The HCMC General Sciences Library held a cultural-heritage conference on preserving historic Han-Nom documents on November 25. The conference is organised to celebrate Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day (November 23) and to report the first phase of the project of collecting and digitalising Han-Nom documents in Hue and Phu Yen.

Nearly 100 participants including researchers and collectors, experts from the Vietnam National Library, the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and libraries from Danang to Ca Mau provinces discussed ways to preserve the old documents in Nom (old Vietnamese ideographic script adapted from Han Chinese script).

The HCMC General Science Library, Vietnam National Library, and archives and information agencies also talked about their experiences collecting ancient documents, their preservation and the promotion of their value.

Bui Xuan Duc, Director of the HCMC General Sciences Library, said after the loss of many Han-Nom documents due to storms in Hue and Phu Yen, the library started to collect them from the region for restoration and digitalisation.

The library is continuing its documents-finding trips to Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces with a special interest to find old papers which describe the location of Sai Gon-Gia Dinh, from the time when Nguyen Huu Canh first discovered the southern land, Duc said.

An exhibition featuring a collection of more than 100 articles and documents written in Han-Nom scripts including books, seals and administration papers form libraries, and collectors and researchers like Nguyen Van Pham and Tran Dinh Son, as well as digitalised versions was also presented.

The exhibition will open until November 27 at the HCMC General Sciences Libarary at 69 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1.