Society

Tran Manh Cuong: "The Young Calligrapher" of Nghe An Province

Le Trang - Technical: Hong Toai • November 11, 2025 10:26

Choosing his own unique and courageous path, cultural researcher Tran Manh Cuong, born in the 1980s, diligently studied Han Nom script to access ancient texts, thereby concretizing his findings into research works with scientifically deciphered arguments and evidence. Driven by his love and responsibility in preserving the ancient relics of Nghe An province, Tran Manh Cuong has been affectionately called "The Young Scholar of Nghe An."

Le Trang(Perform)ButTechnique:Hong Toai• November 9, 2025

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Choosing his own unique and courageous path, 8X cultural researcher Tran Manh Cuong has persistently studied Han Nom script to access various aspects of Vietnamese culture.

ancient texts, which are then concretized through research works with

The arguments and evidence were scientifically deciphered. Driven by his love and responsibility in preserving the ancient relics remaining in Nghe An province, Mr. Tran Manh Cuong has been affectionately called by many:

"The young calligrapher from Nghe An."

PV:With 15 years of researching historical documents written in Chinese and Vietnamese scripts, what is your greatest achievement?

Researcher Tran Manh Cuong:We know that the Vietnamese people have been writing Chinese characters for nearly 1,000 years. Therefore, most books in fields such as politics, military, economics, culture, history, literature, etc., are written in Chinese characters and Nôm script. If we can read Chinese characters and Nôm script, we will understand the knowledge contained in that vast treasure trove.

PV:And surely you still remember the first Sino-Vietnamese text that became your destiny?

Researcher Tran Manh Cuong:Yes, it was in the winter of 2010. At that time, I had just started working at the Nghe An Provincial Library. One time, Mr. Dao Tam Tinh, then the Director, took me to the Tu family's ancestral temple in Nam Dan. There, I came across an ancient document, the imperial decree bestowing the title of scholar Tu Tong Thuy. While reading it, I felt something very familiar. Afterwards, I went home and continued to delve deeper, thinking and recalling my earlier memories.

Much later, I realized that this text was related to a historical figure, Dr. Nguyen Huy Quynh – an outstanding son of the Nguyen Huy Truong Luu family, and the first person to write about the homeland of the Hoang Sa Fleet. His very famous work, "Quang Thuan Dao Su Tap," contains geographical and historical records of the Dang Trong region. This section clearly describes the homeland of the Hoang Sa Fleet as Cu Lao Re.

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Not only does Tran Manh Cuong possess a deep understanding of ancient texts, but he also has creative writing abilities – a rare quality among young people pursuing Sino-Vietnamese studies – an extremely challenging field.Local history researcher Pham Xuan Can.

The information I gathered came from very distant places, yet coincided and were closely linked. That's why I came up with the idea of ​​completing a book about the contributions of people from Nghe An province in asserting Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa islands in history.

PV:Choosing a path that is both rare and difficult—difficult for the researcher and difficult for the recipient—how did you overcome those difficulties?

Researcher Tran Manh Cuong:It's also great that I work with people from the past, but I myself am young. Therefore, when I receive ancient texts, I always try to translate and present them in a way that young people like myself, or younger, can understand these academic texts as easily as possible.

PV:How did he receive the title of "the young calligrapher of Nghe An"?

Researcher Tran Manh Cuong:I myself don't dare accept such praise, because Nghe An is a land of learning and outstanding people, with many exceptional talents. When I'm called that, I feel embarrassed. But through it, I also realize that I need to try harder to be worthy of the respect that everyone has for me.

PV:One of the most important activities for a local historian is fieldwork. Over the years, which fieldwork trip has left the deepest impression on you?

Researcher Tran Manh Cuong:The trip that left the strongest impression on me was the journey to find documents related to the Phuc Le trading port in Hung Nguyen district. One day, while reading an online newspaper, I came across a diplomatic letter from Vietnam to Japan in 1591. Reading the Chinese characters on the letter, I felt a strong sense of familiarity, as if I had seen it somewhere before. Later, I determined that this letter was written by Phuc Nghia Hau Nguyen Canh Doan – a distinguished son of the Nguyen Canh family. The letter established diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries.

I wrote an analysis and concluded that the author of the letter was from Nghe An province and that the letter was sent from Nghe An. My colleagues in Japan later read the article, traveled to the location, and together we visited places related to the person and event to continue searching for historical documents, contributing to clarifying the issue.

PV:From his field trips, what did he notice as the most unique cultural characteristic that only Nghe An province possesses?

Researcher Tran Manh Cuong:People from Nghe An are almost pioneers in every field. For example, throughout history, our country, regardless of the era, has always affirmed that the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos are sacred parts of the Fatherland. Remarkably, the first work affirming that Hoang Sa and Truong Sa are under the administration of the Vietnamese government was by a native of Nghe An – the scholar Do Ba Cong Dao, from Thanh Chuong. His work, "Toan Tap Thien Nam Tu Chi Lo Do Thu," written before 1686, was intended to help the Trinh Lords in Dang Ngoai better understand Dang Trong.

PV:This young scholar from Nghe An not only has valuable new scientific discoveries but is also a collector and preserver of extremely rare ancient books in Nghe An province and throughout the country, with over 50 priceless ancient books. How did he become so involved with ancient books?

Researcher Tran Manh Cuong:During my fieldwork in the villages of Nghe An province, I always had the opportunity to come into contact with many rare and valuable ancient books belonging to families and clans. I have a principle of never buying them directly from the villagers, but only from those who are also involved in collecting and trading ancient books, no matter how high the price.

PV:What did these "dialogues" with ancient books bring him?

Researcher Tran Manh Cuong:In 2012, I acquired from a collector in the former Nam Dinh province the book "Nghe An Poetry Collection"—a work that covers all aspects of Nghe An province: from people, place names, scenic spots to customs and traditions, all written in poetry by the renowned scholar Bui Huy Bich. Reading these words of our ancestors about our homeland filled me with an indescribable sense of satisfaction. I meticulously typed out each word, translated it, and systematized the content to summarize the values ​​the book conveys.

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Researcher Tran Manh Cuong is working on the project "Inscriptions of Nghe An Province," a massive source of information that not only serves historical and cultural research but can also be exploited to develop heritage economics in the province.- Dr. Nguyen Minh Tu, Director of the Center for Social Sciences and Humanities of Nghe An province, stated.

PV:You once shared that you wanted to become a scholar of Nghe An province, so are you confident enough to achieve that goal now?

Researcher Tran Manh Cuong:I'm not yet ready to accept the title, but I will do my best. After 15 years of fieldwork and collection, I am confident in the documentation I have. I have records and documents related to almost every village and commune in Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, especially those written in Han Nom script about history and culture. I will continue to explore and disseminate this information so that everyone can access the valuable knowledge left behind by our ancestors.

PV:Does our scholar intend to find a successor for himself?

Researcher Tran Manh Cuong:After many of my predecessors passed away or retired, I became a lone wolf. But perhaps by fate, as if guided by my elders, I found a successor to continue this work: Tran The Trung – the 2019 champion of the "Road to Olympia" competition. Trung is currently studying Chinese characters with me. I have passed on all my knowledge in various fields, and we have jointly authored several books. In the near future, the published works will also be the result of our combined efforts.

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The most important lesson I learned from Mr. Tran Manh Cuong is his never-give-up spirit. I know he faced many difficulties during his research, but he always maintained his optimism and perseverance.- Trần Thế Trung, the champion of the 2019 Road to Olympia competition, shared his thoughts.

PV:Can you share some information about your upcoming research projects?

Researcher Tran Manh Cuong:I will be launching the work "Inscriptions of Nghe An Province". This is a comprehensive collection of Nghe An inscriptions comprising several parts: The first part is about Buddhist inscriptions, the second part is about inscriptions of scholars, and the following part includes inscriptions related to religious beliefs and folk activities in Nghe An province.

In particular, I will publish the work "Nam Thien Bien Luc," a collection of critical essays on historical and cultural issues of Nghe An province. Some of these essays have been published on my personal Facebook page, in newspapers, and magazines from the past to the present, helping readers gain a more objective perspective and re-evaluate some historical issues that have been understood differently before. I will provide original source materials so that we can see that many things we have always thought a certain way are actually not entirely true.

PV:Thank you to cultural researcher Tran Manh Cuong, and we wish you continued passion and perseverance in your research. We look forward to your new works.