Prof. Dr. Vu Duong Ninh donated nearly 700 documents to the Heritage Center of Vietnamese Scientists.

Professor, People's Teacher Vu Duong Ninh, former Head of the Faculty of International Studies, President of the Association of Former Teachers of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU, presented the Center for Heritage of Vietnamese Scientists with nearly 700 documents and artifacts, the results of the Professor's research over many years.

Seminar on Collecting and promoting the heritage value of historians and receiving artifacts donated by Professor, People's Teacher Vu Duong Ninh (Photo: Nhandan Electronic Newspaper))

Professor Vu Duong Ninh is known as the first person to introduce the subject of World Civilization History into teaching in universities in Vietnam; the first Head of the Faculty of International Studies and one of the initiators and founders of the International Studies major at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Among the hundreds of documents and artifacts that Professor Vu Duong Ninh donated this time, there are many valuable documents such as 4 notebooks recording lectures from 1994-2000 on the topics of World History, Southeast Asian History, World Civilization History, History of International Relations; research articles, textbooks, monographs. In particular, the books "Modern World History", "World Civilization History" have been reprinted for the 18th time... The documents and artifacts that the Professor donated to the Center have many values, not only reflecting the life and career of the professor but also being a valuable source of information to learn about the development history of History and Historical Science in Vietnam.

Prof. Vu Duong Ninh shared that after visiting MEDDOM in 2019 and witnessing the Center's achievements over a decade, Prof. Vu Duong Ninh spent time compiling, collecting and annotating his own documents and artifacts to donate to the Center. Prof. Vu Duong Ninh said: "MEDDOM alone is not enough, scientists need to join in collecting and researching historical documents about scientists' lives. For the work to be effective, the scientific community must consider this a common responsibility and work with the Center to complete this meaningful work."

To date, the Center for Heritage of Vietnamese Scientists has established personal archives of 68 historians in the fields of history, ethnology, and archaeology at many different institutions: University of Social Sciences and Humanities - VNU, Hanoi National University of Education, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, Institute of History, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Institute of Archaeology, Institute of Ethnology, Dalat University, Hue University of Education; Hue Historical Science Association, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Institute of Party History, etc. However, this number is still quite modest compared to the large number of historical researchers with seniority and reputation. The archives of historians are also enriched and made more vivid by audio and video recordings of interviews about the lives of scientists.

Historians visit the exhibition at the Heritage Park of Vietnamese Scientists (Photo: Nhandan Electronic Newspaper)

The seminar “Collecting and promoting the heritage of Vietnamese historians” was attended by many scientists, historians, teachers and people interested in the heritage of Vietnamese historians. The seminar aimed to review the research and collection work of the Center over the past decade and orient the research, collection and promotion of the heritage value of historians in the coming time. At the seminar, there was a proposal for the form of “preserving documents at home” in cases where families have not been able to transfer the documents of scientists to the Center as a measure to save that valuable archive. The Center’s staff will support the family with tasks that require professional classification, systematization and finding the best preservation method to preserve the memory of the scientist as well as that of future generations.