Defining basic Vietnamese value systems in new era

Hanoi (VNA) – Value systems will orient and regulate each individual’s behaviours, preventing them from becoming disoriented under the impact of so many factors in the modern society.

At the national cultural conference in 2021, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong mentioned the requirement to build the Vietnamese people in the era of Doi Moi and integration with suitable values, in association with preserving and developing the values of the Vietnamese family and the national culture.

One year later, a national conference on "The Systems of National Values, Cultural Values, Family Values and Vietnamese Human Norms in the New Era” will be held to look back one year implementing the Party leader’s instruction and to bring concepts on value systems close to the people.

It will be co-organized by the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and Education, the Central Theoretical Council, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, and the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.

Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, chairman of the Vietnam Writers' Association, said that the conference is very important because defining Vietnamese cultural values is extremely difficult work.

“However, the implementation of those values in practical life is even more difficult,” he said.

Currently, as globalisation expands, like many countries, many Vietnamese cultural values start fading. Therefore, the traditional cultural identity must match the nation’s development and become an endless source of energy for the nation and a strong wall protecting Vietnamese values during an irresistible trend towards integration, said Thieu. 

The poet also said that if a country loses its cultural identity, it will be “invaded” by other lifestyles and ideologies.

Bui Hoai Son, standing member of the Committee for Culture-Education of the National Assembly (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Bui Hoai Son, standing member of the Committee for Culture-Education of the National Assembly, said the systems of national values, cultural values, family values and Vietnamese human norms are basic valid systems to guide the country’s cultural development.

Those value systems have been discussed for the past over one decade.

“They help us understand what we should and should not do, must and must not do, and form the foundation of public opinions supporting positive values in society,” Son said. 

The Chairman of the Central Council for Theory and Criticism of Literature and Arts, Nguyen The Ky, said that the conference would cultivate and enhance the awareness and knowledge of the culture of every citizen, as well as responsibility for the country and people.

Ky is particularly interested in how to inspire the desire for creativity and contribution among the contingent of cultural and art workers.

Talking to the press about the upcoming conference, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said it is a step in implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and thematic resolutions of the Party Central Committee on culture. The event is also expected to further clarify the related matters for the better implementation of the Party chief’s conclusion at the national cultural conference last year, according to Hung.

“We hope that the conference will define the content and components of the value systems in a concise and easy-to-understand manner, to help the entire populace understand thoroughly and deeply the national and cultural values,” said the minister.

The ministry will have the responsibility to advise Party committees and administrations at different levels in building those value systems, he said.

At the national cultural conference in 2021, Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong said culture is diversity. Vietnam’s soft power is expressed firstly in its attractiveness which comes from tangible and intangible cultural values, spiritual values, and Vietnamese people’s values.

“We must promote those values to create a national “brand” to attract the world, contributing to raising the national pride, and widely promoting cultural values," Trong said.

To pursue the goal, it needs to preserve and inherit the traditional values and promote the strengths of Vietnamese people in the drive. In this regard, culture must be placed in the same position with economy, politics, and society, he emphasized./.