period, and author of monographs.Bricks, tiles, and decorative roofing materials from the Ly, Tran, and Ho dynasties.(World Publishing House, Hanoi, 2016). After defending his doctoral thesis at the Center for Border Archaeology, Faculty of Literature, Jilin University (Changchun, China), Dang Hong Son returned to work at the Department of History and participated in leading excavations at the Luy Lau ancient citadel site (Lung Khe village, Thanh Khuong commune, Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh province).

While research from different perspectives in History and Archaeology by Pham Le Huy and Dang Hong Son has highlighted the need for in-depth discussion forums, in July-August 2017, an expert on the period of Chinese domination in the history of Southern China and Northern Vietnam under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule under Chinese rule, Thai and Vietnamese literature written in Nom script, and Sino-Vietnamese literature of Vietnam under Chinese rule under Chinese rule. In 2016, Dr. Churchman published her monograph entitled...The People Between the Rivers: The Rise and Fall of a Bronze Drum Culture, 200-750 CE(The Peoples Between the West River and the Two Rivers: The Rise and Fall of a Bronze Drum Culture from the 3rd to the Mid-8th Century AD(Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield), which is an enhancement and refinement of the doctoral dissertation in Asian History that Churchman successfully defended at the Australian National University, demonstrates, through compelling documentary and archaeological evidence, that between the 2nd-3rd centuries and the mid-8th century, there was a history of rise and fall of the Li and Lao dynasties in the mountainous region between the Red River (Northern Vietnam) and the West River (Guangxi, Guangdong (China), centered in the lower delta, known as the Pearl River Delta, home to the famous Guangzhou trading port). With material cultural symbols such as the Heger Type II bronze drums, the Li and Lao societies became powerful and independent, relying on their geopolitical characteristics, economic and commercial position, mineral resources, and their ability to effectively manage relations with the Han dynasties during the Six Dynasties period in particular, and the period between the Han and Tang dynasties in general. This book discusses fundamental theoretical issues of ancient Vietnamese and Southern Chinese history, such as the concepts of "Sinicization," "ethnicity," and the designations "Li" (俚) and "Lao" (獠). It also contributes to explaining the path to independence from Giao Chau - An Nam to Dai Co Viet in the 10th century in our nation's history.

The scientific seminar was held with the support and encouragement of the Party Committee, the Dean's Board of the Faculty of History, the Board of Directors of the Museum of Anthropology, and especially the Board of Directors of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. The seminar was chaired by Professor, Doctor, People's Teacher Nguyen Quang Ngoc (Vice President of the Vietnam Historical Science Association, Head of the Department of Cultural Studies and Vietnamese Cultural History, Faculty of History). Attending and contributing expertise to the seminar were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lam My Dung (Director of the Museum of Anthropology, Head of the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of History), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thien Thanh (Deputy Head of the Faculty of History, representing the Faculty in the opening remarks), Prof. Dr. Andrew Hardy (Head of EFEO in Vietnam), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trinh Sinh (Institute of Archaeology), along with researchers from faculties of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, member schools and institutes of the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, research institutes under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Hanoi Pedagogical University, the Vietnam Historical Science Association, and many other scholars from both within and outside the country. Participating in the discussion for the seminar's presentations was Mr. Vu Duong Luan (Institute of Vietnamese Studies and Development Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi), currently a doctoral candidate at Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, China), and also a young expert on the history of the Vietnam-China border region during the early modern period.

The three presentations at the seminar included:Transnational Thinking in the History of Giao Chau“ by Dr. Catherine Churchman, in her presentation “The connection between the Red River Delta and its inhabitants with other regions during the Sui-Tang dynasties, viewed from the perspective of transportation routes.” by Pham Le Huy, and research “History from Bricks and Tiles: The human-faced tubular roof tile from Lung Khe (Vietnam)"by Dr. Dang Hong Son. In terms of spatial scope, while Catherine Churchman's presentation covers a vast area from Liangguang (China), through the modern-day Vietnam-China border mountains, to Northern and North Central Vietnam (Thanh Hoa - Nghe An - Ha Tinh), with two "Sinicized oases" of Guangzhou (Pearl River Delta, Guangdong) and the Red River Delta (the center of Giao Chau in the 3rd-7th centuries AD), but the author's focus is on the mountainous region of Guangxi and Northern Vietnam; Pham Le Huy's research focuses on the Northern Delta but connects with other areas such as, within the scope of the presentation, Southern Guangxi and the Thanh Hoa region through important land and water transport routes, especially the "Ma Vien Road" and the Day River; and Dang Hong Son's presentation focuses on the ancient citadel of Lung Khe (Thuan Thanh, Bac Ninh), a prosperous urban center of Giao Chi during the Han dynasty, possibly the administrative center of Luy Lau or Long The book is found in ancient Chinese and Vietnamese texts spanning over a thousand years. In terms of time, while Dang Hong Son focuses on the Han dynasty period (2nd century BC - 3rd century AD) and extends slightly into the early Three Kingdoms period, Catherine Churchman's research covers a much longer timeframe, from after the Han dynasty to the Sui dynasty (the Six Dynasties period), even reaching the mid-8th century under the Tang dynasty. Pham Le Huy's current focus, however, is primarily on the Sui-Tang period (7th-10th centuries AD). Therefore, the discussion logically connects space and time: expanding, linking, and narrowing the scope, while maintaining a coherent and rhythmic timeline of research.

Dr. Catherine Churchman presented her research on "Groups of People Between the West River and the Second River" and their relationship to the history of Giao Chau during the Northern Domination period.

Regarding the content, all three presentations led to a common understanding, or more accurately, a re-evaluation, of Vietnam's history under Chinese rule, as well as that of the communities in Southern China up to the 10th century. Accordingly, the history of Giao Chau - An Nam cannot be confined solely to the present-day territory of modern Vietnam; the central region, the Red River Delta, always had close political, economic, and cultural connections with other regions. Transportation links, geographical barriers, and events outside national borders significantly impacted Giao Chau's history. Similarly, the religious and spiritual transformations in Giao Chi district during the 2nd-3rd centuries were not merely a one-way process of convergence and integration, but, as hypothesized by Dang Hong Son, may have spread northward to the capital of a Han dynasty. (Dr.) Churchman, therefore, proposes a way of thinking that transcends boundaries, according to which there is a great similarity between the two river deltas of the Nhi Ha and Chau Giang rivers, but at the same time, there is considerable isolation of the central highlands, and the activities of these non-Han, non-Vietnamese linguistic and ethnic groups contributed to accelerating the path to independence and self-determination of the Vietnamese people, so that this process blossomed in the 10th century. Similarly, Pham Le Huy, although from the perspective of the Northern Delta of Vietnam, also points out the connections between the Red River basin and regions across the border, or even the transportation obstacles with the area now located within modern territory. Both Catherine and Le Huy agree that the formation of a Dai Co Viet in the 10th century was not a sudden event, not only due to the collapse of the Tang Empire, but it was the result of a long process, with the participation of diverse entities inside and outside Giao Chau.

MSc. Pham Le Huy gave a presentation on the connection between the Northern Delta and Southern Guangxi and Thanh Hoa through land and water transportation routes.

However, experts still have some differing viewpoints. That is, while Churchman defines the concepts of "Li" and "Lao" from a political perspective, rather than as ethnic characteristics, based on the degree of relationship between the autonomous governmental groups "between the two rivers" and the Han Chinese colonial administrations; Pham Le Huy points out the much more complex and intertwined nature of these concepts. Huy's portrayal of the Red River Delta is much more diverse than previously understood: it is both multi-ethnic in terms of population characteristics (indigenous, Han, Man-Lao-Di non-Hua Xia, Chenla people), and diverse in topography (delta, valleys, coastal areas), especially the process of "multi-layered interbreeding" and "diverse localization" of the population groups, notably the migration from the North, and this significantly impacted the designations of "Hua Xia," "Man," "Di," and "Lao" in the history of Giao Chau. Furthermore, there is disagreement between the two young scientists, Pham Le Huy and Dang Hong Son, regarding the naming of the ancient citadel in Lung Khe as either Luy Lau or Long Bien. While Le Huy presents historical evidence to assert that Lung Khe could not be Luy Lau, arguing that the location of the Giao Chi administrative center during the Han dynasty could only be on the right bank of the Red River, and that the site considered "Luy Lau ancient citadel" in Thuan Thanh is recorded in historical texts and inscriptions as Long Bien; Dang Hong Son, from an archaeological perspective, identifies Lung Khe as a thriving ancient city, the largest material trace dating back to the Han and Six Dynasties period found to date in the Northern Delta. He argues that whether Luy Lau was located around Quen citadel (Quoc Oai) or somewhere in the former Ha Tay area will have to wait for future large-scale archaeological excavations. Nevertheless, amidst the differences in perspective, some commonalities among researchers emerge: neither Catherine Churchman nor Pham Le Huy define the terms "Li" and "Lao" from an ethnic perspective, and it is quite possible that Huy and Son's debates on Luy Lau or Long Bien will lead to a common conclusion – perhaps the two are one and the same?!

Dr. Dang Hong Son presented his research on the human-faced roof tile at the Lung Khe ancient citadel site.

The seminar also received comments, suggestions, and exchanges from researchers Vu Duong Luan (on Churchman's lecture), Nguyen Quang Anh (on the geographical and geological approach to waterways), Nguyen Huu Manh (updating statistical data on the distribution of bronze drums from the late Heger I to Heger II in Northern Vietnam), and the opinions of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trinh Sinh on the similarities and differences between Heger I and II drums, between Heger II drums in Northern Vietnam (specifically the upper reaches of Thanh Hoa) and Guangxi drums, on the Archaic element or the "lull" of Heger II in the former Viet Bac region, and on the non-territorial approach in archaeological research of the Ancient and Early Medieval periods of Vietnam. Particularly noteworthy were the valuable scientific contributions from Professor Lam My Dung regarding the distribution of Heger I bronze drums in Southern China and Northern Vietnam from the 4th century BC to the 2nd century AD, and the differences in the statistical data on the number of Han brick tombs in the Northern Delta of Giao Chau during the research period. The opinions of Vietnamese archaeologists indicate the need to include archaeological materials from the Vietnamese side in the research.The People Between the RiversSpecifically, the author Churchman's future scientific direction in general is increasingly promising and closely linked to Vietnamese studies. These directions also show that research on the early and medieval history of Vietnam, while important, cannot be everything; scholars who rely solely on Chinese texts without considering those written sources in relation to other sources (archaeology, culture, etc.) are very likely to fall into an extreme viewpoint. Dr. Churchman's work, Pham Le Huy's research, and the newly published book by Professor Dr. Nam C. Kim (The Origins of Ancient Vietnam(Oxford, 2015) has demonstrated the effectiveness of this integrated research approach, as well as the value of archaeological evidence in understanding the early historical period in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

In his concluding remarks at the seminar, Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc welcomed the new approaches to Vietnamese history research by young scholars. These new directions have brought about a more interesting and accurate understanding of the 1000-year period of Chinese rule in Vietnamese history. The cross-border thinking and diverse, holistic approach proposed by Catherine Churchman and Pham Le Huy in today's seminar also closely aligns with the two major trends in Vietnamese history and culture research as reflected in existing works.Vietnam Borderless Histories(Nhung Tuyet Tran, Anthony JS Reid, Phan Huy Le and other scholars, Wisconsin, 2006) and the principle of “The Multilinear, Holistic, and Comprehensive Nature of Vietnamese History"as proposed by Professor and People's Teacher Phan Huy Le in his work on the Ho Chi Minh Prize in 2016."Vietnamese History and Culture: A Partial Approach(Hanoi, 2007, 2012). The Professor chairing the seminar also welcomed and highly appreciated the initiative of the Faculty of History's Youth Union in organizing the seminar, transforming a unit-wide scientific activity into a forum that is both in-depth and national in scope, representing Vietnamese and international academia on the research topic. The seminar created connections between experts, exchanged knowledge, documents, and new discoveries, especially establishing a network of young Vietnamese and international scientists, aiming towards common research directions in the future. For the Faculty of History, the discussions at the seminar also outlined training and research plans for the future, especially for the Archaeology Department, such as excavating the Quen Citadel relics and developing a research project on the Six Dynasties period, in order to realize the Faculty's development strategy of strengthening the close connection between archaeology and history.

International Scientific SeminarThe Period of Chinese Domination (179 BC - 938 AD) in Vietnamese History: New Studies"This opens a new direction in the organization of the History Department's regular seminar series, affirming the pioneering spirit and top-notch research level of a leading center for history training and research in the country, with a tradition of over 60 years of formation and development."

Professor, Doctor, and People's Teacher Nguyen Quang Ngoc chaired and delivered the concluding remarks at the seminar.

Speakers, organizers, and some delegates pose for a commemorative photo at the seminar.