Vietnamese Culture After 35 Years of Renovation

This perspective viewing culture as the spiritual foundation of social life, as the goal and the driving force of development, and the building policy of an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity has been recorded in important documents of the Party and State since the late 1990s of the twentieth century. On the surface of society, that viewpoint was sometimes criticized as cliché and insubstantial. However, in reality, it has changed awareness, creating the foundation for culture to bloom, stimulating the revival of most of the traditional values that were previously neglected or even discriminated against, bringing Vietnamese culture back to its normal portrait, connecting with the past and through integration, penetrating deeply into world culture, and contributing to the common cultural treasure of the world community.

1.2. The view on cultural innovation gives people and social organizations the ability to intervene and solve social problems that arise from cultural causes, which have not been considered before. The culture’s self-regulation is also performed silently and sometimes outside of calculation.

Through use of its “soft power,” culture has increasingly deepened the national consciousness of Vietnamese nationality, clarified the nation’s history, and affirmed the sacred value of national independence and sovereignty. On the basis of “Healthy Nationalism” (Joseph S. Nye’s word, who proposed the doctrine of “soft power,” on assessment of Vietnam), culture has bent extreme views of some subjects and connected different concepts closer together than before.

This has occurred not only in the superficial phenomena of cultural activities, but also at the deeper layers within the content of the humanistic qualities of development, in its human, community and national dimensions. Vietnamese culture also has made some development with steps that were difficult to achieve before.

After more than 35 years, traditional culture has been fundamentally respected and restored. Vietnamese traditional culture has a history stretching back thousands of years which was older and more sustainable than in any country’s founding history. The new perspective on culture has stimulated the revival of most of the traditional values that were previously neglected or even discriminated against, allowing Vietnamese culture to return to its normal portrait, connected with the past.

Cultural values and identities, including local and ethnic cultural identities, such as Champa culture, Phù Nam culture, etc., have been studied more and more deeply and aroused a sense of objective humanity of the Vietnamese ethnic community’s existence in the independent and unified nation. The achievements of humanity’s civilization present in Vietnam, such as French culture in Vietnam, the achievements of the Nguyen Dynasty, etc. have been evaluated more and more rationally, and are inherent in the Vietnamese culture. The perception of society, especially of the organizations in charge of economic and cultural development along with social progress and justice, has been implemented in a more practical and effective way.

The tradition of being studious, thrifty, honest, and benevolent, while respecting the rules and regulations of the country has been promoted, respected and actively implemented by large segments of the population from all walks of life.

Basically, family education creates a fine culture and family still plays a role as the healthiest cell of society. In a system of social institutions, the family is still an institution containing the best qualities, strong and healthy enough to ensure a stable and secure development of society.

The desire for development, the will to be useful to society, and the enthusiasm to build a rich and strong country are expressed in many classes of population, from those with high-level responsibilities to ordinary working people.

1.3. Tangible and intangible cultural values(1) are determined and evaluated according to international standards. Notably, many tangible and intangible cultural heritages, natural heritages and world memory heritages have been recognized by the international community in Vietnam (UNESCO 2021: Vietnam). The cultural life, day by day, is forming new cultural patterns.

In many forms of cultural activity, the Vietnamese cultural value system is no longer out of place, gradually narrowing the backward gap compared to the outside world. Cultural exchange and acculturation has expanded. Most cultural activities have been modernized. Public authorities’ culture, market culture, behavior culture, and integration culture have become associated closer to the region and the world. When evaluating many cultural activities such as those found in showbiz, events, fashion, conferences, tourism and hospitality, food, and the IT social network, Vietnam is no longer inferior to other aged and developed cultures. Even in some specific cultural activities, Vietnam’s culture has proven to be classic and has made a positive impression in the international arena. The 2017 APEC Summit in Da Nang, the 2019 US-North Korea Summit, sending its military forces in UN peacekeeping forces are outstanding examples of Vietnam’s cultural phenomena.

1.4. Regarding political culture, public authorities’ culture, foreign affairs and diplomacy culture, police culture, military culture, school culture, etc., the Vietnamese cultural value system also has many bright spots, with standards close to the rest of the world, although these areas are still heavily criticized both internally and externally.

In spite of many limitations and shortcomings in science and education, there have been relatively clear developments towards integration. Vietnamese people are said to be active and intelligent. Vietnamese students have continuously achieved very high rankings in international competitions in STEM. In addition, Vietnam is also one of the few countries where about two-thirds of the population are technology platform users, as measured in use of the Internet, social networks, and smartphones which are now necessary for cultural development.

1.5. Thus, after more than 35 years of Renovation and Integration, from a cultural perspective, by shedding formulaic and rigid notions, awakening traditional values and identities, and absorbing reasonable factors from outside, Vietnam has escaped the limitations of an outdated approach and quickly merged into the common flow of human culture and civilization. Many Vietnamese tangible and intangible cultural values have been recognized as world heritage and world memory heritage. Vietnamese people have been named to the list of World Cultural Celebrities. The standards of world cultural activities have been widely applied in Vietnam. The position of being “weird, unlike anyone” has gradually decreased. Different types of Vietnamese culture are increasingly known and positively appreciated by the world community.

Additionally, the cultural life of the majority of the population has changed for the better, including those in remote areas. From a poor, underdeveloped country, the income and cultural life of many classes of people have been improved in terms of both vocational qualifications and quality of life. Vietnam has a moderate GDP, fine economic rank and as of 2020, the highest foreign exchange reserves ever. Vietnam is one of the countries with remarkable and continuous progress in their human development index (HDI). The trend of the HDI index being higher than the economic index has been maintained for more than 25 years. In 2020, for the first time, Vietnam was ranked among the top 52 countries with a high Human Development Index (High HDI: 0.700-0,800, HDR 2020). The average life expectancy has improved in comparison to other countries and will continue to increase. Over the past three decades, about 50 million people have been lifted out of poverty. Vietnam reached the goal 10 years earlier than its commitment to the United Nations for the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), and this was highly admired by the international community (ADB, 2021).

In fact, culture has permeated the country’s development method – from rigid, bookish, subjective, and dogmatic to a new, more flexible, realistic, and dynamic style – that releases endogenous resources, uses external forces, and absorbs the strength and quintessence of external cultures and civilizations, bringing Vietnam closer to the mainstream and standards of the world community.

Evaluating Vietnamese culture after 35 years of renovation, the Document of the 13th Party Congress affirmed that “The awareness of culture, society and people is becoming more and more comprehensive and profound. The fields, types and products of culture have developed more and more diversely, meeting new and multifaceted needs of social life. Many traditional cultural values and heritages are inherited, preserved and promoted. Culture in politics and the economy was initially valued and promoted with positive effects. International cultural exchange, cooperation and integration activities flourished. The comprehensive development of the Vietnamese people is gradually becoming the core of the socio-economic development strategy. This has been done by focusing on criticizing, fighting and repelling evil, backwardness, opposing views and wrongdoing which are harmful to culture and people’s lifestyle(2).

2. Vietnamese culture after 35 years of renovation: limitations and obstacles to development

Vietnam’s society today contains a couple of contradictions. The country has integrated deeply and developed relatively quickly, in spite of the previous financial crisis and the current Covid-19 pandemic. The socio-economic front has many bright spots which are highly esteemed by international organizations and the world community. With undeniable progress, Vietnam’s international reputation is remarkably expanding. However, from other perspectives, the value of Vietnamese society still has “dark areas” of concern. There remain some nonvalue phenomena, even contrasts to the value of society in the overall portrait of Vietnamese culture.

Assessing the limitations of today’s culture, the 13th Party Congress’s document clearly states: “Culture has not been given adequate attention compared to economy and politics, thus, it has not become an endogenous resource and motivation for the country’s sustainable development. The role of culture in building people has not been properly defined, and there is a tendency to attach importance to the mere entertainment function of culture. We need great works in culture, literature and the arts that vividly reflect the scale of the renovation process and have a positive effect on the population. The cultural and social environment continues to be polluted by social evils, corruption and negativity. The gap in cultural service among regions has widened, and cultural life in remote ethnic minority and isolated areas is still disadvantaged. The leadership, direction and management of culture still has many shortcomings, confusion, and delays in institutionalizing the Party’s views and policies on culture. Investment in culture is inadequate, unfocused, and inefficient. We need effective solutions to prevent and reverse serious degradation in some aspects of culture, morality, and lifestyle which cause social outrage. The mass media system still has many limitations. Some press agencies have shown signs of moving away from their principles and towards commercialization. Social network management should be enhanced. The quality and quantity of cultural cadres has not yet met the demand for cultural development in the new period. The introduction and promotion of Vietnamese culture abroad is not strong. There are some limitations in receiving the quintessence of world culture”(3).

2.1. Social crime is a typical sign of human corruption and moral degradation.

In spite of the decline in criminal activity during the fourth wave of Covid-19, some serious crimes have created a shock to society, according to reports from the Ministry of Public Security, the Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption, the Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly, and in press news on security and social order, etc. In addition, there has been an increase in drug addiction and drug trafficking crimes. Although Vietnamese laws are among the strictest for drug crime, it still increases. In 2019, the National Assembly warned that Vietnam was at risk of becoming a hub for international drug trafficking. Drug crimes directly destroy society’s best efforts in human development. It is detrimental because, according to the Minister of Public Security at the question-and-answer session to the National Assembly on June 4, 2019, a surge in drug crime will cause an increase in other types of crime. When a cake of heroin is trafficked into Vietnam, ten families are involved in the crime (baochinhphu.vn, June 4, 2019).

2.2. Education and health were previously envisioned as areas where people could not be corrupted, but now face many challenges.

In education, many problems that are difficult to solve occur in both management, administration and school activities. For example, the textbook content issue, the autonomy of educational institutions, scandals at some universities, examination cheating, diploma trading, school violence, the degradation of teachers, pedophilia, sexual harassment in schools, etc. For many years, education has become a hot agenda of the National Assembly. In 2020, the problems in education were the buying and selling of degrees, cheating in international publications, and irresponsibility in compiling Grade 1 textbooks. In 2021, the problems posed to education are how to ensure “real learning, real talent” and the quality of elearning. But still, the problems in education still occur (Mpm.chinhphu.vn, May 6, 2021).

While the health sector in recent years is considered to have made great progress at both the professional level and in organization according to new policies, there is still stagnation in the deterioration of the relationship between the doctor and the patient. Health policy has many problems that are difficult to solve. An emblement occurs more often in health care activities, even amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Some health workers do not hesitate to self-seek for gains. And so, the humane nature of healthcare is harmed (4).

2.3. In the community value system, a warning was issued many years ago about the phenomenon of value deviation. But in recent years, this phenomenon has become increasingly severe. At present, the position between illusory fame and reality, labor and wealth, status and talent, money and humanity, ostentatiousness and humility, of indifference and altruism, and so on, were ominously abnormal.

In the public consciousness, some values have been inadvertently misplaced, both in daily life and in the mass media. Many honorable titles are far from reality. People pursue vanity. Unworthy status and position are honored, however talent associated with status is not really respected. Humility is seldom honored, and often ignored while the habit of showing off is seen everywhere, everyday.

In other words, in today’s value system, vanity is still fostered, because it is often unwittingly perceived by society as more important than reality. Immoral greed continues to exist, because in many cases, labor and wealth are not in a causal relationship. The greed for title and position still exists as many talented people are underestimated and misplaced in their job. Status is almost always respected, while the promotion and utilization of talented labor often faces many difficulties. Some people with high responsibilities are still careless with what they say. Money fetishism is common in some communities. Showiness often overwhelms modesty and is sometimes aided by mass media. Knowledge is inferior to degree, and some students are not fairly treated by the education system. Indifference seems to prevail both on the street and in the workplace. And the fake is still ubiquitous everyday and being ignored and considered as normal until it is prosecuted by the law.

The point is self-interest and pragmatism through the stimulation of the negative side of the market economy have made many people mistakenly believe that money and its promotion are the highest values of life. Fame, justice and prestige are purchasable. Falsehood has prevailed in many areas of social life, even in many cases overwhelming kindness and honesty. Once the community value sheet is skewed, of course, some values will be removed from their rightful place in the value system. Virtual worthless values will replace or ascend the throne. If labor, honesty and truthfulness are replaced by money and the promotion of fortune, the orientation of value will inevitably be ineffective, misaligned or disoriented.

2.4. It is undeniable that in all aspects of social life today, we can encounter lies and fakes. Fake diplomas, fake titles, fake knowledge, fake scientific publications, fake quality, fake medicine, wrong ages, statistics, audits, payments, votes, morality, etcetera have become common and are not shamed. Unfortunately, society allows the fake by ignoring it and keeping silence.

In substantial numbers of works and projects, the purpose stated in the documents is actually comprised of lies and wrong information, becoming a means for extraction and corruption. Some people are keen on passing through the legal loopholes in doing business. The self-interest and corruption in many national plans and projects become a driving force that some people strive for. Since 2016, the situation has been somewhat reduced thanks to the strong and determined anti-corruption campaign, even in the context of the Covid-19 epidemic. People have grounds to believe there is no forbidden zone in dealing with corruption, and criminals will have to pay the price sooner or later. However, it is undeniable that corruption in public property is still an implicit motive of many powerful officials. It is difficult to imagine their real motivation behind socio-economic projects, if not corruption.

Of course, the point is the loss of human virtues. However, with further perspective, it is the economic institutions and social mechanisms that have long nurtured a situation in which most jobs and labor are not paid commensurately, especially in the state sector. Consequently, actual merit is not worthy of people’s real effort. This was partly due to extractive institutions. Vietnamese society for decades has found its own way for survival, in the worst way – through lies and fraud. In turn, falsehood seeks to defend itself in flawed institutions, using legal loopholes, exploiting rigid regulations or pursuing self-interest in policies, etc.

In terms of social life, there are two trends orienting values that rarely coincide. Ideal and expected values are warmly promoted and intentionally honored to guide human thought and behavior, but often do not achieve much. In contrast, the implicit values silently show their power. In the intense instinctive flow of social life, if the legal institutions are not strong and strict enough, the implicit values will go through legal loopholes to satisfy both legitimate and illegitimate needs. The bad, the evil and the unreasonable in such cases sometimes spin out of control. That is the current problem of Vietnam’s cultural value system which we have to deal with.

Fortunately, thanks to the resolute attitude after years of fighting against corruption and social moral degradation, the social atmosphere has made a positive change partially restoring people’s confidence. The success of the fight against corruption, together with other socio-economic achievements, allows us to believe in the development of Vietnam. At the same time, we can hope that pressing issues that cause public outrage as mentioned above do not hinder the normal development of society. From another perspective, dealing with those risks also offers the opportunity for Vietnamese society to thoroughly resolve the conflicts and contradictions inside its body to reach higher and better values.

3. Conclusion

Talking about culture is actually talking about people. Culture is the spiritual foundation of society. Historically speaking, culture makes people – people are the product of culture. Culture is also a goal and a driving force of development. Therefore, to fix and overcome those limitations and inadequacies of culture, we must start to fix people, with changes to human behavior, activities and plans.

For writers and artists who hold the weapon to create literature and art, and are responsible for pioneering the awakening and enlightenment of the path for society to imagine the way ahead, they must first and foremost be an honest reflector of socio-cultural life. They should not find a reason to turn their backs on human lives, including workers who have lost their jobs due to the epidemic – the soldiers, doctors and benefactors who have sacrificed themselves for the community, fighting against visible and invisible enemies. Those who intentionally or unfortunately are entangled in corruption, those who dare to die to do good things, generals who dare to sacrifice their personal interests to shake off their rigid and dogmatic thinking, and soldiers who silently live on the border and islands to safeguard the peace. These lives need to be reflected in literature and art today.

The Resolution of the 9th Central Committee (11th Tenure) affirmed that culture must be placed equally with economics, politics and society. This means, for managers, entrepreneurs and in socio-economic development programs and projects, aside from economic goals, cultural goals must be set right from the beginning. The works must not only be economically profitable but also culturally profitable. The works must protect the culture and not spoil people.

Human culture is always a vital goal of social cultural development. If human culture becomes dull or extreme, society becomes deceitful or insecure. If human culture deviates or distorts, society becomes misguided and chaotic. If human culture is healthy and honest and righteousness is respected, society develops in a healthy manner, and people do not worry about unexpected things. Everyone will enjoy the happiness of his own life, no matter who he is.

Looking back at the thousands of years of Vietnamese society’s development, we can see Vietnamese culture’s regulating ability to resist negative impacts from both inside and out, and to strike back all evils. Being at the intersection of civilizations, Vietnam has always been a destination for people to establish a business and a place for the convergence of different religions, lifestyles and civilizations. Dong Son civilization, Sa Huynh culture, Dai Viet civilization from the Dinh and Le Dynasties to the twentieth century, were proven to be at an equal development level with other cultures and civilizations.

With such a long traditional culture, Vietnamese generations today are surely equipped with qualities of intelligence and creativity, courage and bravery, studiousness and industriousness, as well as tolerance and humanity which are necessary for the cause of national construction and defense. We stand on firm ground to believe that, after 35 years of renovation, Vietnamese culture and its people have sufficient conditions, potential and strength to realize the national development goals set by the 13th Party Congress./.