The Department of Mongolian, Korean and Vietnamese Studies started its activities by opening a new study programme in Vietnamese Studies in 2019, then known as the Seminar of Vietnamese Studies. It is dedicated to research on several East Asian countries - the establishment of the department reflects the importance of the Vietnamese ethnic group in the country and the growing economic importance of Southeast Asia. Over a thousand years of independence, the Vietnamese have created a distinctive Asian culture and a major regional power. In the 20th century, due to international political developments, they made their way to the Czech Republic, where they exercised their considerable commercial talents and contributed to the ethnically diverse composition of society.