1. The position, requirements, and functions of the national value system in the period in which Vietnam strives to become a socialist-oriented developed country

The national value system is the combined result of the values, needs and requirements of the country’s progressive development. That value system includes values linked together in a hierarchical system, performing certain social functions. This is a system of fundamental, core and general values or standards, covering and governing all fields and activities of national life. It includes typical traditional values and contemporary values that reflect the general interests of the nation and of all members of society. Therefore, it plays the role of guide, striving for, and practicing the foundation, core, and overarching nature of the nation.

Although the national value system is not identical, it is closely related to the construction of a new cultural value system, family value system and new human standards in Vietnam. The building of this system of values and standards will create a directional basis to shape and develop the social spiritual foundation, becoming the fundamental, core and general endogenous resource of Vietnam in the period of striving to become a socialist-oriented developed country by the middle of the twenty-first century. When instilled, aroused, strived for, and practiced by the whole nation, the national value system will “light the way for the nation” and create “national fighting spirit”.

In fact, every country has some national values that are expressed in the form of social norms, which are the regulators and the orientation of the society, especially for the basic virtues of the whole society and of each person in accordance with each development period. Even regions have their own values, for example, in 2012, the European Commission introduced five values that are highly valued by Europeans: (i) Peace; (ii) Democracy; (iii) Human Rights; (iv) Compliance with the law; (v) Solidarity⁽³⁾.

In Asia, in the 1980s, the Prime Minister Mahathia Mohammed (Malaysia) and the Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew (Singapore) repeatedly promoted Asian social standards. In the early 1990s, he stated, the values that East Asians are most interested in are: (i) Orderly society; (ii) Harmony in society; (iii) Ensuring accountability of government agencies; (iv) Being open to new ideas; (v) Freedom of speech; (vi) Respect for authority. The above-mentioned fundamental values contribute to Asian society keeping a fairly balanced environment for sustainable development.

Many Asian countries such as China, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and others have paid great attention to social value education. For example, Indonesia has introduced five Pancasila principles as a national philosophy to ensure the unity of this archipelagic nation: (i) Religious beliefs; (ii) Humanism and civilization; (iii) Unity in one country (nationalism); (iv) Democracy; (v) Social justice⁽⁴⁾.

In our country, the Platform for National Construction in the Transitional Period to Socialism (1991) and the Additional Platform for Development in 2011 have identified a socialist social model with 8 characteristics that our people build. These features are the expression of major national values. In 2021, the National Cultural Conference systematized, generalized and oriented quite clearly the basic content of the national value system, cultural value system, family value system and Vietnamese human standards in the New Era.

Over more than 35 years of renovation, from theoretical awareness to practical activities; from economic, political, and social renovation to renovation in culture, education, national defense, security, and international integration so that we can strive to “take off” from a developing country to become a socialist-oriented developed country by the middle of the twenty-first century.

The subject of that comprehensive renovation is not only the Party and the State but also all Vietnamese people, in order to ensure national unity between the interests of the State, the interests of society, the interests of the family and each individual. All constitute common interests reflected in and through the national value system. This value system must be derived from, and basically based on the Vietnamese cultural value system, and at the same time be the result of the synthesis of values and requirements for progressive development.

The national value system both deeply reflects the foundation, the core and generality of vivid reality, as well as the will and aspiration of the nation to create a common goal to strive to become a developed country by the middle of twenty-first century. That reflection, first of all, is basically reflected in Ho Chi Minh thought, the Party’s policies and guidelines, the State’s policies and laws, and the will of the Party and the people.

Thereby, the national value system can perform the following functions: (a) Orientation: shaping, developing, establishing fundamental, core and general values in thinking and acting; arousing, guiding beliefs, encouraging individuals and communities in society to implement and follow; (b) Evaluation: through the judgment of individuals and communities in society on different levels of implementation, trends develop in the process of striving to become a developed country by the middle of the twenty-first century; (c) Adjustment: adjusting the behavior of individuals and the actions of the community in society in order to promote and appraise correct actions and good behaviors; regulating actions and behaviors that deviate from the national value orientation by means of “self-consciousness”, self-criticism or by law.

2. The practice of building a national value system during the renovation process

The premise for building and perfecting the national value system is to build and perfect the cultural value system, family value system and new human standards in Vietnam. During the renovation period, the Resolution of the 5^th Party Central Committee, 8th term on building and developing an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity, for the first time required: “Preserve and promote the cultural heritage of the nation, creating new cultural and socialist values, making those values permeate into the life of the whole society and each person, becoming progressive psychologically and civilized habits, etc”⁽⁵⁾.

Also, the 10^th National Party Congress (2006) emphasized: “Building and perfecting the values and personality of the Vietnamese people, protecting and promoting the national cultural identity in the period of industrialization, modernization and international integration”⁽⁶⁾. The 10^th National Party Congress requested: “Summarizing and building a common value system of the Vietnamese people in the period of industrialization, modernization and international integration”⁽⁷⁾.

Inheriting and developing the guiding viewpoints and ideology in the field of culture through the Party congresses and the Central Conferences, the 8th National Party Congress raised the issue of building a national value system, a national cultural value system, family value system and new human standards in Vietnam. That, thereby, contributes to “arousing the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country, promoting the will and strength of national unity combined with the strength of the times; comprehensively and synchronously promoting the renovation work; firmly building and defending the Fatherland, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment; striving by the middle of the twenty-first century for our country to become a socialist-oriented developed country”⁽⁸⁾.

When building and perfecting the national value system, cultural value system, family value system and new human standards, Vietnam needs to thoroughly grasp Ho Chi Minh Thought on building a new life, culture, and a new people. From there, it needs to affirm and promote the human nature of the people and the nation, especially in the process of mobilizing and developing towards socialist progress.

In which, the cultural value system contains the most basic values of the national value system, which is first and foremost nurtured by family culture, contributing to the creation of a modern, civilized culture imbued with humanity, advanced, imbued with national identity, democracy and science. It is a fundamental part of the national value system and a fundamental attribute that fosters, arouses, promotes, and develops the family culture and standards of the new Vietnamese people.

The family value system is the integration and synthesis of values of the only natural community out of all social communities. The family bears the core mark of social existence. The economic function, the educational function of the family can be largely transferred to the society, can be socialized at a very high level, while the emotional function of the family is very difficult to fully socialize. How the family value system acts as a natural filter that regulates and positively transforms the humanistic attribute of the national value system depends very much on the socialization of family values. The family value system is being built and perfected by the Vietnam Women’s Union according to the core values and foundation: prosperity, happiness, progress, and civilization.

The new human standard is the combined result of all three national, cultural and family value systems, and man as a subject also creates these three values. This standard is a combination of traditional values that have been accumulated so far, with new values formed in the process of national development, especially during the renovation process such as patriotism, solidarity, self-reliance, affection, honesty, responsibility, discipline, and creativity⁽⁹⁾. These human standards are actually cultural values and are basically nurtured by and reflected in the family value system. These standards are summarized by Professor. Tran Van Giau as: (i) patriotism; (ii) diligence; (iii) heroism; (iv) creativity; (v) optimism; (vi) compassion; (vii) gratitude⁽¹⁰⁾.

The new human standard system and the Vietnamese cultural and family value system, which are generally similar to the five sustainable values, cultivated throughout the nation’s history, have been summarized in the Resolution of the 5^th Central Committee of the 8^th term on “Building an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity” which is: (i) Passionate patriotism, the will of national self-reliance; (ii) Solidarity, sense of community (individual - family - village - Fatherland); (iii) Kindness and tolerance; respect for love and morality; (iv) Diligence and creativity in work; (v) Subtlety in behavior, simplicity in lifestyle, which are clearly shown through 7 characteristics (or features) of Vietnamese culture and people, mentioned in Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW dated 9^th June 2014 of the 9th Central Conference of the 9^th term “On building and developing Vietnamese culture and for the people to meet the requirements of sustainable development of the country” which includes: patriotism, compassion, gratitude, honesty, solidarity, industriousness, creativity⁽¹¹⁾.

On the basis of these values, it is possible to choose fundamental and core values that cover the interests of the State, society, the family and the people of Vietnam, to build and perfect the national value system which are modern, have civilized characteristics, humanity, advance, and are deeply imbued with national, democratic and scientific identity based on the country’s culture. Therefore, from the practice of building and perfecting a new cultural, family and human value system, the 13^th National Party Congress has a basis to set forth the requirements to build a national value system that is inseparable of the cultural value system, the family value system and the new human standards in Vietnam.

3. The values constituting to the national value system during the period in which Vietnam becomes a socialist-oriented developed country

Currently, on this foundation, a basic value system of 9 values and the noble goals of our nation including: peace, unity, independence, a rich people, a strong country, democracy, justice, civilization, and happiness was formed after the National Cultural Conference (24^th November 2021). In addition, the two values of patriotism and solidarity can be added to complete a step of forming the national value system which includes the 11 aforementioned values. Specifically:

Patriotism: means the precious tradition of our nation in building and defending the country. It is an independent value, as well as a value that permeates and runs through and dominates other values in the national value system. Patriotism is associated with independence, self-reliance, heroism, solidarity, and unity. It is also deeply associated with compassion, industriousness, flexibility, and creativity in nation building and defense.

Peace: means the will, aspiration, and the optimal value of the cause of nation building and defense. Peace is also the optimal condition for arousing, promoting and developing the national value system.

Solidarity: means the precious tradition of the nation in nation building and defense. Patriotism, unity, compassion, diligence, flexibility, creativity, etc., and the national value system in general are aroused, promoted, and developed from solidarity.

Unity: means the will and aspiration of the nation and is the direct result of a high level of solidarity among social classes, ethnic groups, and regions. Unity and solidarity are endogenous resources of independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening and the national value system in general.

Independence: means the national will and aspiration in politics, economics, technology, culture, defense, security, international integration and the developmental direction of the country. Independence is the endogenous resource of self-reliance, etc., and the national value system in general.

A rich people: means the whole nation develops and becomes rich, according to Ho Chi Minh Thought: The poor have enough to eat, those who have enough to eat become rich, the rich get richer, no one is left in poverty, and at the same time developing the middle class. A rich people are rich in both material and spiritual aspects. A rich people must be associated with a strong nation.

A strong country: A country becomes strong due to the growth of the social community and their contribution to the development of the whole country, and at the same time enjoying the common fruits of national development. A strong country must be associated with a rich and strong people in terms of economics, politics, culture, society, national defense, security and international integration. A rich people and a strong country must rest on the foundation of peace, independence, unity, democracy, justice, civilization, and happiness of the people, reflecting the true nature and superiority of the socialist regime, and at the same time approaching the highest levels of civilization in the region and the world.

Democracy: Via democracy the people have the real mastery over the country and the homeland; this means guarantees of human rights, citizenship and the right to development of each person in economic, political, social and cultural aspects.

Equity: Expressing progressive social relationships between individuals and communities according to the human value “one for all, and all for one” and fair in terms of obligations and rights.

Civilization: means the good human relations in accordance with national cultural identity and quintessential human values in modern development.

Happiness: means the highest measure of the satisfaction of the people and communities for the development of the country.

The above values can be incorporated into the national value system. At the same time, from those national values, it is necessary to concretize into specific criteria and standards, suitable for each locality and each object in order to build cultural communities right from the ground up.

Specific criteria and standards on the national value system are for villages, agencies, schools, businesses, etc., to implement in connection with each locality. Those criteria and standards, if properly implemented, will gradually form new cultural behavioral patterns. That is the basic way to shape a new human standard, right from the social “cells” so that each and everyone can actively strive to contribute to develop Vietnam into a socialist-oriented developed country by the middle of the twenty-first century.

__________________

Received: November, 2022; Revised: January, 2023; Approved for publication: January 27, 2023.

Endnotes:

(1), (8) CPV: Documents of the 13^th National Party Congress, vol.1, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, p. 143, 35-36

(2) https://dangcongsan.vn/multimedia/mega-story/dua-he-gia-tri-quoc-gia-van-hoa-gia-dinh-va-chuan-muc-con-nguoi-viet-nam-vao-cuoc-song-623779.html.

(3) National Institute of Culture and Arts: Vietnamese people and cultural value system, National Culture Publishing House, Hanoi, 2018, p.25-26.

(4) Huynh Khai Vinh (editor): Some issues about lifestyle, ethics, social values standards, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2001, p.182-183.

(5) CPV: Document of the 5^th Conference of the 8th Central Committee, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1998, p.58.

(6) CPV: Document of the 10^th National Party Congress, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2006, p.106.

(7) CPV: Document of the 11^th National Party Congress, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.222.

(9) https://sotttt.sonla.gov.vn/1229/27531/6131/628795/thong-tin-tuyen-truyen/toan-van-phat-bieu-cua-tong-bi-thu-nguyen-phu-trong-tai-hoi-nghi-van-hoa-toan-quoc.

(10) Tran Van Giau: Spiritual values of the Vietnamese nation, Social Science Publishing House, Hanoi, 1980.

(11) CPV: Document of the 9^th Conference of the 11th Central Committee, Office of the Party Central Committee, Hanoi, 2014, p.47-49.

ASSOC.PROF.,DR. NGUYEN THANH TUAN