Every day, Nguyen Tuyet Nhung patiently waits until 7 p.m. for her children and grandchildren to come home from school and work, and the entire family gathers around the table. Sharing a meal and discussing their day is a tradition that Nhung’s family strives to uphold, even in the absence of her late husband. “In today’s world, my children are either busy or engrossed in their own social interests, and I feel that dinner time is the only opportunity for family interaction,” she expressed, emphasizing the importance of family culture in fostering a civilized society.
This concern is also shared by the authorities of Hanoi city. According to Do Dinh Hong, the Director of Hanoi’s Department of Culture and Sports, there is still a prevalence of uncultured behaviors in daily life, and families face challenges in strengthening the connection between family members. The moral standards of Hanoi people and the capital’s family value system are being undermined in today’s society. To address this issue, it is imperative to restore the family value system and promote the standards of grace and civility among the people of Hanoi in modern life.
To fulfill this objective, the Hanoi Party Committee has implemented Program No.06, titled “Developing Culture, Improving the Quality of Human Resources, Building Elegant, and Civilized Hanoians in the Period of 2021-2025”. This program recognizes the development of culture and the establishment of standards for Hanoi people as essential and ongoing tasks for the entire political system, contributing to the sustainable development of the capital.
Director Hong highlighted that the department has been implementing a program to cultivate a civilized lifestyle and cultured families for many years. Various protocols, such as those for civilized weddings and funerals, codes of conduct in public places, and the promotion of office culture, have played a part in preserving and advancing the family value system and building standards for the people of Hanoi.
The city has also implemented numerous measures to preserve and promote its cultural values.
As the core district of Hanoi, the people of Hoan Kiem highly value polite behavior, particularly good manners within the family. Throughout numerous changes and challenges, these fundamental values have endured and been disseminated further. Vice Chairman of Hoan Kiem District People’s Committee, Nguyen Quoc Hoan, shared, “We have launched several initiatives to propagate family values and the standards of elegant and civilized Hanoi people. Furthermore, we encourage the development of new models for modern lifestyles and continue to advise regulators at all municipal levels to enforce the family value system and the standards of elegant and civilized Hanoi people.”
Luong Dinh Hai, former director of the Institute of Human Research under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, noted that Hanoi is the first locality in the country to openly discuss this issue, contributing to raising awareness among agencies, departments, branches, and the public about the preservation and development of culture, as well as the formation of citizens’ value system. According to Hai, “It is important to analyze and define the value system and typical cultural standards of Hanoi people among the multitude of good cultural values that have existed since ancient times. We need practical and effective solutions to consolidate and disseminate these values, from the past to the present.”
According to Le Van Binh, Deputy Secretary of Phu Xuyen District Party Committee, “Building the family value system and cultural standards of Hanoi people is a crucial task amidst the city’s exposure to various external influences.” Binh emphasized the necessity of conducting a thorough assessment of the current state of urban culture and people’s behavior in order to better understand their needs and behaviors. “I believe we need to raise awareness of family values and establish definitive criteria for civilized and elegant Hanoi people,” he concluded.
“Binh voi” in Vietnamese Culture
Not merely lime containers for chewing betel and areca nut, “binh voi” (lime-pot) has been, for generations, closely attached to Vietnamese traditions and culture.
Catholic Worshiping Items
A collection of valuable ancient catholic worshiping items was recently displayed at an exhibition at the old space of the traditional house of Ho Chi Minh City Archdiocese at No.6 Ton Duc Thang in District 1. The exhibition imparted a message of preserving Catholic and national culture.
Binh Lieu, Vietnam’s latest trendy tourist hotspot
Everyone who has ever travelled to Vietnam has heard of Ha Long Bay, the magical limestone kingdom off the emerald waters of Quang Ninh Province. However, the northeastern province, bordering China, has another tourist draw which few have heard of but is an up and coming tourist hub – Binh Lieu District.
‘Then’ singing signals arrival of Spring for ethnic groups in Bac Giang
“Then” singing is a cultural activity imbued with the belief and art of the Tay and Nung ethnic minority people in Bac Giang province. As it dates back centuries, no one knows exactly when it first came into being. The ancient land of Luc Ngan district in Bac Giang has been preserving this element of the local cultural identity and sing “Then” songs when Spring comes.
Promoting traditional cultural value of Vietnamese families
NDO – Themed “Preserve and promote cultural traditions and good behaviours within the family”, the 2020 Vietnam Family Festival is being observed across the country with assorted activities honouring time-honoured traditions practiced by many generations of Vietnamese families.
