Dinh Cong Su, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee (HBO) – Over 15 years of development since its establishment on October 25, 2008, the Hoa Binh Association of History, gathering more than 1,000 members, has helped develop historical science, enhance the solidarity and friendship among ethnic groups, and improve the public’s sense of responsibility towards history learning and education as well as the preservation and promotion of local and national historical and cultural values.

During its second tenure (2017 - 2022), despite economic difficulties of the country and the province, especially the COVID-19 pandemic, the provincial Association of History has exerted efforts to attract new members and collaborators who are dedicated and have high specialised capacity to contribute to the development of historical science in Hoa Binh and Vietnam at large.

The association has chaired and participated in the compilation and publication of many important works on historical science of the province. It has given advice and feedback and assessed the structures and projects related to the history and culture of ethnic groups in Hoa Binh. Besides, it has maintained close relations with and made use of the directions, guidance, and assistance from historians and the Vietnam Association of Historical Science.

Activities of the association have been reformed considerably. Present across the province, its members have been actively researching, teaching, collecting historical materials, and popularising the hometown’s history and traditions among the community, thereby substantially helping educate the young, especially high school students in the province, on history and revolutionary traditions.

In particular, the association coordinated with the provincial Party Committee’s information and education board and the Vietnam Association of Historical Science to propose the provincial Party Committee issue Project No 14-DA/TU on the collection, research, and compilation of a set of books on the history of Hoa Binh province from the initial period to 2020. It has also worked with the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the provincial Union of Science and Technology Associations to conduct a study on the historical and cultural values of the materials and remembrances of Tay Tien (Marching Westwards) Regiment 52 to serve the education of traditions and develop tourism in Hoa Binh.

With its efforts, contributions, and achievements gained over the past years, the provincial Association of History has gradually affirmed its stature and role, greatly helping preserve and bring into play the values of historical and cultural relic sites, along with cultural heritage of ethnic groups in the province.

For the coming years, the tasks of the association are extremely important. Therefore, to fulfill its tasks, the association needs to properly perform some duties.

In particular, it needs to coordinate with and capitalise on the support and assistance from historians and the Vietnam Association of Historical Science. Local historians need to carry out and complete the collection, research, and compilation of a set of books on the history of Hoa Binh province from the initial period to 2020. At the same time, they need to press on with collecting antiquities and studying the local history as well as outstanding figures during the struggle for national construction and defence by people of different ethnic groups in Hoa Binh.

The association should keep working with the district-level Party committees, the Party organisations subordinate to the provincial Party Committee, departments, sectors, and organisations to carry out the provincial Party Committee Standing Board’s Conclusion No 09-KL/TU, dated November 30, 2022, on stepping up the implementation of the Party Central Committee Secretariat’s Directive No 20-CT/TW, dated January 18, 2019, on the continued improvement of the quality of the research, compilation, and education of the Party’s history.

In addition, it needs to coordinate with the education and training sector, along with departments, sectors, units, and localities to boost the compilation of documents on history and the use of these documents for education. It is also important to reform and improve the quality of the education of the provincial and local Party organisations’ history at local schools in line with Plan No 188/KH-UBND, issued by the chairperson of the provincial People’s Committee on November 22, 2019.

The association also needs to keep consolidating its management and apparatus, pay more attention to personnel training to unceasingly improve its members and collaborators’ specialised capacity of collecting, researching, and compiling documents on local history.

The provincial Party organisation and administration always create favourable conditions for activities of the provincial Association of History and put their trust in the association so as to help raise public awareness and bring into play patriotism and traditions of the Vietnamese people during the national development and defence process.