Digitizing Sino-Vietnamese documents in Hue

Over 426,000 pages of Sino-Vietnamese documents, equivalent to nearly 5,300 titles, have been collected, digitized, and processed by the Thua Thien Hue Provincial General Library for public use. These documents are among hundreds of thousands of valuable Sino-Vietnamese documents still preserved in villages, private homes, and other locations in Hue. This activity has contributed to the preservation of Sino-Vietnamese heritage, as well as serving research on the culture, history, economy, and politics of the Thuan Hoa region in particular and the whole country in general.

After nearly 15 years, the Thua Thien Hue Provincial General Library has coordinated the digitization of documents in 18 mansions, over 187 villages, temples, and gardens belonging to more than 923 clans and private households throughout the province. The total number of Han Nom documents collected and digitized amounts to hundreds of thousands of pages. However, this is not the final number, as many more documents in the community face the risk of damage and need to be digitized and preserved to promote the value of this special heritage.

Efforts to digitize valuable archival materials.

Thua Thien Hue is considered one of the localities that still preserves many valuable, unique, and rare Han Nom documents, including those written in the royal handwriting of emperors from various dynasties. According to researchers, the Han Nom heritage formed and preserved in Thua Thien Hue, the last capital of the Vietnamese monarchy, is very rich and extensive. However, due to various reasons such as harsh climate, frequent floods and storms, war damage, and improper preservation, these valuable documents are facing the risk of permanent damage and loss that cannot be recovered.

According to Hoang Thi Kim Oanh, Director of the Provincial General Library, in response to this urgent situation and need, from 2009 to the present, the Provincial General Library has collaborated with the Ho Chi Minh City General Science Library and many other agencies and units to collect, digitize, and promote the value of Sino-Vietnamese documents. To date, more than 426,000 pages of Sino-Vietnamese documents have been digitized, equivalent to nearly 5,300 titles; implemented in 187 villages, 923 clans, and 18 mansions.

This heritage digitization program is divided into two phases. Phase 1 (from 2009-2019), implemented with the coordination and assistance of the Ho Chi Minh City General Science Library, the Hue Cultural Museum, the Hue Ancient Citadel Conservation Center, etc., collected and digitized more than 300,000 pages/3,000 documents. Phase 2 (from 2020 to the present) has collected and digitized nearly 120,000 pages with more than 2,000 documents. During this period, the Provincial General Library continues to implement the experience gained from 10 years of collaboration, in accordance with Decision No. 508/QD-UBND dated February 21, 2020, issued by the Provincial People's Committee, which "Approves the Plan for collecting, digitizing, preserving, restoring, and promoting the value of Han-Nom documents in Thua Thien Hue province for the period 2020-2024".

According to Hoang Thi Kim Oanh, Director of the Provincial General Library, many rare and valuable Han Nom documents that were severely damaged have been digitized, restored, researched, processed, and promoted to enhance their value. Among the digitized documents are the Hoang Viet Law Code from the time of King Gia Long; many bronze books, royal decrees, and silk-printed edicts from the Ham Thuan Cong, Kien Hoa Quan Cong, and Nguyen Phuc clan temples... Similarly, in Phu Bai village, Thuy Phu commune (Huong Thuy town), over 30,000 pages of documents have been digitized, including administrative documents from the Le, Tay Son, and Nguyen dynasties; land registers from the time of King Gia Long; and many valuable documents about various clans. Ancient villages such as Kim Long, Luong Quan, Duong Xuan Thuong (in Hue City), Da Le Chanh village, and Thuy Thanh Thuong village (Huong Thuy town)... also preserve many royal decrees and valuable Han Nom documents.

According to Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien Hue province, the survey, collection, and digitization of Han Nom documents have been carried out in many villages, communes, clans, and mansions and gardens throughout the province. In recent times, the fieldwork, collection, and digitization efforts of the Provincial General Library have made a significant contribution to the preservation and promotion of the value of Han Nom documentary heritage.

“This is also a valuable source of information that contributes to a more complete study and assessment of the culture, history, economy, and politics of the ancient Thuan Hoa region. We will consider and select a representative collection of Han Nom texts to include in the Hue Library, an important project that the province is implementing, thereby contributing to spreading the value of this heritage and the valuable information and content from this heritage,” emphasized Dr. Phan Thanh Hai.

Preserving and promoting the Han Nom heritage.

A team of staff from the Provincial General Library, along with experts, recently visited clans and private residences in Ha Lac village, Quang Loi commune (Quang Dien district), as well as villages and communes in Phu Vang and Phu Loc districts, to continue collecting and digitizing Han Nom (Sino-Vietnamese) documents. In these locations, the library staff and several experts collaborated with local authorities to successively open the archives of imperial decrees and Han Nom documents belonging to 66 clans (14 villages) for digitization. The estimated number of digitized documents is over 12,000 pages. “We have been in contact for a long time, and now that the villages, clans, and elders have agreed, we have decided to digitize them in the hope of preserving many valuable Han Nom documents,” a staff member from the Provincial General Library confided.

According to Ms. Hoang Thi Kim Oanh, it wasn't just recently, but many years ago, when the project to digitize Han Nom documents throughout the province was implemented, the staff of the Provincial General Library, along with experts, traveled extensively through the villages of Hue, racing against time to preserve the valuable documents left by their ancestors, before they were damaged. Among these were many precious documents that were discovered, such as: imperial decrees, edicts, orders, family genealogies, land registers, household registers, diplomas, administrative documents, literary books, historical books, medical books, village regulations, funeral orations, etc.

“The purpose of the program we have pursued and persistently implemented for nearly 15 years can be summed up in the phrase 'preservation and promotion of values.' The immediate urgent preservation is that we have digitized and preserved at least the informational content and form of the Han Nom texts; sustainable preservation is that through this activity we have identified the current state of the documents to guide people in properly preserving and protecting the heritage. And the ultimate goal is to preserve the heritage and relics of our ancestors for future generations,” said Ms. Hoang Thi Kim Oanh.

According to researchers in Hue, through the collection and digitization of Sino-Vietnamese documents, the Provincial Library and other units have repeatedly selected, transcribed, translated, and published various materials. However, this is still insufficient because the system of documents in villages, communes, and private homes in Hue is vast and requires further exploration and research.

A major challenge for authorities in collecting and digitizing Sino-Vietnamese documents is gaining public consensus. Hue residents often consider their Sino-Vietnamese documents sacred, family heirlooms, and village treasures, making it difficult to persuade them to submit their materials for digitization. Investing in modern infrastructure and the capacity to preserve, protect, exploit, and promote Sino-Vietnamese heritage is also a major concern for the local cultural sector. Furthermore, the human resources needed for document preservation, research, and classification require the support and participation of leading experts in Sino-Vietnamese studies.

“We hope for the attention of the Provincial People's Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to establish a library of appropriate caliber. With the efforts made in the past, the collection of Sino-Vietnamese documents that Thua Thien Hue currently possesses will be collected and made more widely available to the public,” said Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Provincial Department of Culture and Sports.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/so-hoa-tu-lieu-han-nom-tren-dat-hue-post832459.html