“How do we build an education that takes this history seriously? Not as background, not as tourism, but as the subject itself. [...] DGS students deserve to study their own heritage and our shared global heritage through a rigorous academic lens.” These were the opening thoughts shared by James Stringer, our Social Studies Teacher and Anthropology Club Advisor, at an Archaeology talk held on November 6. The event brought together DGS high school students and experts from the Faculty of History and Culture at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (USSH-VNU).

Joining the students for the talk were Dr. Nguyễn Văn Anh, Dean of the Faculty of History and Culture; Prof. Dr. Lâm Thị Mỹ Dung, Lecturer and former Head of the Department of Archaeology; and Dr. Hoàng Văn Diệp, History Lecturer. Through their insights, students discovered a different side of archaeology, far removed from the treasure-hunting adventures often portrayed in films or the famous ancient monuments they may have seen in books.

Dr. Hoàng Văn Diệp shared stories from the field: walking for kilometres along mountain paths to reach excavation sites, spending hours in uncomfortable positions to carefully document traces of the past, and conducting research in temperatures below zero. What keeps archaeologists going, he explained, is the excitement of uncovering a new trace, piecing together another part of a historical story, or finding evidence to support a scientific hypothesis.

To better understand how archaeologists uncover the past, DGS students did more than simply listen. They also had the chance to observe and examine artifacts brought in by the experts, exploring questions such as: How did people in the past live? How did they make and use their tools? And what can the objects they left behind tell us about societies that existed hundreds or even thousands of years ago?

These questions led to deeper conversations between students and the experts. Members of the DGS Anthropology Club also took part in a dedicated discussion session, where they explored topics they were interested in, asked questions, and learned more about archaeology. Their active participation and clear academic interests left a strong impression on the speakers. The experts were particularly surprised to see how early DGS students had begun developing their academic interests and how seriously they pursued the subjects they cared about.

The talk was also one of the activities bringing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between DGS and USSH-VNU in October 2026 to life. “Working alongside your faculty, and eventually alongside your students, will give them something no textbook can.” Mr. James added.

Engaging with the wider world also means understanding more deeply where we come from. This is part of the journey DGS hopes to take with its students: not only equipping them with the knowledge to step out into the world, but also helping them develop the understanding and perspective to know who they are within it.