by Mok Mei Feng

There are several libraries in Hanoi, like university libraries and institute libraries. Over the summer, I visited three of them.

Vien Han-Nom (Institute of Han-Nom Studies)

183 Dang Tien Dong street

http://www.hannom.org.vn/

Opening Hours: Mon-Thurs—0830-1145 hrs, 1400-1615 hrs; Friday—0830-1145 hrs

The Vien Han-Nom houses manuscripts dating from around the fourteenth century to circa. 1945. As the institute’s title indicates, its manuscripts are mainly in Nom (the demotic Vietnamese script) and traditional Chinese. Therefore, it is possible for researchers without a command of Vietnamese to utilize this resource. However, please note that with the exception of the senior librarians, most of the librarians do not speak either English or Chinese, and all the forms are in Vietnamese. Hence, it could prove highly tricky to do research without a command of basic Vietnamese. Furthermore, while the manuscripts themselves are in Chinese, the catalogue is in Chinese and French.

Home to about four thousand titles, approximately half of the collection is on Vietnamese literature. Although materials on history—e.g. local gazettes—are fairly limited, the Vien Han-Nom is an ideal place for history researchers who are interested in doing multi-disciplinary research on pre-twentieth century Vietnam, as the Vien Han-Nom houses volumes on geography, Buddhism and epigraphy amongst other things. An online catalogue of titles available can be found here: http://www.hannom.org.vn/default.asp?CatID=131

A lengthier description of what these titles contain can be found in the printed catalogue entitled Di San Han Nom Viet Nam, which is available in the reading room of the Han-Nom Institute. After identifying the items required, researchers have to write out the titles on request slips, and wait in the reading room for items to be delivered.

Research in the Vien Han-Nom can be time-consuming, due to several factors. Firstly, the library has short opening hours. Second, there is a request maximum of ten books a day, though this limit is rather flexible at times. Third, it is difficult to take away research materials. Photography of the manuscripts is by-permission only. Furthermore, photography of manuscripts with maps is strictly forbidden. A photocopying service is also provided, but once again, by permission only, and comes at a rather hefty price tag of 2000 dong per page (approximately SGD 0.17 at current exchange rates). Hence, majority of the researchers simply type out the manuscripts or copy it out.

In order to access the library, it would be ideal to e-mail one of the senior librarians beforehand. Upon arrival at the library, supply a letter of recommendation from your supervisor (if you are a graduate student), two passport photographs, and pay 30000 dong (about SGD 2.50) for a readership valid for six months.

EFEO (École Française d’extrême-orient) Library

5 Ha Hoi [an alley off Quang Trung Street]

Opening Hours: Monday-Friday—0800-1145, 1400-1645 hrs

The EFEO library’s collection was established on basis of charity (i.e. individual donations), and as with donated collections, the selection is eclectic. However, there are several aspects that make the EFEO library worthy of visiting. Firstly, it houses Vietnamese history classics, like the Dai Viet Nhat Thong Chi. Secondly, it is the most user-friendly library, as administrative procedures are limited.

To access the EFEO library, just walk in during the opening hours, and the librarian will hand you a form to fill up (which is in French). To access the collection, simply browse through the two catalogues available, and write down the books that you would like to see. The librarian will then retreive the books that you requested. You can either read it in the library, or if you want a copy of the book, you can either photograph the whole book, or pass the books you want photocopied to the librarian. However, users are only allowed to photocopy about five to six books a day. Do note that the librarian speaks mainly Vietnamese and French, though he knows a little English.

Vietnam National Library

31 Trang Thi Street

www.nlv.gov.vn

Opening Hours: Various sections have different opening hours, but all close by 2000 hrs

The Vietnam National Library is a repository of old out-of-print books, rare books, old newspapers, tool books, dictionaries etc. Therefore, it has several target groups, including local university students. However, for the history researcher, old out-of-print books, rare books and old newspapers should be of great interest, as the collection starts from the early 1900s.

Titles in the library can be searched from their intranet, available through the computer terminals in the lobby of the main building (Block D). Although the library houses some materials in foreign languages like French, English and Chinese, the search system is in Vietnamese. Hence, knowledge of basic Vietnamese is required to access the library’s collection.

While the library has some open-shelf books, most materials of greater interest to history researchers are available only upon request. Despite this extra procedure, taking away research materials is surprisingly easy. Due to lax and/or lack of copyright laws in Vietnam, one can simply go to the photocopy rooms that are available in all the different sections of the library, and ask the person manning the room to photocopy the whole book (at 200 dong per page). For those who do not want to be saddled with twenty-plus kilos of photocopied materials, or are reading microfilms and rare books, photographing the materials is also permitted.

To access the library, simply walk into the office located to the left of the main gate. Fill up a form, pay 30000 dong, and you will receive your readership (valid for one year) a few days later. Otherwise, it is also possible to access the library with your passport.

The author is currently a Masters candidate in the Department of History at the National University of Singapore. She’s researching a thesis on Luu Vinh Phuc (or Liu Yung-fu), a key personality during the Sino-French War in the late 19th Century.

Tags: EFEO Library Hanoi, Vien Han-Nom, Vietnam, Vietnam National Library

This entry was posted on Friday, August 8th, 2008 at 8:45 am and is filed under Researching History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.