Issues in Modern Vietnamese History in the Journal of Historical Studies

Abstract

This article reviews scholarship on modern Vietnamese history published in the Văn-Sử-Địa Review and the Journal of Historical Studies from 1954 to 2023. Of nearly 5,300 articles published in the two periodicals, approximately 1,182 address modern Vietnamese history between 1858 and 1945, accounting for more than 21 per cent of the total. Across three stages in the Journal’s development, the thematic scope of research changed markedly. From 1954 to 1975, scholarship focused primarily on patriotic movements, anti-French uprisings, historical figures, and military history in support of the struggle for national liberation. Between 1976 and 2000, in parallel with the national renovation process, research expanded to encompass economic and social history, land issues, culture, and historical methodology. From 2001 to 2023, the range of topics became increasingly diverse, including politics, education, social life, local history, and maritime and insular sovereignty. The article also acknowledges the contributions of prominent historians such as Trần Huy Liệu, Đinh Xuân Lâm, Chương Thâu, Nguyễn Văn Khánh, and Tạ Thị Thúy, as well as the growing participation of international scholars in the study of modern Vietnamese history.