The Russian Journal of Vietnamese Studies

The article presents an analysis of the situation in Vietnam after the resignation of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc. It is shown that for the first time as a result of a large-scale anti-corruption campaign a member of the “Big Four” was was dismissed, however, in general, there are no reasons for major changes in Vietnam’s foreign and domestic policy, as well as in relation to major foreign players and investors. According to the author, Vietnam, after top-level personnel rotation, will continue stable relations with foreign partners in the traditional “more friends, less enemies” format, and in domestic politics, the implementation of the decisions of the XIII Congress of the CPV will be continued. It is concluded that regular resignations and bringing to justice of compromised high-ranking officials and representatives of big business allow to maintain controllability of the country and high authority of the central apparatus of the CPV, which leads the process. Otherwise, the processes will begin to control the party, which can lead to a loss of power and unpredictable political changes.

With the rapid development of the Internet, social networks have a strong influence on all aspects of student life. The article focuses on the analysis of the use of popular online platforms by students and the role of the latter in the educational process, leisure activities, family relationships, establishing social contacts, etc. The author also shares some suggestions for improving the efficiency of the use of social networks by students.

Current article is the second part of a research, dedicated to the collection of Oriental weapons of admiral Cornelis Tromp (1629-1691), which is now on display in the National Museum of Netherlands - Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam). Dutch museum-specialists approve that the wooden rack with the items of japanese-style cold weapons, firearms and weapon accessories, displayed on it, do originate from Tonkin (Northern Vietnam, in XVII century – the princedom of Đàng Ngoài). The author aims to check this approval and describes the constructive and decorative features of weapons, displayed on the rack. The weapons are typologically cathegorised as pole-arms, pole-bladed arms, bladed arms, throwing weapons and firearms. The author makes an attempt to confirm the existence of such weapons in Vietnam during the mentioned period. Several written and depictive sources are being considered in the article with that aim.

Concluding the research, the author makes following statements. The weapon-rack from the collection of Rijksmuseum is a precious material source on history of traditional weapons of South-East Asia. The weapons and weapon accessories, displayed on it, were highly likely manufactured in Tonkin (princedome of Đàng Ngoài) in first half- mid XVII century. The spears, sabers (swords), battle scythes/glaives and harquebuses do bear the traces of dominating influense of Japanese tradition. On the other hand, those items have some serious constructive differences (the way of fixing the blade/spearhead in a handle/pole and the shape of the harquebuse's butt).

The decorative elements of sabers are also interesting. They have engravings with the ornamental motifs, which are widespread in Vietnamese XVII century pictorial and decorative arts. An exemplar of a battle scythe, very similar to those ones from Rijksmuseum was discovered by the author on a photo made during the crownification celebrations in Huế in 1926.

The throwing weapons (two short bows) have the autochtonous construction confirmed by the depictive sources as well as the analogues in the museum-collections in Vietnam and abroad. The harquebuses come with the special overlay-covers which are not typical for the Japanese analogues.

The facts and statements, achieved during the research have a certain value for Vietnamese studies - especially for the history of Vietnamese traditional weapons, military tradition and material culture of Vietnam.

The goal of the paper is to study the tonal features of the Quốc Oai variant (former Hà Tây, Hà Nội nowaday). By use of instrumental phonetics, phonological description and comparative methods, the study presents the following results: (1) A description of tonal features of Quốc Oai using synchronic data; (2) A comparison of Quốc Oai with Thạch Thất tones and the urban Hà Nội tones to provide a broader view of Hà Tây tones; (3) A comparison of Quốc Oai tones with the tones of some neighboring Mường dialects in synchronous and chronological aspects, which help to establish a few details explaining the interesting nature of this dialect; (4) Finally, we also provide some interdisciplinary evidences to support the linguistic data. All kinds of data point to the idea that xứ Đoài, Ba Vì (including Quốc Oai in the past and present) is a mixed space of Việt-Mường culture. In this mixed space one may find similar features of all elements of culture, including linguistic similarities, especially in tones.

50 years ago, on January 27, 1973, «Agreement to end the war and restore peace in Vietnam» was signed in Paris. The article shows the vicissitudes of these negotiations, which lasted almost 5 years as a result of the fact that the United States stubbornly tried to force the DRV and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam to accept the American terms of the future agreement.

The author analyzes the main reasons for the successful completion of lengthy negotiations and signing аn agreement that meets the fundamental interests of the Vietnamese people. Among them, he names the decisive role of the political and diplomatic efforts of the Soviet Union and in this connection, expresses regret that in recent years these efforts have been assessed somewhat differently in Vietnamese historiography. The author analyzes a number of the most characteristic publications of Vietnamese scientists, which frankly downplay the role of the Soviet Union in the successful completion of the Paris talks, and in this regard, suggests that these “fresh approaches@ may be dictated by the new strategic interests of Hanoi.

The review is provided for the book "Vu Dinh Long. The Cup of Poison", translated from Vietnamese into Russian by I. Britov. The first translation of the play into Russian was released on its centennial anniversary. Vu Dinh Long's play "The Cup of Poison" has an important historical and cultural significance since it marked the birth of the Vietnamese drama theater in 1921. This publication also includes a scientific apparatus, which consists of literary articles, translator's footnotes explaining Vietnamese realities, the original text of the play in Vietnamese and its first translation into French (1927), as well as a poem.