The workshop attracted the attention and participation of many leaders, experts, and scientists from the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Justice , and representatives from many higher education institutions.
In his opening remarks at the seminar, Associate Professor, Dr. Doan Minh Huan, Permanent Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, stated that for each nation, the system of theoretical knowledge plays the role of an "operating system" for all development policies. Without a solid foundation in social sciences and humanities, development will lack direction, innovation will lack sustainability, integration will lack resilience, and social progress will lack depth of value.
According to Mr. Doan Minh Huan, humanity is witnessing an explosion of digital technology, artificial intelligence, and big data, leading to profound transformations in economic, political, and cultural life, along with the complexity of global issues such as social inequality, climate change, conflicts of interest, and the protection of human values. These rapid changes create not only opportunities but also pose many new challenges, requiring a comprehensive renewal of scientific thinking in terms of theory, methodology, and approach. In this context, social sciences and humanities play a particularly important role in helping people understand themselves, society, the driving forces of development, and the laws governing life.
Mr. Doan Minh Huan emphasized that, especially in an era of rapid transformation, we increasingly need profound theoretical foundations to guide development, formulate policies, and ensure harmonious, sustainable, and humane development.
Basic research in the social sciences and humanities is not only about building knowledge but also about establishing a foundation for strengthening values, shaping the future, preserving identity, and proactively adapting to a changing world.
The Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics emphasized: "Technology can help us move faster, but humanistic wisdom helps us go further." According to him, the most fundamental issues such as values, ethics, social norms, thinking capacity, political acumen, and sense of responsibility can only be explained and guided through rigorous, accurate, and profound research in social sciences and humanities. Basic research aims not only to answer the questions of what and how, but also to understand the "why" behind all social phenomena.
In this new context, basic research has four important tasks: clarifying the new laws of social life; building a system of values and identity in the era of globalization; providing a theoretical foundation for national development strategies; and contributing to humanization, technological development, ensuring that technology serves humanity, protecting ethical values, and strengthening the harmonious development between technology and society.
Associate Professor, Dr. Doan Minh Huan emphasized: "Basic research is not only the foundation of knowledge but also the soft power of a nation. Investing in basic research is investing in development, identity, intellect, and national self-reliance."
At the conference, delegates presented in-depth discussions affirming the importance of social sciences and humanities in the digital age.
Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Ngoc Chien, Director of the National Science and Technology Development Fund, pointed out several inherent challenges in social sciences and humanities research, such as the small number of scientists, limited research quality and international publications, and limited connection with state management practices. In particular, he noted that the social sciences and humanities field is "very confused" about the list of journals to use, as many issues concerning Vietnam are not published internationally.
He stated that the NAFOSTED fund will promote funding that prioritizes interdisciplinary research linked to emerging technological trends and strategic technologies.
In his paper "International Integration and the Mission of Social Sciences and Humanities: From Knowledge Reception to Contributions to Vietnamese Theories," Dr. Dao Ngoc Bau, Director of the Institute of Politics and International Relations, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, argues that international integration creates a profound restructuring of the knowledge space, where knowledge has become a form of "soft power" closely linked to the ability to shape discourse and enhance national standing. However, Vietnamese social sciences and humanities currently still primarily operate in the role of knowledge recipients, with limited capacity for theoretical creation and independent doctrinal contributions, leading to the risk of "knowledge dependence." Therefore, the strategic mission of Vietnamese social sciences and humanities is to make a historic shift from a passive to an active role, specifically from localizing knowledge to contributing Vietnamese theory—a system of scientific theories with international reference value based on the country's practical experience.
To realize this mission, Dr. Dao Ngoc Bau proposed a fundamental reform of the investment and scientific evaluation mechanisms, prioritizing long-term (5-10 years) foundational theoretical research, while also strongly reforming human resource training to foster theoretical creativity and critical thinking skills.
Meanwhile, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tai Dong, Director of the Institute of Philosophy, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, stated that digital transformation is placing social sciences and humanities before a systemic crisis, threatening the identity and methodology of the field. He pointed out fundamental challenges including the risk of tool dependence and a decline in critical thinking when researchers leave intellectual tasks to artificial intelligence (AI) tools, losing the ability to deeply understand (embodied knowledge).
Furthermore, the imposition of quantitative models under the guise of Big Data can undermine logical reasoning, causing research to only answer the "what" question while ignoring the "why" question regarding causality and ontological meaning. Another geopolitical and cultural challenge is the risk of "cognitive colonization" through the use of foreign AI systems, which are not primarily trained on Vietnamese data and values, potentially distorting fundamental concepts of Eastern philosophy and indigenous ethical values.
Regarding opportunities, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tai Dong affirmed that social sciences and humanities have the opportunity to reaffirm their strategic position, becoming the industry that produces "social software" (institutions, laws, ethics, cultural norms) - the indispensable soft infrastructure of the digital society.
Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/dinh-hinh-vai-role-vi-the-cua-khoa-hoc-xa-hoi-va-nhan-van-trong-ky-nguyen-so-20251212172047104.htm
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