The theme was the main idea of Seoul National University Asia Center and called "Korea and Vietnam in the Modern and Contemporary Ages"

The conference revolves around the historical, political, economic and social issues concerning Vietnam, North Korea and South Korea since the Second World War, put in the relations and comparison among these countries. It is divided into 15 sub-panels dealing with the following contents: the process of de-colonization, modernization and urbanization in Vietnam and South Korea; the Cold War and its impact on Vietnam and South Korea; the economic, political and social transformations in Vietnam and South Korea since the 1950s; the Vietnam-North Korea-South Korea relations after 1945; the economic, cultural, educational, marriage, film and music cooperation and exchanges between South Korea and Vietnam.

The organizing committee

The participants

The academic council

The sub-panel

The main panel

The conference attracted over 50 participants from leading academic centers in the world. From Vietnam, apart from the scholars of USSH, VNU there were also academia from Hanoi University of Pedagogy, the Institute for Historical Studies - VASS, Hanoi Museum of Fine Arts, Hue University of Sciences, USSH-Ho Chi Minh city, Saigon University and many overseas Vietnamese undergraduates and graduates in South Korea.

The first conference titled "Vietnam and Korea as 'Longue Durée' Subject of Comparison" was held at USSH, VNU in March, 2017. As planned, the third conference will be held in Paris, France in the summer of 2019, whose topics include national unification, the economic, social, cultural and education transformations in Vietnam after unification and experiences for the Korean Penninsula. USSH, VNU Hanoi will once again serve as a co-organizer.