Developing core values of East-West cultural heritage in the context of digitalization

As part of the Thang Long - Hanoi Festival 2025 activities, the seminar "East-West Educational and Cultural Heritage" was held this morning (November 3) in Hanoi to enhance academic exchanges and promote awareness of the lasting value of educational heritage.

Delegates assessed the seminar as an opportunity to learn about the value of East-West education and history through two typical symbols: the Imperial Academy of Thang Long and Columbia University. In particular, this is an open academic space where traditional heritage is illuminated by the spirit of modern dialogue, contributing to spreading the value of education, culture and knowledge in Vietnam's journey of international integration.

Dialogue on educational heritage and national identity

Participating in the seminar, experts said that the event has positive significance in the new context when it contributes to evoking deep awareness of the role of educational heritage in forming national identity and human character, while at the same time broadening vision, connecting tradition with innovation in the context of globalization.

“The Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam was established in the late 11th century under the Ly Dynasty, as a place to honor the saints and sages and a place for royal children to study. Through the dynasties, the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam became the highest educational center, a place to train thousands of talented people for the country, and also a place to foster many fine traditional values of the nation such as the tradition of respecting teachers, respecting talented people and learning. Those traditions have created the value of Vietnamese philosophy, contributing to the construction and development of the country throughout history,” said Ms. Le Thi Anh Mai, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports , at the event.

The Temple of Literature - Imperial Academy educates people based on the foundation of etiquette and morality, taking self-cultivation as the foundation for learners. The main ideology of education is based on humanity. That traditional education also leaves the next generation a huge cultural and educational heritage, which is thousands of famous scholars and extremely valuable traditions and morality that are still valuable in today's era.

The Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam has now become an unmissable destination for international tourists on their journey to explore Hanoi. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

In the context of Vietnam entering a new era, innovation in thinking, especially in the field of education, is very important to provide human resources for national development. On the one hand, experts affirm that traditional education needs to be seen as a lesson and experience for new solutions and new educational thinking, on the other hand, learning from the experiences of developed countries is extremely meaningful.

For that reason, the Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports highly appreciated Columbia University (USA) - an educational model typical of Western education, with liberal thinking and personal autonomy, which has had many achievements in human training.

“In the current context, exchanging experiences and learning from each other through scientific activities such as today's discussion is extremely important for managers at all levels and educators,” Ms. Le Thi Anh Mai emphasized.

At the seminar, Vietnamese and American scientists focused on analyzing, comparing and discussing three major groups of topics: The organizational model and educational methods of Quoc Tu Giam and Columbia University; Quoc Tu Giam Thang Long - an education system that promotes courtesy, morality, self-cultivation and service to society; Columbia University (USA) - a liberal education model that promotes critical thinking, personal autonomy, encourages creativity and links knowledge with practice, aiming at global citizens.

International visitors learn about Vietnam's traditional linen weaving process. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

Developing the core values of East-West heritage

The delegates and scientists at the seminar all affirmed the core values of Eastern and Western educational culture. While the East often focuses on morality, etiquette, inner cultivation, community spirit and the inheritance of tradition, taking knowledge as a path to perfecting personality and contributing to society, the West emphasizes individual autonomy, critical thinking, creativity and practical efficiency, taking knowledge and action, aiming for independent and dynamic citizens.

Director of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia, Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lien Hang said: “Like the Temple of Literature, Columbia aims for an education based on science, philosophy, literature, music and art, to equip students with a general knowledge base, helping them become thoughtful citizens in a complex and interconnected world.”

According to the Professor, the Core Curriculum quickly became the heart of Columbia's identity and a model for liberal arts education for many other universities in the United States. This liberal education system, like the spirit of the Temple of Literature centuries ago, teaches students not only how to solve problems, but also how to ask which problems are worth solving and why. It trains them to become leaders, people who serve the country and humanity.

Director of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia, Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lien Hang. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

“The Global Vietnam Studies Program at Columbia was established in 2018 to fill the gap in scholarship on Vietnam and the Vietnamese community in the United States,” said Weatherhead, director of the East Asia Institute. “The program is also a dynamic forum for promoting Vietnamese arts and culture.”

“One of the most outstanding events was the collaborative performance with designer Minh Hanh, introducing the beauty of the Ao Dai and the quintessence of Vietnamese silk weaving, hand embroidery, rattan weaving and traditional painting. These works were brought to Colombia by dedicated artists and artisans who are dedicated to preserving and spreading the Vietnamese cultural heritage,” the Professor emphasized.

In addition, there is the “Digitizing Vietnam” project, a collaboration between Columbia University and Fulbright University Vietnam. The project is building a digital platform that allows users to access ancient Nom manuscripts as well as modern Vietnamese documents, and is compiling a comprehensive catalog of modern archives and libraries in Vietnam, to ensure that Vietnamese history is widely and sustainably accessible in the native language.

“Our activities have been connecting people and knowledge across all geographical distances between the East and the West, between tradition and modernity, between history and innovation. These efforts not only continue our long-standing tradition of research and teaching, but also broaden our vision and welcome new initiatives in the 21st century,” affirmed Professor Nguyen Thi Lien Hang./.