Inheriting and promoting decent national traditional values is a matter of law and an objective requirement in building and finalizing the theory about national renewal in Vietnam nowadays - Photo: dangcongsan.vn

In the most general sense, the theory about national renewal in Vietnam is the Party’s system of views on the dialectical laws of the construction and defense cause of the Socialist Fatherland of Vietnam. It is based on Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s thought, as well as inheriting and promoting the excellent traditional values of Vietnam, acquiring the cultural quintessence of humanity.

The Charter of the Communist Party of Vietnam clearly states: “The Party has taken Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s thought as the ideological foundation, the guiding principle for all actions, encouraged fine national traditions, absorbed the intellectual quintessence of mankind, fully grasped the objective laws, the epochal trend and the reality of the country in order to propose the proper political platform and revolutionary pathways in line with the people’s aspirations”⁽¹⁾. Inheriting and promoting decent national traditional values is a matter of law and an objective requirement in building and finalizing the theory about national renewal in Vietnam nowadays. 

1. The theory about national renewal in Vietnam is, first and foremost, the crystallization of intelligence and creativity of the whole Party and nation, reflecting the demands of life and the laws of the construction and defense cause of Vietnam in the new context, as well as, is the continuation of the noble traditions that forefathers honored in the process of constructing and defending the country.

Inheriting and encouraging national traditional values are just a matter of law and objective demands in formulating and finalizing the theory about national renewal. It not only affirms and maintains the beautiful traditional values that have been refined over time and tested in practice but also contributes to supplementing, developing and enriching the national traditions, enhancing their vitality, bringing into play their strength in the present, creating a solid premise on the path towards the future.

This process also indicates the dialectical relationship between tradition and modernity, the connection between the past, the present, and the future into a unified whole in Vietnam’s historical and ideological process. 

Thousands of years of history full of upheavals impacted by nature and human beings have accumulated and formed the outstanding traditional values ​​of our nation. They ​​are a crucial constituent of a unified culture in diversity, manifesting the cultural identity and character of the Vietnamese people and contributing to diversifying human cultural values. Practice proves that “We have possessed a long-established culture imbued with national identity, with various superior traditional values​​having been formed and upheld, becoming a driving force for the national development, uniting generations of Vietnamese people in the community closely, creating great strength, standing firm against all foreign cultural invasions”⁽²⁾.

As shown in the history and practical requirements of the country in the current context, traditional values, refined by time and tested in practice, need to be inherited and fostered in the process of finalizing the theory about the national renewal in Vietnam today. Those values are as follows:

Firstly, patriotic tradition and aspiration for an independent and powerful nation

Among the factors constituting the traditional value system of our nation, patriotic tradition and longing for an independent and powerful nation are typical values that bring about uniqueness to Vietnamese culture and people.

In the national tradition, patriotism is, first of all, represented in indomitable will and spirit against foreign aggression to protect the sovereignty and assert the existence of an independent nation. Besides, it is the spirit of national self-respect and self-reliance; and the yearning for an independent, free, affluent, and powerful country with happy people. Patriotism is, additionally, a reason for living, a motto for human conduct, a criterion for distinguishing between right and wrong perceptions, good and bad actions, and a basis for identifying human nature and qualities.

Up to now, most researchers have unanimously agreed that patriotism is ranked highest on the human scale of values and is the national identity of Vietnam. It has not only been Vietnamese people’s prevailing thoughts and feelings hitherto, but also the “red thread that runs through the entire history of Vietnam”, “the supreme, core, popular, and exemplary values, laying the foundation for all spiritual activities of our people through all periods”⁽³⁾.

President Ho Chi Minh emphasized: “Our people have boasted ardent patriotism. It is our valuable tradition. From the past until now, every time the nation is invaded, that spirit becomes vigorous, forming a huge and powerful wave, sweeping through all the perils and difficulties, engulfing those who betray and invade our country”⁽⁴⁾.

Secondly, the tradition of humanity and love of peace. 

Together with patriotism, humanity and peace-cherishing are among the distinctive features of Vietnamese culture and people, which compose national power, contributing to the cohesion of Vietnamese people to surmount all pitfalls and challenges.

The humanistic and peace-loving tradition is, above all, embodied in loving people, guaranteeing and respecting human rights and dignity; supporting each other, appreciating relationships, justice and social morality. Also, it is the spirit of tolerance and harmony in relationships between individuals and diplomatic relations with other countries and ethnic groups.

From the past to the present, whenever peace and national independence are threatened, our people have always been resilient and unyielding in protecting the country, yet when they have defeated enemies, they are ready to grant them “mercy” and restore peace and harmony so that the country can become peaceful, the people can lead a free and happy life.

Thirdly, the tradition of solidarity and community responsibility. 

Reality requires our people to unite themselves into a firm body to survive and develop. Solidarity and community responsibility are not only a need but also become what Vietnamese people live for, demonstrating the interests and sacred affection between individuals and the community. The issue of building and fostering solidarity and creating great power to protect the country and its race has been deeply understood by generations of Vietnamese people and successfully applied in real life, becoming an invaluable national tradition. National unity is illustrated, first and foremost, in the elimination of personal animosities and disagreements among community groups and in the realization of unity and consensus within the state apparatus, acting as the core to summon all national power to combat foreign invaders. On the other hand, solidarity is also reflected in the spirit of uniting the whole people to strive for the common goal of the nation.

Reviewing the history of our people’s struggle for independence from the past to the present, President Ho Chi Minh confirmed, “the solidarity of the people is an impregnable huge force, thanks to which our ancestors defeated the Yuan and Ming armies, and maintained their right to liberty and autonomy...”⁽⁵⁾. Additionally, he raised an eternal truth: “Solidarity, solidarity, great solidarity / Success, success, great success”.

Fourthly, the tradition of industriousness, creativity, and meritocracy.

Tolerance to hardship, diligence and inventiveness in labor are among the distinguishing qualities of Vietnamese people; cherishing talented people and considering them as “the national resource” is our national tradition, which has been succeeded and encouraged throughout history. Today’s national fortune is the fruits of our people from many generations working diligently and creatively for thousands of years. It is closely linked to the timeless names of heroes in the national construction and defense cause in a particular period.

President Ho Chi Minh repeatedly stressed the importance of industriousness and creativity of our compatriots in labor and the need to promote that tradition in building a new society: “Building socialism must take diligence as the root. Diligence is hardworking and creative labor”⁽⁶⁾. In addition, he pointed out the indispensable role of respecting talents, encouraging all levels and sectors regularly to find, bring together, and use talented individuals appropriately and focusing on nurturing them to serve the cause of the resistance war and national construction.

Fifthly, the tradition of appreciating the people, “taking the people as the root”. 

This is one of the traditions formed from the history of national construction and defence, and simultaneously, selectively acquiring the sound elements of theories in the process of cultural exchange. However, it is not a replicate of any doctrine but contains the distinctive features of Vietnamese culture. The tradition is, in the first place, expressed in peacetime. It is vital to rely on the people to build and develop an independent and prosperous nation; care about people’s lives, and respect people’s will to increase the country’s potential. When the country is in peril, the people should be trusted, and the strength of the whole people should be brought into play to defend it. The course of Vietnamese history also demonstrates that placing faith in the people, relying on the people, and knowing how to arouse consensus and promote the will and aspirations of the whole nation can ensure the country’s longevity.

President Ho Chi Minh specified that: “There is nothing as precious as the people in the sky. There is nothing stronger than the united force of the people in the world”, and “The country takes the people as its root... A strong root helps a tree thrive/the people guarantees victory”⁽⁷⁾.

“The beautiful traditional values of Vietnam are precious assets passed down by our ancestors through thousands of years, which cannot be found anywhere; we have responsibility for preserving, cherishing and upholding them; otherwise, we are guilty of ingratitude to our history, ancestors and forefathers”⁽⁸⁾.

2. Leading the process of implementing national renewal as well as building and gradually completing the theory about national renewal in Vietnam, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) has permanently attached immense significance to the national tradition, which is reflected in the decent traditional values of the Vietnamese ethnic community. In the theory about socialism and the path towards socialism in Vietnam, as well as national renewal in each specific field, the exemplary national traditional values are inherited and promoted by the Party; new values are supplemented under the practical national and epochal requirements.

Currently, patriotism is not only the spirit of daring to sacrifice oneself in the war to save the country, but also proactively preventing the risks of wars and conflicts early and from afar, and foiling all the plots and destructive activities of hostile forces; it is the determination to “firmly defend the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the nation, protect the Party, the State, the people, the socialist regime, culture and national interests, maintain a peaceful environment, political stability, national security and human security; build an orderly, disciplined, safe and healthy society developing towards socialism”⁽⁹⁾. That means patriotism is not only shown in wartime but also in peacetime. Moreover, it is necessary to reinforce and promote patriotism to preserve that peace. Patriotism, in association with the yearning for an independent and powerful nation in the current condition, is to endeavor to fulfill the goal of “prosperous people, strong nation, democracy, justice and civilization” so that our country can stand shoulder to shoulder with the great powers of the five continents”. It is essential, first of all, to build an independent and self-reliant economy, creating a solid premise for Vietnam to become a developed, socialist-oriented country by the mid twenty-first century.

Inheriting and upholding the tradition of humanity in the current context is to guarantee the close link between economic growth and social progress and justice, “leave no one behind” on the national development path; create equal conditions for all people to work and optimize their capabilities and receive what they deserve; invariably enhance social welfare, ensure social security and human security; effectively prevent the degradation of morals and lifestyle; drive back the negatives and social vices, shape a healthy environment for comprehensive human development, build the Vietnamese people of a new epoch with a harmonious connection between traditional qualities and modern values. 

The love of peace in the current context is reflected via Vietnam persistently pursuing the diplomatic policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development; “ensuring the highest interests of the nation based on fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, equality, cooperation and shared benefits”; diversify and multilateralize foreign relations with the principle “Vietnam is a friend, a reliable partner and an active and responsible member in the international community”⁽¹⁰⁾.

Nevertheless, in the setting of countless rapid, complicated and unpredictable changes, peace-loving is inseparable from the tasks of proactively getting prepared in all aspects, resolutely and persistently protecting independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and maintaining national security, social order and security in all situations; preventing conflicts and wars and settling disputes by peaceful measures following international law.

Inheriting and promoting the tradition of solidarity and community responsibility in the current context is to consolidate and strengthen the great national unity block continuously, the backbone of which is the alliance between the working class and the peasant class and the intelligentsia led by the CPV based on harmoniously resolving the beneficial relationships among social strata, protect the legitimate rights and interests of all the social classes. The solidarity and consensus within the Party are the core and solid foundation for building the great national unity block, promote social consensus and actively fulfill regional and international commitments in the spirit of “Actively participating, actively contributing, enhancing Vietnam’s role in building and shaping the multilateral institutions and the international political-economic order, implement international commitments and signed trade agreements fully”⁽¹¹⁾.

Inheriting and encouraging the tradition of diligence, creativity, and appreciating talented people in the current period in parallel with the requirements of human resource development, especially high-quality human resources, to meet the demands of the economy in the new context; building a contingent of party members and leaders at all levels who dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility, dare to innovate and propose a breakthrough mechanism to “promote reform and generate a new driving force for the rapid and sustainable national development”⁽¹²⁾.

The rapid development of the Fourth Industrial Revolution requires Vietnam to radically and comprehensively reform education and training, raise people’s intellectual level, train human resources, nurture talents, develop science and technology robustly, “enhance the capacity of the national innovation system”, creating a favorable environment to promote Vietnamese people’s creativity ceaselessly.

Inheriting and promoting the tradition of respecting the people in the current conditions is to build a socialist democracy, ensuring the people’s real mastery; grasp the lesson “the people are the root” thoroughly; effectively adopt the motto “People know, people discuss, people act, people inspect, people supervise, people benefit” and “underscore the central position of the people in the national development strategy, in the whole process of national construction and defense”⁽¹³⁾. In building and rectifying the Party and political system, it is essential to “Take work results, people’s satisfaction and trust as important criteria to evaluate the quality of the state apparatus and the quality of cadres and party members”⁽¹⁴⁾; all policies of the Party and State must aim at improving the people’s material and spiritual life as well as their happiness; attempt to attain the goal of building a socialist society “owned by the people”, constantly raising the quality of life and happiness index of Vietnamese people.

With materialist dialectical thinking, in building and perfecting the theory about national renewal, many traditional values ​​and cultural heritages are inherited and fostered; the advanced Vietnamese culture, imbued with national identity, characterized by “ethnicity, humanity, democracy and science” is gradually actualized; the “soft power” of Vietnamese culture makes a substantial contribution to boosting the national synergy, guaranteeing sustainable national development in the new context.

3. In the ever-changing reality of the national reform, inheriting and promoting traditional national values ​​and absorbing the cultural quintessence of humankind, “the theory about national renewal, socialism and the path towards socialism in Vietnam are realized step by step”⁽¹⁵⁾.

In addition, the urgent requirements that are being raised these days are to frequently improve the theoretical system of national renewal, develop the platform, diversify and firmly consolidate the ideological foundation of the Party, and establish a truly scientific and modern theoretical system about socialism and the path towards socialism in Vietnam. Continuing to inherit and uphold the good national traditional values ​is one of the vital tasks to meet these requirements and simultaneously contribute to the uniqueness of the theory about national renewal in Vietnam. During the process, there is a need to adhere to the following fundamental principles:

Firstly, assessing and refining traditional values ​​of the nation based on the practical needs of national renewal in the current context.

The reality of the country and the era has always been in the forward movement in conformity with its objective laws. The traditions of each nation are formed in the past, which are the product of bygone generations and ages. Therefore, traditional values are ultimately those of the past and specific-historical. Today’s society has characteristics and needs different from the previous ones; thus, not everything that was treasured or had a positive role in the past is suitable nowadays. Therefore, inheriting and promoting traditional national values ​​in building and completing the theory about national renewal in Vietnam today mandates that it be derived from the practical needs of the country in the context of the new era to evaluate and refine traditional values ​​with the motto “inheriting the quintessence, discarding the dregs”, so as not to fall into the conservative and old-fashioned way of thinking.

Secondly, linking inheritance with innovation, supplement, development, and diversification of the content of national traditional values.

Inheritance is a matter of law, reflecting the inevitable relationship between the old and the new, between tradition and modernity in the movement and development of all things and phenomena in general, of culture, thought and theory in particular. The past, the present, and the future are a continuous process; the new in the process of formation and development is not a complete negation of the old; conversely, inheritance is not the same as restoring and maintaining the old, rejecting all new things in the “conservative” thinking way. Thus, we should not deviate far from the specific-historical principle, but need to have one way of looking at traditional values ​​from the modern perspective to eliminate what is no longer appropriate, and enrich the content of the tradition with new values of modern society.

Inheriting and encouraging the national traditional values ​in building and perfecting the theory about national renewal in our country today requires to criticize and discard backward elements and their derivatives that are hindering the national development and convert traditional values ​​into modern ones, giving them new vitality and aiming at solving the tasks of the country and the epoch have posed.

Obviously, the content of patriotism and aspiration for an independent and powerful nation; humanity and peace-loving; solidarity and community responsibility; industriousness and creativity; appreciation for the people in theory about national renewal must bring the vitality and breath of the era, and be associated with the needs of the country and the people in the current conditions. If the content remains intact without further modification and raising the tradition in line with the era, it is rather difficult to adapt to new circumstances. Inheritance and promotion must include the reception and addition of contents that did not exist in the old conception, making traditional values ​​become constitutive elements of new ones ​​in the modern value system.

Thirdly, building and forming new values ​​according to the epochal trend associated with global values and international integration.

The process of globalization and international integration creates conditions for nations to come closer together, to exchange and assimilate cultures more and more extensively, contributing to enriching the cultural traditions of every nation. In contrast, its downsides also negatively affect the tradition and cultural identity of each country. Therefore, inheriting and promoting national traditional values ​​​​in building and finalizing the theory about national renewal in Vietnam today require a struggle against bad, uncultured, and counter-cultural behavior, contrary to the national noble tradition; fight against the idolization of foreign values, receive and absorb the achievements of human culture, incorporating them into intrinsic elements of the national culture.

Yet, it is not arbitrarily relinquishing, preserving, assembling, and patching something a subjective way, but the process of dialectical integration, selectively acquiring civilized and modern values of other nations, keeping and protecting the values ​​of truth - goodness - beauty, honoring the right, the good, the positive and the noble in the national tradition, with the spirit of “combining traditional values ​​with modern-day ones smoothly”⁽¹⁶⁾.

During the cause of the national-democratic revolution, our Party has highly upheld the national tradition in combination with the strength of the era, leading our people to achieve great victories, and ushering our country into an era of national independence and socialism. It has “mobilized traditional values ​​for carrying out the revolution and modern resistance mobilized the strength of ancestors supporting their descendants in the war for accomplishing the national cause for centuries”⁽¹⁷⁾.

In the current period, along with absorbing the cultural quintessence of humankind, continuing to inherit and promote the national traditional values of thousands of years of civilization in building and completing the theory about national renewal is an appropriate choice, helping our country stay firmly on the path of development and international integration.

__________________

Received: May 4, 2022; Revised: May 4, 2022; Approved for publication: May 26, 2022.

Endnotes:

(1) CPV: Charter of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Truth National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011.

(2) Central Committee of Thought and Culture: Research Paper on Conclusion of the 10th Conference, 9th Party Central Committee, Truth National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2004, p.56- 57.

(3), (17) Tran Van Giau: Traditional spiritual values ​​of the Vietnamese nation, Social Science Publishing House, Hanoi, 1980, pp.93, 52.

(4), (5) Ho Chi Minh: Complete works, vol.7, Truth National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, pp.38, 164-165.

(6) Ho Chi Minh: Complete works, vol.12, op.cit., p.432.

(7) Ho Chi Minh: Complete works, vol.5, op.cit., pp.501-502.

(8), (16) Nguyen Phu Trong: Some theoretical and practical issues about socialism and the path towards socialism in Vietnam, Truth National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2022, pp.175, 170.

(9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15) CPV: Documents of the 13th National Congress of Deputies, vol.I, Truth National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, pp.156, 162, 164, 110, 173, 192, 103.

Assoc.Prof., Dr. LE VAN LOI

Vice President

Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics