Don't let identity be forgotten.

Scientific conference "Looking back at the movement and development of Vietnamese literature and art 50 years after the country's reunification"

At the seminar "Looking Back at the Development of Vietnamese Literature and Art 50 Years After National Reunification," recently held in Hanoi , many experts pointed out the impacts that threaten to erode the national cultural identity. The influence of Korean, Chinese, and Western cultural products on young people is cited as an example.

In music , many young artists blindly copy the K-pop style: from choreography and costumes to music videos... but lack individuality and depth of cultural identity. Vietnamese films suffer from a similar impact. The market is flooded with remakes (reproductions of foreign originals), but most are disappointing due to formulaic scripts, a lack of identity, and a failure to convey the essence of Vietnamese culture. Many filmmakers are hesitant to invest in purely Vietnamese scripts for fear of market risks, thus causing audiences to gradually distance themselves from rich cultural values.

A greater risk is the decline of traditional art forms. Art forms like tuồng, chèo, cải lương, and hát xẩm are increasingly rare in public life. Young people may know the names of Korean music groups but don't know what hát xẩm is, and have never seen tuồng performed on stage. The pool of successor artists for these art forms is dwindling, partly due to insufficient income and partly due to a lack of opportunities for creativity, skill development, and recognition.

Given this situation, preserving cultural identity is not only the responsibility of artists, but also a national strategy. This includes incorporating traditional cultural education into schools to help young generations develop a refined taste and appreciation for it. Simultaneously, strong support policies are needed to nurture young artists pursuing national art forms, such as establishing investment funds, cultural scholarships, and selective performance venues.

In particular, digital technology should be seen as a supporting tool, not a threat. Many products, such as the music videos "Để Mị nói cho mà nghe" (Hoàng Thùy Linh) or "Bắc Bling " (Hòa Minzy), are prime examples showing that if you know how to innovate, your unique identity can still reach a large young audience through platforms like YouTube and TikTok.

Preserving cultural identity does not mean rejecting integration. The core issue is how to enable Vietnamese culture to step out into the world proactively and confidently. Not being assimilated while still being able to create its own unique mark is the cultural strength of a nation in the globalized age.

MAI AN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/dung-de-ban-sac-bi-lang-quen-post802749.html