On October 20, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (VNU) in collaboration with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (VNU-HCM) organized an international conference "Research and training in Anthropology in Vietnam in the process of transition and international integration".In his opening speech at the workshop, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh (Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - VNU) reviewed the development of Ethnology in Vietnam and the birth of the current Anthropology major. Since 2009, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - VNU has implemented enrollment and training for bachelors in Anthropology and is currently preparing for training at the master's level. In his speech at the opening session, Prof. Dr. Phan Huu Dat (Vietnam Association of Ethnology and Anthropology) emphasized: In the process of innovation and international integration, Vietnamese Ethnology research must undergo a transformation from Ethnology to Anthropology. At the same time, Vietnamese Anthropology also needs to actively learn from countries with developed Anthropology. However, this learning is not a simple copy but must be a proactive filtering process to build a Vietnamese Anthropology.
After the opening session, the Conference discussed 35 reports in 3 subcommittees: Training and research on Ethnology - Anthropology in Vietnam; Ethnic issues; Urban issues. Discussing research and training on Anthropology in Vietnam in the process of transformation and international integration, Associate Professor, Dr. Luong Van Manh said: The transition from traditional Ethnology to scientific Anthropology is an inevitable development step, it is not the "death" of Ethnology but the advanced combination of traditional Ethnology with Anthropology so that this science can both inherit the achievements of Ethnology and absorb the knowledge of world Anthropology, meeting the needs and demands of the current industrialization and modernization of the country. Also discussing the issue of research and training in Anthropology, the presentation of Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Tiep (Head of the Faculty of Anthropology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities - VNU-HCM) gave a number of recommendations and solutions to modernize the Anthropology industry. According to him, it is necessary to quickly develop a strategy for the development of Anthropology with the participation of training, research and management agencies; along with that, it is necessary to rearrange the organization, build an information system, textbooks, reference materials, unify training programs, link units, research and training agencies... Regarding ethnic issues, the presentations and discussions mainly focused on economic, social and cultural issues in ethnic groups, especially ethnic minorities in Vietnam. In which, the policies and policy impacts of the Party and State in the period of industrialization and modernization received many exchanged opinions. Dr. Le Duy Dai (Vietnam Museum of Ethnology) commented: policies need to pay attention to the characteristics of each region and each ethnic group, promote the spirit of self-reliance of ethnic minorities and contribute to improving people's knowledge. Discussing urban issues, the reports highlighted the factors affecting the current urban development, the development trend of urban life, the urbanization process in some suburban areas leading to changes in space, social relations and employment structure... In summary, the opinions and exchanges at the workshop all affirmed that after 10 years of transformation, the career of training and researching anthropology in Vietnam has achieved basic achievements, creating the premise for further development. However, there are still limitations, difficulties and challenges that require more in-depth research and cooperation orientations to develop the field of anthropology with Vietnamese identity.
