Compilation of the Vietnamese Encyclopedia
On the morning of June 18th, in Hanoi, the Steering Committee for the Compilation of the Vietnamese Encyclopedia was launched with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, along with representatives from central agencies, ministries, research institutes, and universities.
The Vietnamese Encyclopedia was approved by the Prime Minister, who established a 16-member editorial board, with Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam serving as Chairman of the Board.
The Vietnamese Encyclopedia consists of 36 volumes, of which volume 36 is the introductory volume compiled in phase 2 when the volumes were published alphabetically, encompassing all fields of social sciences, natural sciences, science and technology, defense science, diplomacy, security, etc.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam stated that while Vietnam has had many encyclopedic books throughout history, a national encyclopedia is still lacking. This is a very sacred task, a great responsibility to the nation and the community.
If we do things right and well, it will be an honor for all involved, but conversely, the responsibility to our descendants, history, and ourselves after we are no longer working is extremely heavy.
Therefore, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the encyclopedia must be a fundamental source of knowledge about Vietnam, especially knowledge applicable to the country, and must adhere to the principles of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought, with the criteria of being national, scientific, modern, systematic, and accessible to the masses.
Developed countries and countries with advanced cultures and civilizations value the compilation of encyclopedias because encyclopedias are "books of all books," "universities without walls," serving the most practical and useful purposes for education and training.
Professor, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang - President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Vice Chairman of the Editorial Board, affirmed that the Academy is very honored to participate in compiling the encyclopedia. This is a long-awaited project, dating back to 1978. Vietnam, a country with a rich and long-standing culture and civilization with its own unique identity, cannot do without a national encyclopedia.
Before embarking on this important task, the Council reviewed the current state of world and Vietnamese encyclopedia compilation to gain a comprehensive overview. According to Professor, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, during the preparation process, an important fact is that the Council needs to distinguish between dictionaries and encyclopedias because dictionaries are explanatory in nature, while encyclopedias are knowledge-based and for reference purposes.
Another point is that the Vietnamese Encyclopedia should focus on Vietnam, while in reality and according to compilation perspectives, there are more entries from around the world than from Vietnam. Therefore, this issue needs to be clearly defined. To what extent should knowledge from before 1975 be included in the Encyclopedia...?
To accomplish this task, the Council needs to establish 35 specialized editorial boards. It is expected that approximately 2,000 scientists from all scientific disciplines nationwide will participate, and Vietnamese scientists working abroad are also welcome to contribute to this monumental project. The earliest the Council can begin working on the initial sections of the encyclopedia is 2016.
According to News
