The 5th Congress of the Historians’ Association, Tenure 2015 – 2020

On 14 May 2015, The 5th Congress of the Historians’ Association, Tenure 2015 – 2020 was held at Thăng Long Imperial Citadel. In attendance at the Congress were 80 participants representing the Executive Board of the 4th congress and members selected from the associations’ branches.

In this meeting, the Congress assessed the results of the works done by Hanoi Historians’ Association between 2009 – 2015 and mapped out the directions for further work in the 2015- 2020 period.

In terms of organization, during the last tenure, the Hanoi Historians’ Association continued to expand its network with 20 branches and 358 members. However, from the latter half of the tenure, the branches under universities and research institutes, who are most core and active, decided to withdraw and join the central Vietnam Historians’ Association, leaving a big gap in the organization and activities of the Association. Therefore, this 5th Congress is deemed of great significance in consolidating the structure of the Association, connecting the whole network of members and building on democratic processes and the sense of responsibility among the executive board as well as each member, striving to give the Association a firm ground.

In terms of scientific research, the Association has implemented and concluded the state-level project titled: Education and training of Thăng Long – Hà Nội: Orientations for the development of education and training of the capital city in the process of industrialization and modernization, co-authored another state-level research project of programme KX09 titled: How to build on the natural and socio-economic conditions as well as the historio-cultural values of the 1000-year-old Thăng Long – Hà Nội to serve the purpose of developing the capital city comprehensively. The Association has hosted and co-hosted many large-scale symposiums, roundtable discussions that are considered to be of high professional quality such as the Symposium on 1000 years of the Lý dynasty and Thăng Long capital city (2009); Trịnh Cương – the man and the cause (2009), The Mạc dynasty and Thăng Long capital city (2010); Sustainable Development of Hanoi – A heroic city of millennial culture, a city for peace (2010); Hanoi Studies: research methods and contents (2012), etc.

The Hanoi Historians’ Association, whose membership include experts from the Institute of Archaeology, Institute of History, Institute of Vietnamese Studies and Development Science, Thăng Long – Hà Nội Heritage Conservation Centre, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, has made positive contributions to the identification and statement of the Outstanding Universal Vlaue of the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long, participated in the preparation of the nomination dossier submitted to UNESCO for inscription of the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel on the World Heritage List. This is a contribution of substantial significance to the safeguarding and preservation of the valuable property of not only Vietnam but also humanity.

The Hanoi Historians’ Association has also taken an active part in social feedback, such as evaluating the heritage sites that are being encroached upon or damaged, or assessing heritage sites lying in areas that have been planned for development. Other activities include counselling for Hanoi People’s Committee in dealing with issues related to construction projects in Xã Tắc and Nam Giao altars.

Besides, the Association has also paid attention to communications and knowledge dissemination activities, for example working with the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to organize multiple short-term training courses to improve knowledge about religious issues, the preservation and promotion of the values of historical and cultural relics in the capital city for the local cultural officers. Key members of the Association took part in the compilation of a two-volumed book series titled A History of Thăng Long – Hà Nội, published in 2012. The Hanoi Publishing House member takes responsibility for the publication of nearly 40 book titles in the collection of One thousand years of Thăng Long’s Culture. The Hanoi Department of Education and Training member has compiled theme-based books about the history of Hanoi to be used in local schools. The Club of Hanoi Lovers member has organized many public lectures about historical and cultural figures of the nation.

Addressing the Congress, Professor Phan Huy Lê – People’s Teacher and Chairman of Vietnam Association of Historical Science – spoke highly of the achievements of the Hanoi Historians’ Association in the past year, especially its research activities and its contribution to the celebration of the millennial anniversary of Thăng Long. Regarding the directions for the next tenure, Professor Lê emphasized that “Besides research projects, the Association needs to pay greater attention to the communication of knowledge to the community, especially education at school, to instill in the young generation a love for history”.

In a spirit of solidarity and unanimity, the Hà Nội Historians’ Association expressed its determination to successfully fulfill the given tasks, including the expansion of the association, increased communications and formulation of a foundation for the development of Thăng Long – Hà Nội History.

Kim Yến
(Thăng Long – Hà Nội Heritage Conservation Centre)