At the award ceremony, held in Paris last Thursday, Patrice Cosaert, chairman of the prize jury, praised the quality of the research and noted that the research improved people's knowledge on Vietnam and promoted the development of Vietnamese culture over the centuries.
He also said that the jury had worked very hard to determine which was the best research paper, as there were many high quality research papers on Vietnam by French scholars, such as those on Hanoi through photos and paintings, on ca tru (ceremonial singing), and Vietnamese tourism focusing on geological concerns.
Wisniewski said she had been to Vietnam four times, each trip lasting 2 to 8 months, and had travelled to archaeological sites in the northern province of Bac Ninh to gather samples and data.
She had worked on her PhD thesis for 7 years.
In her thesis, entitled Vietnamese Ancient Ceramics in the First 1,000 Years of Our Era, Wisniewski studied the typical features of Vietnamese ceramics, which were influenced by Chinese ceramic-making techniques since early periods.
Over time, Vietnamese artisans improved their skills and tools to produce special products, such as ceramic wares with clear glaze.
Wisniewski determined that the folk handicraft had been practised by early Vietnamese people, such as those in the Hoa Binh (12,000-10,000 BC) and Bac Son (10,000-8,000 BC) cultures and continued through the ceramic's golden period during the Ly and Tran reigns (11th - 14th century).
The Young Talent Grand Prize is given annually for research performed by French scholars in art, science and other fields relating for Vietnam. The prize is worth 3,000 euro (around US$4,100).
