A Vietnamese Corner at US Library of Congress

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It is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, films and video, audio recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The library is the main research arm of the US Congress and the home of the US Copyright Office.

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. Photo: VietnamPlus

The library dedicates a space to Southeast Asian nations, including Vietnam, with books capturing the Bach Dang battle in 938, which ended more than 1,000 years of Chinese domination of Vietnam, a map of north and central Vietnam published in Rome in 1650 from a French edition, Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu (The Complete Annals of Dai Viet) published in 1968 in Chinese and ancient Vietnamese scripts, and the oldest printed copies of Truyen Kieu (The Tale of Kieu) by great poet Nguyen Du (1766-1820), who was recognized as a world-famous personality by UNESCO at its 37th General Assembly in Paris in 2013.

Many works by President Ho Chi Minh and documents and articles on the late leader and other historical figures of Vietnam are also on the library shelves. Besides, there are more than 500 valuable documentaries about wars in Vietnam, which were presented to the library in 1975.

Doan Manh Tien, a Vietnamese-American library staff member, said he has learned about Vietnam’s history through books at the library, noting the books and documents kept there have great value not only for Americans but also for others around the world, especially researchers.

Ryan Wolfson Ford, a staff member of the Southeast Asia section at the library, said with 35,000 documents in Vietnamese, and more than 5,000 maps and geographical documents of Vietnam, the library provides a rich source of knowledge about the country.

Ryan Wolfson Ford, a staff member of the Southeast Asia section at the library. Photo: VietnamPlus

Notably, the map collection is diverse and collected from civilian agencies, the State Department, and various government agencies.

Tran Thi Kiem, a Vietnamese tourist who had visited the library for the first time, said she was overwhelmed by the vast collection of documents and books there. She and her husband felt moved when visiting the Southeast Asia reading room, seeing the books and images on Vietnam, and exploring the US from a completely different perspective.

The main reading room of the library. Photo: VietnamPlus

As of 2022, the library recorded more than 175.77 million items in different languages apart from English, employed 3,172 permanent staff members, and operated with a total budget authority of US$838.9 million.

On average, the library acquires about 2 million items annually. Some 22,000 items arrive each working day, from which about 10,000 items are added to the collections—according to guidelines outlined by the library’s collection policy statements and in consultation with library specialists and recommending officers./.

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