Researcher Bui Trong Hien received an award and certificate from Professor, Doctor Nguyen Xuan Thang, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council and Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, on the evening of 29/12. According to the author, this recognition is not only a personal achievement but also the State's acknowledgment of a musical legacy thousands of years old.

Bui Trong Hien dedicated nine years to completing his book, 'A dao'. The researcher described this period as an archaeologist venturing into a pristine forest, uncovering traces of a dao to collect and decipher stories about the oldest professional musical genre of the Vietnamese people.

Researcher Bui Trong Hien speaks at the honoring ceremony. Video: Phuong Linh

In the book's introduction, the author noted that for a long time, mentioning ca tru often brought to mind "co dau theaters" and decadent pleasures. He wrote, "Few people know that within the national music, a dao represents the most technically advanced genre with the most complex melodic system."

Vietnamese ca tru art was recognized by UNESCO on 1/10/2009, as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. This art form has many names, such as co dau, hat ca cong, and hat nha to, with a dao considered the oldest term.

Music researcher Bui Trong Hien, 59, is a former lecturer of basic music theory and traditional Vietnamese folk music at the Vietnam National Academy of Music. Since 1996, he has worked at the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts. He has made many contributions to the restoration and in-depth research of traditional Vietnamese music. Photo: Phuong Linh

Also receiving a class A award was the work 'Literature as Discourse (M. Foucault's Discourse Theory and Vietnamese Literary History)' by Associate Professor, Doctor Tran Van Toan. The author researched this publication for 17 years, aiming to provide a new approach to literature. In the book, he focused on Foucault's life and academic career, a renowned French philosopher, historian, writer, and literary critic. The work also describes M. Foucault's discourse theory with specific research tools and operations.

At the award ceremony on the evening of 29/12, Tran Van Toan stated that when he began researching domestic literary history, he found many events that fell outside previous generalizations. He sought a theory capable of more fully encompassing the richness and complexity of national cultural history.

He noted that M. Foucault's theory has a profound influence not only in humanities research but also in many other fields. Applying it can introduce a new conceptual framework and tools for researchers.

Professor, Doctor Nguyen Xuan Thang commented that the two class A winning books are meticulous, serious research works with high academic value, practical, and conducted over many consecutive years.

The organizing committee also presented four class B awards for the following works: 'Three Thousand Fragrant Worlds' by Nhat Chieu, 'Shining Southern Lands' by Hoang Kim Dang, 'Vietnamese Poetry After 1975: Appearance and Identity' by Nguyen Thanh Tam, and 'The Tale of Kieu in the Southern Region' by Nguyen Thanh Phong.

Eight class C awards went to: 'Gradually Shortening' by Hoang Dang Khoa, 'Southern Character Through Son Nam's Stories' by Dinh Thi Thanh Thuy, 'Dang Nhat Minh - Reaching the Core of the Self' by Le Thi Duong, 'Culture and Life - Reflective Perspectives' by Vu Dinh Anh, '80 Faces of Artists and Writers' by Phung Van Khai, and three journalistic works. Additionally, nine works received encouragement awards, and 16 collectives received commendation decisions for their contributions to propagating, popularizing, and improving the quality of theoretical and critical literary and artistic works in 2024.

The award ceremony for theoretical and critical literary and artistic works is an annual event recognizing works of high scientific and practical value. In its 11th edition, the organizing committee received 76 submitted works, selecting 14 books and nine articles, or sets of articles, for recognition.

Phuong Linh