The Vietnamese Studies in the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences

On September 25 the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences celebrated its 55th anniversary. The article describes how the Institute, which was initially created mainly for researching China, has gradually turned into a multidimensional scientific Institution for studying not only China, but also Japan, the Korean Peninsula, the problems of the Asia-Pacific region, and the activities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The article includes the story how in 2008 the then director of the IFES RAS Academician M.L. Titarenko signed an order to include in the Institute's activities the study of Vietnam, which geographically, historically, and even spiritually is an integral part of the ancient Chinese area, as well as the research of the problems of ASEAN, where Vietnam has been playing an ever-increasing role since 1995. Over the 13 years the Vietnam and ASEAN Study Center has become the specialized headquarters for Vietnamese studies, bringing together highly qualified specialists on Vietnam and Southeast Asia. A small science division has achieved serious scientific and practical results, the recognition in the scientific world and, most importantly, the respect of the Vietnamese colleagues and politicians