1. Full name: Wei Hong Ping                                          2. Sex: Female

3. Date of birth: July 15th, 1982                                     4. Place of birth: Nan Ning, Quang Xi, China

5. Admission decision number: 1026/QĐ-XHNV-SĐH  dated 9 May 2013 from University of Social Sciences & Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

6. Changes in academic process: Extending study time (15 months) according to decision number số1563/QĐ-XHNV 16/05/2016, 4619/QĐ-XHNV 29/12/2016,1047/QĐ-XHNV 09/05/2017 of University of Social Sciences & Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

7. Official thesis title: “Geography Names of Zhuang in Chong Zuo, China (Comparing to the Tay Nung in Lang Son, Vietnam)”

8. Major: Linguistics of Ethnic Minorities of Vietnam                   9. Code: 62220109

10. Supervisor: Assoc. Prof., Dr. Nguyen Van Hieu

11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:

By examining the 1,147 geographical names of the Zhuang in Chong Zuo (Guangxi-China), the subject has shown an overall picture of the origins, meanings, compositions, cultural characteristics, and the way of identifying Zhuang’s place names. The thesis analyzes the three components of Zhuang’s place names, describing 51 common elements in Zhuang’s place names, establishing a syntactical relationship in Zhuang’s place names identity structure, and searching for problems related to semantic features of the geographical names of the Zhuang in the city of Chong Zuo. Three groups of identification methods were used in classifying and describing Zhuang’s place names: identification by description, identification by narrative, and identification by spiritual sustenance.

Based on the survey results of the geographical names of the Zhuang in Chong Zuo (Guangxi-China), the dissertation has conducted a comparative study with 375 geographical names of Tay Nung Lang Son Province, Vietnam. The comparison shows that the structure and content of the meaning of the place system is essentially the same. In addition, because of the linguistic contact with different subject languages, the place names in the two regions have varied in different directions. By comparison, the thesis explains the causes of these geographical names and the trend of their transformations, as well as outlines the relationship between the geographical names and the cultural history of the Zhuang ethnic group in China and the Tay Nung ethnic group in Vietnam.

12. Practical applicability:

On this basis, it contributes to the study of Tay Zhuang and the origin of Thái-Ka đai ethnic groups in general. The study will provide data to systematize the theoretical issues related to geographical names and topology study in Vietnam and China, as well as in the region. Research results will be a valuable source to contribute to the clarification of the geo-cultural landscape of the area and apply to further work on maps, by standardizing place names.

13. Further research directions:

The thesis initially examines the geographical names of Zhuang from the perspective of linguistic contact and cultural exposure. This is a difficult but exciting issue, and will be a part of my future study.

14. Thesis-related publications:

- Wei Hong Ping(2016), "The model of geographical names of Zhuang in Sung Ta, China (compared with Tay Nung in Lang Son, Vietnam)", Proceedings of the International Conference on "Research and Teaching Linguistics: Theoretical and Practical Issues", Faculty of Linguistics, Hanoi National University, Hanoi National University Press, pp.530-545.

- Wei Hong Ping(2016), "Exploring the Meaning of General Elements Demonstrating the Geographical Names of Tay Zhuang geographical names" Journal of Ethnic Studies (14), pp. 55-61.

- Wei Hong Ping(2016),"The changing of the Tay Zhuang’s geographical names (Comparison of geographical names of Zhuang Ethnic Identity in China's Chong Zuo City with the geographical names of Tay Nung Ethnic Identity in Lang Son Province, VN)", Proceedings of the International Conference on Cultural Science and the languages of the peoples in the cross between the nations of Southeast Asia, Thai Nguyen University Publishing House, pp. 472-476.

- Wei Hong Ping(2014),"Comparative study of topology between China and Vietnam", Journal of Bach Khoa Academy (3), pp. 104-108.