OPEN LETTER
To our esteemed Scientists of Bac Ninh homeland,
Sharing the common joy over the policy of establishing the new Bac Ninh Province — thereby opening up a vast development space and creating a solid foundation for Bac Ninh to soon strive toward becoming a centrally governed city — we have even greater grounds to believe in a bright and dynamic future for our ancestral land of Kinh Bac, rich in cultural tradition. Today, Bac Ninh ranks among the top 5 out of 34 provinces and cities nationwide in terms of GDP scale.
According to estimates compiled from the Temple of Literature – Quoc Tu Giam and the Bac Ninh Temple of Literature, the Kinh Bac homeland contributed approximately 677 out of 1,304–1,307 laureates — including Trang nguyen, Bang nhan, Tham hoa, Doctors and Junior Doctors — accounting for 51.8–51.9% of all imperial-exam scholars in Vietnam during the feudal era. This is a profound source of pride, affirming the long-standing tradition of valuing learning and the illustrious scholarly spirit of Bac Ninh – Kinh Bac.
Although comprehensive and absolutely accurate statistics are not yet available, preliminary estimates suggest that Bac Ninh Province currently has around 1,100 PhD holders; approximately 250 Professors and Associate Professors, including some 30–80 full Professors, working across nearly all fields: science and technology, education and training, healthcare, culture and society, economics, and public administration. This is truly a distinguished intellectual force capable of making direct contributions to the province’s new development aspirations.
In this context, the intellectual community of Bac Ninh — those who “awaken, enlighten, and pioneer” — should be further connected, organized, and unified within a representative, professional, and sustainable association. Guided by the principle: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”, we firmly believe that gathering Bac Ninh’s intellectuals within the Bac Ninh Scientific Association (tentative name) will generate collective strength and contribute significantly to formulating strategies for science–technology development, innovation, and policy-making for the province in this new era.
After consulting the leadership of Bac Ninh Province, the Chairman of the Provincial Fellowship Association, and many scientists originally from Bac Ninh (former) and Bac Giang, and in my capacity as the current Chairman of the Bac Giang Scientific Association*, I respectfully call upon all scientists of Bac Ninh origin — living and working both inside and outside Vietnam — to join hands in establishing our beloved Bac Ninh Scientific Association.
The provincial leadership, represented directly by Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, Director of the Bac Ninh Department of Science and Technology, has informed us that the Executive Committee of the Bac Ninh Scientific Association will soon be formed, with an initial working meeting expected at the end of December 2025.
We respectfully request that you share this Open Letter, through your professional networks, with colleagues, friends, and relatives who are intellectuals of Bac Ninh origin, so that we may soon finalize the organizational structure and consolidate the Association’s Executive Committee.
This Open Letter will be officially published on the website of the Bac Giang Scientific Association in Hanoi: hoikhoahocbacgiang.vn
We sincerely appreciate and look forward to your wholehearted participation.
* The Bac Giang Scientific Association in Hanoi was established on 17 March 2013, with an approved operational charter and website. To date, it has connected nearly 300 members; authored the “Development Strategy for the Bac Giang Intellectual Community to 2025, Vision to 2030”; provided consultation and critique on provincial documents, master plans, and socio-economic development strategies; contributed to the construction of the Memorial Site dedicated to Dr. Than Nhan Trung — author of the timeless declaration: “Talented people are the vital spirit of the nation”; and published two volumes on the lives and careers of 145 scientists (Vol. 1: 360 pages; Vol. 2: 540 pages), not only honoring their outstanding contributions but also serving as a source of inspiration that nurtures aspirations of today’s and future generations