Bac Giang (VNA)♋ – The Bac Giang provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism recently held a scientific seminar looking into the name of Bac Giang throughout different periods in history.

The event attracted a large number of scientists, historical and cultural researchers, along with central and local culture officials whose reports provided scientifically valuable evidence to delve deeper into the history of the name of the province. Prof. Dr Vu Minh Giang, Chairman of the Science and Training Council at the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, said the identification of the time when the name of Bac Giang first came into being is critical to enhancing knowledge about the province’s origin and promotion of local cultural heritage values. Opinions at the seminar focused on three periods of time: the Dinh dynasty (968 - 980), the Tran dynasty (1225 - 1400), and the Le So period (1428 - 1527) of the Hau Le (Later Le) dynasty (1428 - 1788). Participants also specified certain criteria for identifying the name: the locality must be an administrative unit, the name was recorded in trustworthy historical documentation, and the name in history must cover today’s Bac Giang province. Besides, the point of time when this name appeared must have links with historical events and figures, and also receive support from the public. After discussions, scientists were inclined towards the hypothesis that the Dinh dynasty was the originator of the name of Bac Giang as this period was the era of national reestablishment. According to historical records, the land which Bac Giang is now on used to have many different names and administrative boundaries. In the era of the Hung Kings (the 7th century - 2nd century BC), Bac Giang was part of the Vu Ninh region of Van Lang, the name of the Vietnamese State at that time. Under the rule of Chinese dynasties, it belonged to Tuong district (the Qin Dynasty, 214 - 209 BC). It was part of the Long Bien, Bac Doi, and Ke Tu districts (the Han dynasty, 111 BC - 220 AD), and Long Bien district (the Sui and Tang dynasties, 602 - 905). Vietnam’s Tien Le (Early Le) dynasty (980 - 1009) maintained the administrative division of the Tang dynasty. “Dao Bac Giang”, with “dao” used to call a type of administrative unit, came into being in the Dinh dynasty. The area formed part of “lo Bac Giang” during the reign of the Ly (1009 - 1225) and Tran dynasties, and part of “thua tuyen Bac Giang” during the Hau Le Dynasty. “Thua tuyen Bac Giang” was later renamed “tran Bac Ninh” and then Bac Ninh province in 1831. “Lo”, “thua tuyen”, and “tran” were the names of administrative units from the past. On October 10, 1895, Bac Ninh province was divided into two provinces – Bac Giang and Bac Ninh. On October 27, 1962, the 2nd-tenure National Assembly issued a resolution merging Bac Giang and Bac Ninh into Ha Bac province. In 1997, under a resolution issued at the 10th session of the 9th-tenure National Assembly, Ha Bac was once again split into Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces. Do Tuan Khoa, Deputy Director of the Bac Giang provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the history of Bac Giang has been researched rather comprehensively. However, the identification of the point of time when the name “Bac Giang” first appeared is meant to specify not only name changes but also historical milestones. The specification of the time the name “Bac Giang” came into being as an administrative unit provides additional evidence of the rich history and culture as well the development of the land dating back to the Hung Kings era, he added./.