60 years ago, on December 2nd, 1953, in Tan Trao – a historic place in Viet Bac (the Northernmost Vietnam base), an organization for social and human science studies under the Central Committee of the Vietnam Labour Party named as the “Department of History, Geography, Literature” was founded, and headed by Professor Tran Huy Lieu, a historian at the time. This organization is the predecessor of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) today. | 60 Years of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences 60 YEARS OF THE VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES NGUYEN XUAN THANG * 60 years ago, on December 2nd, 1953, in Tan Trao – a historic place in Viet Bac (the Northernmost Vietnam base), an organization for social and human science studies under the Central Committee of the Vietnam Labour Party named as the “Department of History, Geography, Literature” was founded, and headed by Professor Tran Huy Lieu, a historian at the time. This organization is the predecessor of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) today. 1. A brief of history and development Throughout 60 years, under different names (for example, the Department of History, Geography, Literature, the Institute of Social Sciences, the Vietnam Committee for Social Sciences, the National Center for Social Sciences and Humanities to meet different missions and tasks of the cause for national construction, defense and development, since February 22nd, 2013, the name Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences has been officially announced, reflecting the best the functions, potentials and intellectual strengths of a research institution for conducting macro, strategic, comprehensive and systematic studies in social and human sciences. This is also happy and encouraging news to and warmly welcomed by the Vietnamese social scientists nationwide. Having fulfilled the assigned functions and tasks of conducting fundamental studies, development studies, and training of a high-quality human resource in social sciences, providing policy advice and consultancy, for 60 years, the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences has undergone outstanding developments, gained many important scientific achievements, making valuable contributions to the cause of national liberation and unification, renovation and socialist construction, and for national development and national defense.(*) During 1953 to 1986, the social scientists of VASS focused their studies on national independence, the
