Culture and people of Thanh land: Endogenous resources for sustainable development (Final article)

“Talking about culture means talking about the quintessence, the most quintessential things, distilled, crystallized, and molded into the best, noblest, and most unique values, very humane, benevolent, humane, humane, progressive!” (late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong).

Protecting and promoting traditional cultural values ​​contributes to improving people's spiritual life. Photo: Khoi Nguyen

Cultural development for human development

Starting from the “Outline of Vietnamese Culture” (1943); to the Resolution of the 5th Central Committee, Session VIII, on building and developing an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity (1998); and in 2014, Resolution No. 33 on building and developing Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements of sustainable national development (referred to as Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW), it can be said that our Party's viewpoints, policies and guidelines on culture have developed continuously and increasingly comprehensively. However, regardless of the period or context, the consistent and consistent viewpoint of the Party has always been to make culture truly become a solid spiritual foundation of society, an important endogenous strength, ensuring sustainable development and firmly protecting the Fatherland. At the same time, culture must be placed on par with economics, politics and society.

Inheriting the achievements of cultural development in the previous period, supplementing and developing new contents, suitable to the current requirements and context, Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW once again affirms: Building a comprehensively developed Vietnamese culture, aiming at truth - goodness - beauty, imbued with national spirit, humanity, democracy and science; at the same time, developing culture for the perfection of human personality and building people to develop culture. In building culture, the focus is on taking care of building people with good personality and lifestyle, with basic characteristics: patriotism, humanity, loyalty, honesty, solidarity, diligence, creativity...

On that basis, the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress also highlighted the particularly important role of Vietnamese culture and people in the country's development orientation for the 2021-2030 period. That is: "Developing comprehensive human beings and building an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity so that culture truly becomes an endogenous strength, a driving force for national development and national defense. Increasing investment in cultural development. Building, developing, creating the most favorable social environment and conditions to arouse the tradition of patriotism, national pride, belief, and aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country; the talent, intelligence, and qualities of Vietnamese people are the center, the most important goal and driving force for the country's development".

It can be affirmed that the great and historical achievements during nearly 40 years of implementing the national renovation process have not only created new positions and strengths for the country, but also created an important premise for the development of an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity. In particular, in the 10 years of implementing Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW and nearly 4 years of implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, Vietnamese culture is increasingly affirming its position and role of special importance for the sustainable development of the country. At the same time, through the path of "soft diplomacy", culture has been helping to bring the image of a beautiful, peaceful, safe and friendly Vietnam to many international friends.

However, the rapid changes in socio-economic life, especially the increasingly deep integration, have brought along many "anti-cultural" factors. At the same time, in the development process, the role of culture is not always and everywhere promoted, respected, and placed on par with politics and economics. As the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong pointed out the reasons, one of which is that in leadership and management, many places, Party committees and authorities have not fully, deeply and comprehensively recognized the Party's cultural guidelines, especially in the current period of innovation. Along with that, the responsibility of Party committees at all levels, organizations in the political system, and of cadres and Party members for leading and directing cultural development is not high. In addition, the methods of cultural leadership and management are slow to be innovated, not adapting promptly to the movement and development of culture in the period of accelerating industrialization, modernization and international integration...

Pride and responsibility

Located in the position of the "cradle" of national culture, Thanh land is always proud of its long-standing, diverse, rich and valuable cultural tradition. In the broad sense of the concept of "culture", Thanh land has Dong Son culture - a brilliant peak of national culture. In the narrow sense, the treasure of tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Thanh land always has a worthy place in the treasure of Vietnamese culture with rich identity; with very typical representatives such as the world cultural heritage of Ho Dynasty Citadel, Lam Kinh special national relic... In particular, along with the socio-economic development, in recent years, Thanh land culture has always been moving and developing on the basis of imbuing the viewpoint of "both advanced and rich in identity", meaning always absorbing new and good things in parallel with promoting the quintessence of thousand-year-old cultural traditions. At the same time, the human factor is also promoted, affirming its role as the center, subject and most important driving force in implementing socio-economic development goals and tasks.

However, in the current context, when the development of national culture is facing many challenges, the construction and development of Thanh Hoa culture and people also pose new requirements, with new perspectives and visions. With pride in cultural traditions and with the spirit and responsibility for the future development of the homeland and the country, on July 4, 2024, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee issued Resolution No. 17-NQ/TU on continuing to build and develop Thanh Hoa culture and people in the new period. The Resolution emphasizes the viewpoint: “Thanh Hoa culture and people are a solid material and spiritual foundation, an endogenous resource, an important driving force for the rapid and sustainable development of the province. Cultural development must be placed on par with economics, politics, and society; investing in culture and people is investing in rapid and sustainable development”. From there, the major goal is to "strive to become a rich, beautiful, civilized and modern province by 2030; by 2045, a comprehensively developed and "model" province of the whole country". At the same time, the vision for 2045 is to "build Thanh Hoa people to develop comprehensively and civilized; Thanh Hoa province to be rich, beautiful, exemplary, with a rich culture, imbued with national identity, modern development, and one of the major cultural centers of the region and the whole country".

It can be said that the development and promulgation of Resolution No. 17-NQ/TU with a consistent viewpoint, with both general and specific goals, has shown an innovative mindset in the leadership of cultural development of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee. This is also true to our Party's policy on cultural development in the current context, which is to revive and develop culture, first and foremost, to continue to improve the awareness and leadership capacity of the Party and the State's management in the cultural field. At the same time, continue to innovate the Party's leadership methods and the State's management, in order to ensure unity of thought and action in building and developing culture.

In that spirit, Resolution No. 17-NQ/TU sets out requirements for Party committees and authorities at all levels, which is to identify the building and development of Thanh Hoa culture and people to meet the requirements of integration in the new period as a regular, long-term goal and task, creating a driving force for rapid and sustainable development. From there, leadership and direction must be resolute, with specific programs and plans, suitable to the locality, unit and development orientation of the province. In propaganda and education work, it is important to raise awareness, arouse and promote patriotism, national pride, conscience and responsibility of each Thanh Hoa citizen towards themselves, their families, communities, society and homeland and country. At the same time, resolutely fight against and refute wrong views, bad and toxic information on cyberspace that negatively affect the thinking and behavior of cadres, Party members and people, especially among young people.

In particular, focus on promoting the image of Thanh Hoa culture and people to domestic and international friends, associated with promoting investment, trade, tourism and services. Mobilize the strength of the whole society to preserve and promote heritages and traditional cultural values, encourage the creation of new cultural values; build brands for typical cultural products of Thanh Hoa. Build a healthy cultural environment, civilized lifestyle in families, clans, localities, communities, agencies, units, schools, enterprises, culture in politics and economics, culture in public places... From there, create a healthy environment to educate and train Thanh Hoa people to develop comprehensively in all aspects of "morality - intelligence - physical strength - aesthetics", based on the core of the national value system, cultural value system, family value system and standards of Vietnamese people in the new era...

It can be affirmed that Resolution No. 17-NQ/TU has deeply imbued our Party's viewpoints and policies on culture. That is, developing culture associated with the value system of "nation, democracy, humanity, science"; at the same time, based on the foundation of the national value system - which is also the highest goal of our nation, which is "peace, unity, independence, rich people, strong country, democracy, equality, civilization, happiness". With new thinking and vision, along with determination, drasticness and effectiveness in implementation, it is expected that Resolution No. 17-NQ/TU will truly become an important foundation for building and developing Thanh Hoa culture and people in the new period. Thereby, continuing to affirm the position of Thanh land as "a land of talented people", rich in historical, cultural and revolutionary traditions, always playing an important role in the history of building and defending the country of our nation.

Khoi Nguyen

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/van-hoa-va-con-nguoi-xu-thanh-nguon-luc-noi-sinh-cho-phat-trien-ben-vung-bai-cuoi-de-van-hoa-thuc-su-la-nen-tang-tinh-than-vung-chac-221770.htm