Ho Sy Quy, the director of the Institute of Social Science Information, told the conference Vietnam ranked 48th among 72 countries and territories in the 2007 Globalization Index that measures a country’s social and economic integration with the world.
Calling that an encouraging sign, Quy said this shows Vietnam has been quite quick to integrate compared to other developing countries.
But most professors and students attending the conference agreed integration has its price.
They say tuning into global cultures and values could distort or destroy local traditions.
“Western cultures can enhance and modernize our culture,” said Professor Duong Phu Hiep from the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.
“But they can also obliterate our unique characteristics.”
Hiep said if Vietnam did not protect her culture it is inevitable she would “lose” it.
There is already a warning sign: Western mores are finding currency among local youth despite conflicting with local norms and ethics, he said.
Le Van Cuong, head of the Ministry of Public Security’s Strategy Research Institute, said it was up to policymakers to protect local cultures.
He said the first thing to do is to attract and appoint to key posts talented people who would envision positive and strong policies.
Though the conference did not come up with anything new, confronting and evaluating change is a constant challenge for any society.
But the tradition versus change discourse is never conclusive.
It is unclear if the government can do anything when it comes to protecting culture.
After all, its influences and changes are so subtle that they easily elude control.
Perhaps, as one culture anthropologist puts it, those who are worried about a decline in culture will eventually have to be reconciled to the fact that a new social value arises only because it serves the needs of a particular group of people.
By Van Khoa |
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