Phát huy sức mạnh mềm văn hóa Việt Nam trong bối cảnh hội nhập quốc tế hiện nay.Phát huy sức mạnh mềm văn hóa Việt Nam trong bối cảnh hội nhập quốc tế hiện nay.Phát huy sức mạnh mềm văn hóa Việt Nam trong bối cảnh hội nhập quốc tế hiện nay.Phát huy sức mạnh mềm văn hóa Việt Nam trong bối cảnh hội nhập quốc tế hiện nay.Phát huy sức mạnh mềm văn hóa Việt Nam trong bối cảnh hội nhập quốc tế hiện nay.Phát huy sức mạnh mềm văn hóa Việt Nam trong bối cảnh hội nhập quốc tế hiện nay.Phát huy sức mạnh mềm văn hóa Việt Nam trong bối cảnh hội nhập quốc tế hiện nay.
Trang 1DO THI VAN HA
PROMOTING VIETNAMESE CULTURAL SOFT POWER
IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL INTEGRATION
AT PRESENT
SUMMARY OF THE PHD THESIS
Field of study : Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism
Code : 922 90 02
HA NOI – 2022
Trang 2HO CHI MINH NATIONAL ACADEMY OF POLITICS
Supervisors: 1 Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Thi Nga
2 Dr Hoang Thi Kim Oanh
At…… hour…… date …… month …… year……
The thesis can be found at the National Library and the Library of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics
Trang 3INTRODUCTION
1 The neccessity of the thesis
At present, international integration has become a reality spreading all over the world It brings great opportunities to achieve rapid development in every country, especially developing countries like Vietnam In fact, participating in international integration is an indispensable requirement for countries if they want to survive and develop along with the common development process of the world in today's era Therefore, more and more countries, including Vietnam, have actively and deeply integrated into the global game, enhanced cohesion and cooperation with other countries to exploit the values, benefits from integration to accelerate the development of the country However, besides the great benefits, the integration process also has negative impacts on many aspects and areas of social life One of those negative effects is the process of expanding cooperation, exchange and comprehensive integration, and foreign cultural products are not suitable for national cultural characteristics and traditions easily infiltrated into cultural and spiritual life of nations, causing adverse effects on the perception and orientation of cultural, aesthetic, and moral values of people in a country, eroding the fine traditional culture of the nation In addition, the integration process also causes undeveloped countries with low competitiveness to suffer many losses, even to be oppressed and unfairly treated
In that context, countries, especially those that do not have potential, economic and military strength but want to improve their national synergy and expand their influence in international relations, need to be interested in promoting cultural soft power Because, this is not only an effective solution in increasing the position and influence of a country in international relations to be able to get the benefits from integration for national development, but also contribute for protecting the national cultural identity amidst negative external influences
Since the early 90s of the twentieth century, cultural soft power has been mentioned and has quickly been widely disseminated, receiving great attention from not only academic researchers but also of policy makers, politicians In fact, many countries have researched and applied this theory well in the country's development practice and have been successful It is worth mentioning that, unlike the use of military or economic power,
Trang 4cultural soft power is not the monopoly of large countries with strong economic potential Each country, even those with a weaker starting point
in global competition, can also be used as an effective solution to increase national synergy However, application and promotion of cultural soft power by countries does not have a general formula for all, but depends on many specific issues in each country Therefore, each country needs to research to find out methods and ways to arouse and promote effectively its cultural soft power
Possessing a diverse cultural treasure, rich in identity, formed through thousands of years of history, Vietnam impresses international friends with many cultural heritages, many typical cultural values such as kindness and patriotism, solidarity, will to be strong, spirit of peace, kindness, tolerance Throughout the nation's history, generations of our ancestors knew how to exploit and use soft power from those traditional cultural values as one of the ways to build and defend the country, even though it has never been declared or confirmed in theory This is one of the important factors that helps our nation not only to defeat many aggressors who are stronger than us in terms of military strength and economic potential, but also to help bring the country overcome all difficult and crisis time and reap the proud development achievements like today
Currently, Vietnam has been actively integrating to take advantage
of available advantages in order to maintain independence, sovereignty, national security and develop the country More than ever, we need to make efforts to exploit and promote all sources of national strength, especially the source of endogenous and soft power from the rich and diverse traditional cultural values that are the value asset and our advantage in order to promote, create "brand", expand the influence of national culture, thereby promoting cooperation with other countries and obtain economic benefits, increase national synergy, realize the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country
From the above reasons and so far, the studies from a philosophical perspective on the issue of soft power, Vietnamese cultural soft power, and promotion of Vietnamese cultural soft power are still few which is not
systematic and in-depth, so the author chooses the issue "Promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power in the context of international integration
at present" as the research topic
Trang 52 Objectives and tasks of the research
2.1 Objectives of the research
On the basis of clarifying a number of theoretical and practical issues in promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power in recent years, the thesis proposes a number of solutions to improve the effectiveness of promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power in the context of international integration at present
2.2 Tasks of the research
To achieve the above goal, the thesis focuses on solving following tasks:
- Analyze some theoretical issues about cultural soft power and promote Vietnamese cultural soft power in the context of international integration today, and point out the necessity of promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power in the context of international integration
- Analyze the achievements, limitations and causes of limitations in the process of promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power at present
- Propose a number of key solutions to improve the effectiveness
of promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power in the context of international
4 Theoretical basis and research methods
4.1 Theoretical basis
- The thesis is based on the theoretical basis of Marxism - Leninism,
Ho Chi Minh thought, especially the viewpoints, guidelines of the Party and
Trang 6the State's legal policies on culture, international integration, the role of cultural soft power, promoting cultural soft power in the integration process
- The thesis acquires and selectively inherits the scientific values of a number of published research works related to the content of the thesis
4.2 Research methods
On the basis of methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, the thesis uses a combination of research methods such as historical and logical methods, analytical and synthesis methods, method of abstraction, generalization, etc., and at the same time, combining some research methods of other sciences such as analyzing sociological statistics,
etc to accomplish objectives and tasks that the thesis
5 New contributions of the thesis
- The thesis contributes for systematizing and clarifying some theoretical issues about soft power, cultural soft power, promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power in the context of international integration
- The thesis analyzes achievements and limitations in promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power in the context of international integration
- The thesis proposes some basic solutions to improve the effectiveness of promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power in the context of international integration
6 Scientific and practical significance of the thesis
- Scientific significance of the thesis:
Content of the thesis will contribute for supplementing and clarifying theoretically issues related to soft power, cultural soft power, the role of cultural soft power in the context of integration, necessity and methods of promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power in the context of international integration
- Practical significance of the thesis:
Possible solutions proposed by the thesis for promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power in the context of international integration will be valuable suggestions for researchers, policy makers to build develop policies, programs and action plans to more effectively promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power in the context of international integration
The thesis can also be used as a reference, researching, teaching
and learning in universities and academies today
7 Structure of the thesis
Trang 7In addition to the introduction, conclusion and list of references, the thesis consists of 4 chapters and 13 sections
Chapter 1 LITERATURE REVIEW OF RESEARCH WORKS
RELATED TO THE THESIS 1.1 RESEARCH WORKS ON SOFT POWER
1.1.1 Foreign studies on soft power
Professor Joseph Nye, Harvard University, USA is often seen as the originator of the "soft power" theory in the world J Nye's theory of soft power has generated a lively discussion in Western academic circles Many authors have continued to research, critique and expand this issue in their works The heated debate around this issue proves that this is a practical issue that every country needs to face in the current context Although Nye has been criticized for focusing only on the US case when making his theory of soft power, most researchers agree with his concept of soft power Nye's original soft power theory has also been expanded and added more content, helping to improve and clarify the issue
1.1.2 Domestic studies
In Vietnam, research on soft power has only begun in the past ten years Basically, in Vietnam, there are not many theoretical studies on soft power like some countries in the region and in the world Most of these works, when presenting the issue of soft power, approach from the perspective of J Nye, who is considered as the father of this theory Basically, the research works on soft power by Vietnamese authors have not yet systematically organized the currents of views on soft power in the world or the theoretical controversies surrounding this concept At the same time, there has not been any quantitative research on Vietnam's soft power and soft power issues
1.2 RESEARCH WORKS ON CULTURAL SOFT POWER 1.2.1 Foreign research projects
There have been many studies explaining the important role of culture in increasing the soft power of a country These works all emphasize the role of culture in promoting the soft power of a country, especially in the context of international integration at present Most of the
Trang 8articles focus on commenting on a specific case, on culture and elements of culture as a source of soft power of a particular country This fact is because the use of cultural soft resources, which is specific to each country but not have a common way for all countries
1.2.2 Domestic research projects
Like the issue of soft power, cultural soft power has also recently been interested by Vietnamese authors Basically, the research works on cultural soft power in Vietnam mainly focus on the importance of cultural soft power and the specific cultural soft power issue of a country The research works of domestic scholars on theory of cultural soft power, like most foreign scholars, revolve around the soft power theory of Joseph Nye - who is considered the father of this theory Up to now, the research works
on cultural soft power are not many in number, mainly small-scale projects
in Vietnam If compared to the academia of many countries around us like China or Korea that focus on exploiting their own conceptions of cultural soft power, then the issue of cultural soft power and Vietnamese cultural soft power has clearly not been studied systematic
of the country Therefore, the Korean government has materialized cultural products through their subsidies and legal support to the national economy while promoting cultural products to enhance the image of the Korean nation
1.3.1.2 Singapore
Basically, from the beginning, Singapore did not really aim to develop its own soft power or national soft power, but rather to find a
Trang 9model, a way to develop the country in the specific conditions of the country However, in the process of construction and development, it is the lack of natural resources, land, and limited human resources that has made Singapore strive to create unique and innovative development models, and the success of these models has spread the image of the country, thereby creating Singapore's soft power
1.3.1.3 China
Over the years, the Chinese government has increased its attractiveness and cultural influence to countries in the region and around the world in various ways In terms of cultural diplomacy, studies show that the Chinese government has promoted cultural and educational exchanges with many countries around the world They built overseas Chinese cultural centers and Confucius Institutes to promote their own language and cultural heritage In terms of education, they actively provide scholarships and create favorable conditions for foreign students to study in China In terms
of media, China promotes media channels to promote their country's image
to the world such as online newspapers, television, internet, etc Through the entertainment industry, movies, TV series, Chinese music and entertainment programs also spread especially in Asian countries, then into Africa and Latin America
1.3.1.4 India
The government of India implemented the policy of "Act East" to create links between India and Buddhist countries in the world, established the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to focus on promoting Indian culture to the world through the spread of literature, dance, yoga… Like many countries, India promotes student exchange through scholarships for foreign students and cooperation between universities and research institutes in Asia to promote their unique cultural values to the partnering countries Besides, India also chooses to focus on developing the cultural industry, especially the film industry
1.3.2 Research works on promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power in the context of international integration
Many researches on Vietnamese culture confirm the role of Vietnamese culture in the development of the country, but these works are mainly approached from endogenous aspects, i.e consider culture as one of the aspects of Vietnamese social life, considering its impact on the
Trang 10development of Vietnamese society and people Some studies on cultural diplomacy mention the role of culture in enhancing image and status of the country, but only focus on the policy aspect Meanwhile, the influence of one country on another in the current period is very much when not directly from policies but from aspects of communication, literature art, outstanding individuals in a specific field Some works have initially studied the issue of cultural soft power and promoted the cultural soft power of Vietnam, but not systematically Up to now, there has been no scientific work directly discussing the issue of promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power, especially in the context of international integration
1.4 OVERVIEW OF THE VALUE OF SCIENTIFIC WORKS RELATED TO THE THESIS AND ISSUES THAT NEED FURTHER STUDY
1.4.1 Overview of the value of published scientific works related to the thesis
On the basis of research and systematization of domestic and foreign documents related to the thesis, the author finds the following
situations of that country
Thirdly, Vietnamese researchers have affirmed the great role of culture in the development of the country But, most of these studies only mentioned to the impact of culture on Vietnamese people within the country, not to mention the effects that culture can create outside the country, for foreigners who, through these influences, can increase the power and influence of the country
1.4.2 Issues that need to be further studied in the thesis
In Vietnam, the study of soft power, cultural soft power and ways
to promote cultural soft power, contributing to strengthen the national power, promoting development of the country is necessity at the present
Trang 11However, the number of studies on soft power and cultural soft power in Vietnam is still very small So far, there has been no work that directly mentions how to promote the great cultural potential of the country, creating the attractiveness and strength of Vietnam Therefore, the thesis aims to study the resources that create Vietnamese cultural soft power, thereby finding ways to arouse and promote them, contributing to construction and development of the country in the context of international integration today
- Clarifying the concepts of cultural soft power, Vietnamese cultural soft power, promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power as well as the role and importance of promoting cultural soft power in the context of international integration today
- Pointing out the important cultural resources that can create the cultural soft power of Vietnam
- Clarifying the achievements, limitations and causes in the process
of promoting the cultural soft power of Vietnam today
- On the basis of Vietnam's cultural resources, the problems encountered in the process of promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power, proposing some solutions to arouse these cultural potentials, turn them into Vietnam's cultural soft power, contributing to increase the country's strength in the current context
Chapter 2 PROMOTING VIETNAMESE CULTURAL SOFT POWER IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL INTEGRATION - SOME
THEORETICAL ISSUES 2.1 CONCEPT OF SOFT POWER, CULTURAL SOFT POWER AND VIETNAMESE CULTURAL SOFT POWER
2.1.1 Concept of soft power
Soft power is the power of the subject obtained through the promotion of soft resources which is a force that can attract, lead to the subject's willingness to act instead of the subject's coercion to create results Soft power is the attraction of its subject, causing the object to be affected
by that attraction, to voluntarily do the things that the subject of soft power
Trang 12wants There are many factors that can make a country attractive to other countries that have been pointed out by many researchers However, at the most basic perspective, it is the cultural factors, ideological and political values and policies of that country
2.1.2 Concept of cultural soft power
Cultural soft power can be broadly understood as the attraction, ability to influence and attract from cultural values conveyed through cultural activities and cultural products of one country to another in international relations This attraction is not only formed naturally from cultural values, but also formed in the initiative of the host country
2.1.3 Concept of Vietnamese cultural soft power
Vietnamese cultural soft power is the attractiveness of Vietnam's unique cultural values to other people and countries in international relations Vietnamese cultural soft power is seen as a potential that needs to
be aroused and promoted to become a resource and a part of the national synergy Overall, the cultural factors that are the potential of Vietnam's
cultural soft power can be mentioned, including: First, it is a diverse and independent culture; Second, a culture with many traditional cultural values
consistent with the universal values that mankind is aiming for (Patriotism,
independent and self-reliance, solidarity, tolerance, humanity love); Third, treasure rich cultural heritage; Fourth, typical cultural activities, craft
villages and rich cuisine
2.2 PROMOTING VIETNAMESE CULTURAL SOFT POWER – REALITY AND AFFECTING FACTORS
2.2.1 Reality of promoting the soft power of Vietnamese culture
Promoting Vietnamese cultural soft power is the process of using specific methods (transmission channels) to spread the unique cultural values of the Vietnamese people (spiritual cultural values, cultural activities, heritage and cultural products) penetrate other social communities, attract and sensitize them, thereby contributing to the increase
of Vietnam's strength
The way to spread and spread the unique cultural values of their people to other ethnic communities in other countries is very rich and diverse Based on the methods used by many countries to promote their culture effectively and on the specific conditions of Vietnam, the thesis
Trang 13identifies a number of methods suitable for Vietnam in the context of
integrating into the international community: First, spreading the nation's unique cultural values through cultural diplomacy; Second, spreading the
nation's unique cultural values through the development of cultural
industries; Third, spreading the nation's unique cultural values through mass communication; Fourth, spreading the unique cultural values of the nation
through tourism development
2.2.2 Some factors affecting the promotion of Vietnamese cultural soft power
* Active initiative of the actors: The cultural potentials of Vietnam
will not be able to become the country's cultural soft power if it is not through effective propaganda, promotion and dissemination activities consciously, purposefully, and in appropriate ways implemented by the coordination of actors promoting the country's cultural soft power These subjects include cultural leaders and managers, cultural workers, creators of cultural products (intellectuals, artists and writers) and the entire Vietnamese people - the owner and plays the role of preserving, protecting and promoting those cultural values
* Political environment: Political stability, including stability in
security and social order, is our strong point when promoting cultural values Strategies and policies to develop culture in general and promote Vietnamese culture to the outside in particular have created the basic institutional frameworks for promoting cultural soft power At the same time, the innovations in the Party's awareness of the culture’s role in the country's development have also made it possible for managers and artists
to overcome previous prejudices that culture has no economic function In fact, it only plays the role of a propaganda tool, an ideological weapon, etc Thanks to that, the creative capacity of intellectuals and artists is liberated, and at the same time, it creates conditions to expand investment in cultural products and services
* Economic environment: Since Doi Moi, we have transformed
from a centrally planned economy to a market-based economy, developing
a multi-sector economy in which the private sector playing an increasingly important role Since then, Vietnam has been building an independent and self-reliant economy, promoting internal resources, integrating and international cooperation, closely associated with cultural development,