President Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaking at the meeting. Photo: VNA

Meeting with representatives of the Association in Hanoi, President Phuc said he hopes that the Association will not only study Vietnamese history, but also conduct in-depth research of regional and global history. The Association should set a vision to become a prestigious historical research center of the region and the world, he added.

The President stressed the need to promote international cooperation, academic exchanges, and encourage historians to study the history of the Vietnamese nation. The Association also needs to encourage learning Chinese and Nom characters (a logographic writing system formerly used to write the Vietnamese language) in order to further clarify valuable historical documents as evidence to protect Vietnam's interests and sovereignty. In addition, the Association also needs to focus on fostering and developing the next team of historians, he said.  

According to President Phuc, "The Party and State value national history coupled with the preservation of heritage, historical and cultural works. Historical research and education should be paid attention to. It is an obvious fact that a deep understanding of the nation's history is vital to national construction and defense."

"I hope the Association will continue to make specific proposals to the State agencies to publish history books that are attractive and easy to understand and remember, especially for young people,” he added.