The State Records and Archives Department of Việt Nam is the custodian of the government’s official records, both retrospective and current. It is responsible for: (i) preparing and submitting legislative documents on archives and records management to the Minister of Home Affairs for approval; (ii) submitting overall development strategies and policies, long term and annual plans on archives and records management to the Minister of Home Affairs for approval; (iii) issuing guidelines on the implementation of archival work and records management in accordance with the decisions of the Minister of Home Affairs; (iv) organising, guiding and inspecting the implementation of government stipulations on archives and records management; (v) Managing the holdings of the State Records and Archives Department, including (a) instructing, selecting, preserving and utilising records at National Archives Centre, at historical archives and at archives of government agencies, social and professional organisations, businesses and the armed forces, and (b) providing advice to individuals and families regarding the task of collecting, preserving and protecting private archives of national significance in accordance with prevailing laws; (vi) preparing state statistics on archives and records management; (vii) organising and conducting research work and applying scientific and technological advancements in archival work and records management; (viii) promoting international co-operation in the field of archival work and records management as directed by the Minister of Home Affairs; (ix) making decisions and guiding the implementation of the Administrative Reform Programme amongst divisions and units subordinated to the State Records and Archives Department as directed by the Minister of Home Affairs; (x) inspecting, checking and investigating complaints, and denouncing and dealing with violations of the law relating to archives and records management; and (xi) conducting training and retraining for archives and records management personnel and organising ‘Emulation Drives’ and rewarding good work in the field of archiving. The State Records and Archives Department has three archive centres, two in Hà Nội and one in Hồ Chí Minh City. In addition to its three public records repositories, the Department also operates a Centre for Scientific Research, an Information Technology Centre, a Centre for the Secure Preservation of National Archives and two secondary-level training schools – the Central Secondary School of Records Management and Archives 1 in Hà Nội and the Central Secondary School of Records Management and Archives 2 in Hồ Chí Minh City. These two secondary schools train middle-ranking staff in records management, archival, administrative and secretarial work. In addition the State Records and Archives Department regularly conducts short-term courses on records management and archives for staff of government institutions around the country. The current collection of the National Archives comprises approximately 30 linear kilometres of documents of national significance, in chữ Hán (classical Chinese), chữ nôm, French, English and Vietnamese. The earliest record stored here is a government document of 1488. Collections include land records and official court documents of the Nguyễn kings (1802-1945), French colonial government documents, private papers and audio-visual archives such as photographs, films and sound records. Unclassified documents are accessible to the public. The National Archives publishes the bimonthly Văn thư và Lưu trữ Việt Nam (Việt Nam Records and Archives) Magazine.