Nhật dụng thường đàm  is a dictionary composed by Phạm Đình Hổ (1768-1839). This is a small Sino-Vietnamese bilingual dictionary, explaining Han script based on Nom script and arranged in 32 categories such as: Astronomy, Order of morality, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Body, Dwelling-house, Effects, Food, Fruits, Appliances, Weapons, Disease, Beasts, Insects etc…Not much terms but it could be considered as enough to learn and know common words and phrases. This dictionary is also used as a document to compare the differences of words by giving explanation the meanings of Han script based on Nom script.

Bilingual dictionary “Nhật dụng thường đàm” has been kept in the National Library of Vietnam presently with the library number is R.1726. It was engraved in the Tự Đức 4^th year by Đồng Văn Trai printing house. In addition to the cover and preface pages, this book includes 52 sheets and printed in dó paper. The content is divided into 32 categories. Each category is separated into various entries. Each entry is divided into 2 parts: one part is Han script and another is the explanation part for Han script based on Nom script. For example 天Thiên: 羅𡗶is the sky; Nhật 日:羅𩈘𡗶  is the sun.

As an objective of Vietnamese Nom Preservation Foundation (VNPF), we continue digitizing the dictionary named Nhật Dụng Thường Đàm based on the result of “Digital library of Han Nom books” cooperated between the National Library of Vietnam (NLV) and The Vietnamese Nom Preservation Foundation (VNPF). Hoping that this dictionary (digital number: nlvnpf-0693; library number: R.1726) is an useful tool for students in general and Han Nom students in particular. Especially is for people who start learning Han Nom.

DictionariumAnamitico Latinum (dictionary Taberd) was published the first time in 1838 at the J. Marshnam printing house (Serampore, India). And the most recent edition is in 2004 under the cooperation of the National Center for Vietnamse Research and Literature Publishing House. This is the old dictionary recording  Nom and Quoc Ngu scripts 200 years ago. Particularly this work is compiled by a French bishop AJ.L Taberd. Taberd dictionary hole a very important position and a great value in understanding, researching and preserving the precious collection of  Vietnamese language, especially is ancient Vietnamese words that nolonger used nowadays. Therefore, reproduction, digital development of electronic documents in textual form is  very necessary to store, preserve and promote widely.

This work is build relied on the re-printed version in 2004 with method of image digitizationwith an aim to keep the original. It can be considered as one of the useful lookup tool for scientific researchers in general and for those researching on special texts like Nom script in particular. Taberd dictionary is created with the purpose of searching for information in image form. Besides preface and instruction parts, we focus on designing lookup tools into 2 main entries:

• Radical lookup
• Quoc Ngu lookup

VNPF digitized this work following to the result: “Han Nom special collection digitization” co-operated between NLV and VNPF (digital number: nlvnpf-0064 ; library number: R.1560)

Chinh Phu Ngam is the song of a wife or another name called Chinh Phụng Ngâm khúc written by the author Đặng Trần Côn in 1741 in Cảnh Hưng pre-period and laterwidely translated into Nom poem.

VNPF digitized this work following to the result: “ Han Nom special collection digitization” co-operated between NLV and VNPF (digital number: nlvnpf-0059 ; library number: R.403)

In the story of Luc Van Tien, Nguyen Dinh Chieu depicted a society in which leading central characters are Luc Van Tien and Kieu Nguyet Nga who are symbolic of talent, intelligence, human dignity. There are people of high endowment, profound knowledge. Although each person is different in facial features, they still have the same points. That is “upright”, “brave”, “unselfish” and “a sense of honour”. They are willing to help others regardless of difficulties and dangers, raising high will to do good “giữa đường gặp sự bất bình chẳng tha”. They always approve reason in each thought and action. These beautiful dignities are representative of Vietnamese people in general and Southern people in particular. They have been formed and fostered in the process of exploiting and expanding the south country so it is clearly shown in the characteristics of Southern people not only in the common people but also in the history books

The projectof building  a system to store information relating to the family generations of Vietnamese on the internet Vietnam. Here is the project of VNPF to encourage Vietnamese families to archieve the information written in Nom script recorded in their family records of many families.

• Building image database of family records texts written in Han-Nom
• Designing the storage and lookup system for family records online
• Translating and connecting information for the family records on the internet
• Restoring and printing requested family records volumes

• The dictionary called : “Giúp đọc Nôm và Hán Việt”
• Proceedings of Nôm International Conference in 2004 & 2006
• Kho Chữ Hán Nôm Mã Hoá ( Hán Nôm Coded Character Repertoire

HoXuan Huong was named the princess of Nom poetry, her poetry has stolen the hearts of  the mass of audiences and the elite in the society. Professor John Balaban has translated her poems into English including original Nom script and Quoc Ngu script  which was uploaded  in electric form for the easy approach of the readers

Participation in the workwith IRG from 2006 until now (international agency responsible for the world scripts and their display on the internet with 2 times a year meeting) working on the set of  ideographic characters  and divided into unicode plane

• BMP & Extension A(Vietnam with 5069 glyphs);
• Extension B (Vietnam with 4232 glyphs);
• Extension C (Vietnam with 784 glyphs);
• Extension D & E (Vietnam with 1327 glyphs).
   

Based on plane including IRG Vietnam (VNPF) to check standardized characters, unified characters, ... to put into Unicode.

National Library of Vietnam is holding and preserving a special collection including over 4000 Han Nom texts – a writing system in the past. Since 2006, NLV cooperated with VNPF to preserve as well as promote this very important cultural heritage by establishing a digital library. Images and data displayed on the internet thatthe readerssee is the first step of building a digital library to help guide theresearch of scholars, readers, and academics from inside and outside the country. The goal of this collaboration is to provide an easy approach with digital library for the collection of Han Nom texts at the National Library of Vietnam through the use of modern techniques of digitization, library science and informatiom.This is the first digital library which isapplied for these ancienttexts. Many texts of those have not been released yet because of its special characteristics.

Digital library is classified into 4 main categories:

• Classic with 369 volumes
• History with 156 volumes
• Philosophy with 324 volumes
• Literature with 399 volumes

Introduce about coded Han Nôm on the internet. This is the work with endless efforts of experts in the field of Hán Nôm and Information Technology which lasted during 15 years with an aim to giving Nôm characters into international coded characters (Unicode) and Viet coded characters.

Coded and selected Nôm characters both appear in this book as a way for persons in the domain of Han Nôm learning and persons in the field of IT using. The users can rely on this collection to find out rules on building the collection of Han Nom characters of Vietnam and of the world (following the standard of IRG and ISO)

Users can apply this collection to compose lookup table, compare between:

• Sets of Han Nom scripts
• Unicode and Nôm script
• Nôm script and Quoc Ngu script
• Reading syllable of Quoc Ngu script and shapes of Nôm characters)

This is a typical and great work for Vietnam literature of Nguyễn Du- a well-known author of Vietnam. At present, no answer for actual version of Kieu tale. Hereare 5 versions of Kieu posted on the VNPF website as a reference source for the readers:

• Kieu tale (version 1866) – Nguyễn Quảng Tuân transcripted and edited
• Kieu tale (version 1870) – Nguyễn Quảng Tuân transcripted and edited
• Kieu tale (version 1871) – Nguyễn Quảng Tuân transcripted and edited
• Kieu tale (version 1872) – Prof. Nguyễn Tài Cẩn transcripted and edited
• Kieu tale (version 1902) – Nguyễn Thế and Phan Anh Dũng transcripted and edited

Digitized the book recorded Vietnam history from Hồng Bàng Thị dynasty (1278-1256 BC) to Lê dynasty 1697 AD. Uploaded on the internet following the order of history to create favourable condition for the readers to look up Vietnam history under electric form (the original Han and Nom scripts, transcriptions, translations, lookup)

• The 1^st time using Han Nom font following international standard to re-edit and print the book “Help to read Nom and Han Viet” of the author Trần Văn Kiệm
• Uploaded “Hep to read Nôm and Han Viet” on the web as a form of electric dictionary

• Update VNPF projects frequently
• Provide information for VNPF’s activities
• Serve the readers in preserving  and promoting the value of Nom script

Build useful tool to lookup Nôm characters based on the database of 38,773 entries which allow the users to find:

• Quốc ngữ script
• Shapes of Hán Nôm characters
• Code point
• English
• Mandarin and Quảng Đông (reading syllables)
• Radical set and stroke counts

• True type font with 22922 characters updated regularly from 2003 until this time
• Font management database for 22922 characters and 38773 entries with structures
  • Code point
  • Tự dạng Nôm or shape of Nôm character
  • Variants of Nôm character
  • Quốc Ngữ script
  • Temple of word couples
  • Component 1 for reading syllable
  • Component 1 for code point
  • Component 1 (shape of Nôm character)
  • Component 2 for reading syllables
  • Component 2 for code point
  • Component 2 (shape of Nôm character)
  • Radical
  • Radical code
  • Stroke counts
  • Context
  • English
  • Mandarin
  • Cantonese
  • Khang Hy code