Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Lịch sử

Parallels between the Opening Battle of the Hồ Chí Minh Campaign and the Battle of Ngọc Hồi

Prof. Dr. Sci. Vu Minh Giang

From a comparative historical perspective, the battle to eliminate the Trảng Bom military outpost and liberate Biên Hòa - marking the opening phase of the Hồ Chí Minh Campaign - bears remarkable similarities to the Battle of Ngọc Hồi during the spring 1789 campaign to expel the Qing invaders. Comparative analysis of these two battles offers insights into the evolution of Vietnamese military strategy and explains why military leaders in the Hồ Chí Minh era consistently turned to Vietnam’s anti-invasion history for strategic lessons. This article employs a comparative approach to highlight key parallels between these two decisive historical battles.

Economic and Cultural Exchanges in Southern Vietnam under the Nguyễn Lords (17th –18th Centuries)

Dr. Nguyen Dinh Co; Dr. Nguyen Duy Phuong

In the 17th and 18th centuries, amid the flourishing of maritime trade, the Nguyễn lords expanded southward and established new territories. The East Sea trade network profoundly influenced these newly settled regions. Under relatively liberal policies of the Inner Court (Đàng Trong), commercial activity rapidly expanded. Within a short span, the Nguyễn government revived coastal trading ports in Central Vietnam such as Thanh Hà, Hội An, and Nước Mặn, followed by the development of ports in Đồng Nai, Sài Gòn, Bãi Xàu, Mỹ Tho, and Hà Tiên in the South. This article examines how the Nguyễn lords integrated into regional and global trade systems, and how economic and cultural exchanges flourished in Southern Vietnam during this era.

The Integration of Maritime Economic Development and the Protection of Sovereignty over Vietnam’s Southwestern Seas and Islands (17th–19th Centuries)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Manh Dung; Dr. Tran Xuan Thanh

Vietnam’s maritime and island territories are inseparable from its national sovereignty, vital for economic sustainability, international engagement, and national defense. The southwestern maritime region holds particular strategic significance. The 17th-century expansion of maritime trade, combined with forward-thinking maritime policies, enabled the Nguyễn lords and later the Nguyễn dynasty to assert, secure, and expand their maritime sovereignty. This article presents a conceptual framework for understanding how maritime economic development was integrated with national defense strategies to safeguard Vietnam’s sovereignty in the southwestern seas and islands during the 17th–19th centuries.

Land Ownership in Tùy Hối Village in the 18th and Early 19th Centuries: Insights from Land Registers

Dr. Dinh Van Vien

Tùy Hối, an early established village, is closely associated with prominent Trần-dynasty figures such as Queen Mother Nguyên Từ and Trần Quốc Tảng. Prevailing scholarship, drawing chiefly on compilations like the Sĩ hoạn tu tri lục, has maintained that communal landholdings contracted sharply in the early nineteenth century. By contrast, village-level archival materials, particularly land registers (địa bạ), disclose a far more intricate pattern of tenure. Focusing on Tùy Hối as a representative case, this study employs quantitative analysis of land registers from the reigns of Quang Trung and Minh Mạng to assess three variables: total land area, land quality, and the proportion of communal (public) versus private ownership between the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Comparative data from neighbouring localities serve to contextualise the findings. Results indicate that the communal-to-private land ratio remained largely stable from Quang Trung, year 3 (1790), to Minh Mạng, year 12 (1831). The most salient change was a pronounced decline in abandoned land. Communal holdings continued to predominate over private plots, and the bulk of arable land was cultivated by self-sufficient peasant households. These findings offer preliminary insight into patterns of rural economic development in Tùy Hối and shed light on the persistence of communal tenure in a predominantly agrarian village during the early Nguyễn period.

The People’s Public Security Forces in the 1975 Spring Offensive: Proactive and Strategic Contributions

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Binh Ban

This article highlights the pivotal contributions of the People’s Public Security Forces, particularly in the southern region, to the final victory of the 1975 General Offensive and Uprising, culminating in the historic Hồ Chí Minh Campaign. Strategic advisory work based on the principle of “proactive and one step ahead,” close coordination with Liberation Army forces and local populations, and the mobilization of all available resources and methods played a critical role in securing the victory.

The “Ấp Tân Sinh” Model in U.S. and Sài Gòn Regime Pacification Programs in Southern Vietnam (1964-1965)

Vu Thi Mien, M.A.

Between 1964 and 1965, alongside the formulation of a “priority” pacification program, the Sài Gòn government and military, under the leadership of various factions of generals and politicians, developed and implemented a new resettlement model known as ấp Tân sinh. This model was essentially an adaptation of the earlier Strategic Hamlet Program, revised in terms of ideology, content, principles, organizational methods, and implementation tactics. In practice, however, ấp Tân sinh served as a temporary measure, heavily driven by propaganda and populist rhetoric, employed by the post-Ngô Đình Diệm regimes to gain American support. The program quickly collapsed due to the internal limitations of the Sài Gòn government and military, as well as the widespread resistance and sabotage efforts led by the armed forces and people of the South under the direction of the Central Office for South Vietnam (Trung ương Cục miền Nam).

U.S. - Japan Trade Relations, 1971-1989

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thien Thanh

The period from 1971 to 1989 witnessed significant shifts and adjustments in U.S.–Japan relations. Notably, this era saw realignments within the security alliance, Japan’s economic rise, and its gradual assertion of international standing, accompanied by increasingly intense competition between the world’s two leading economies. Adopting a historical approach combined with international economic analysis, this article focuses on two core aspects: (1) the domestic and international context of both the United States and Japan, and (2) the dynamics of U.S.–Japan trade relations during the 1970s and 1980s. Through this dual lens, the study aims to examine the extent of economic competition, the policy responses of the United States, and Japan’s evolving position in its economic relationship with the United States between 1971 and 1989.

An Overview of the Nguyễn Đình Lineage in Kiệt Thạch Village, Can Lộc District, Hà Tĩnh Province

Dr. Phan Dang Thuan

The Nguyễn Đình lineage traces its origins to Hải Dương and migrated to Hà Tĩnh in the late Trần and early Hồ dynasties. The founding ancestor of the Nguyễn family in Kiệt Thạch village was Nguyễn Thế Gia. Over the centuries, this lineage has produced numerous distinguished individuals who have contributed to and exemplified Hà Tĩnh’s strong tradition of learning, including notable figures such as Nguyễn Cung, Nguyễn Liên, and Nguyễn Văn Trình. As a prominent and respected scholarly family, the Nguyễn Đình clan of Kiệt Thạch has made significant contributions to education, academic achievement, and the national liberation movement, enriching the province’s longstanding heritage of intellectual pursuit and patriotism.

“A Maritime Vietnam: From Earliest Times to the Nineteenth Century”

Dr. Do Thi Thuy Lan

Li Tana’s A Maritime Vietnam: From Earliest Times to the Nineteenth Century (2024) offers a comprehensive synthesis of more than four decades of her scholarly engagement with Vietnamese history. This seminal work presents a coherent, extensive, and compelling overview of Vietnam as a maritime society. Drawing from a maritime perspective, the author not only introduces novel interpretations of Vietnam’s past but also contributes meaningfully to the broader historiography of pre-modern Vietnam. Her approach provides a valuable corrective to land-centric narratives, effectively integrating coastal and maritime dynamics into the national historical framework. This volume stands as a significant contribution to both Vietnamese studies and the global field of maritime history.