Vietnam: Valuation of materials must ensure the political, historical, comprehensive and general principles

According to Article 16 of the Law on Archives 2011 of Vietnam, valuation of materials must ensure the political, historical, comprehensive and general principles. Concurrently, valuation of materials must be based on the following basic indicators:

- Contents of materials;

- Position of the agency, organization or individual forming materials;

- Meaning of the event, time and place in which materials are formed;

- Level of integrity of the archival set;

- Form of materials;

- Physical conditions of materials.

Besides, a materials valuation council is formed to advise the head of an agency or organization in determining preservation duration, selecting materials for handing over to institutional archival unit, selecting archival materials of institutional archival unit for handing over to historical archival unit and sorting out invalid materials.

A material valuation council shall be decided for establishment by the head of an agency or organization, including:

- Council chairman;

- An archivist of the agency or organization will do as council secretary;

- The representative of leaders of the unit leaders having the materials will do as council member;

- A person who is conversant with the field of the materials being evaluated, will do as council member.

A material valuation council shall make collegial discussion and make conclusion by majority; different opinions must be written in the council meeting minutes for submission to the head of agency or organization.

Based on proposals of the material valuation council, the head of agency or organization shall decide on material preservation duration, select materials for handing over to institutional archival unit, select archival materials of institutional archival unit for handing over to historical archival unit; and disposal of invalid materials.

This content is specified in Article 18 of the Law on Archives 2011 of Vietnam.

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