By: VASE—Vietnam

The Vietnam Association of Science Editing (VASE) had its first General Assembly on June 18, 2016 in Hanoi. The event was attended by Mr. Nguyen Minh Hong, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications; Professor Dang Vu Minh, president of Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations; Professor Jong Kyu Ha, president of CASE; and Professor Hyungsun Kim, general secretary of CASE. The event attracted 180 participants, many of whom were leaders from universities and publishing and research institutions in Vietnam.

The event welcomed a representative from the Ministry of Home Affairs to announce the official decision to recognize VASE as a legal association. The regulation and activity plan of the association were also discussed at the meeting. The first General Assembly successfully decided on the organization of the association, including the members of the executive committee, the standing committee, and the inspection committee and the leadership of the organization—president, vice president, and general secretary.

Professor Banh Tien Long, the leader of the steering board, was elected the first president of VASE.

The administrative procedure and the preparation process for the establishment of the association were carried out between August 2014 and July 2016.

It began with the establishment of a steering board, which is in charge of consulting national scientists, requesting formal recognition of the steering board by the Ministry of Science and Technology, and working with relevant departments of the Ministry of Science and Technology and other governmental institutions. Next, the Ministry of Science and Technology consulted with other ministries and independent scientists before issuing the decision of formal recognition of the VASE steering board.

Subsequently, the process of requesting the recognition of the formal establishment of the association was filed. The document submitted together with the requesting letter included 100 membership applications, the formal statement of the association location, the regulation of the association, and the development strategy. Based on the information provided, the Ministry of Internal Affairs consulted with the relevant governmental organizations, including the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Public Security, the Central Committee for Propaganda and Education, the Central Commission of Mass Mobilization, and the Vietnam Association for Scientific and Technological Information. The VASE steering committee had to answer in detail the questions that resulted from this consultation process.

The final decision number 602/QD-BNV, dated April 6 by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, has formally recognized VASE.

The establishment of VASE hopefully unites and therefore supports the editors and scientists in Vietnam as well as integrates publications in Vietnam to the international level.