Referencing international models

Germany, Singapore, and China have each adopted distinct cultural strategies to regulate, connect, and develop their societies: from the integration of culture and law in Germany, the building of national cultural values in Singapore, to the promotion of the regulatory function of culture in the development process in China...

These lessons have provided valuable insights for Vietnam in building and developing national cultural values in the modern context.

Referencing international models - image 1 — Frankfurt Opera House (Germany)

German culture and law create a collective force that regulates social development.

Germany has been the country of world- renowned philosophers for centuries, achieving tremendous accomplishments. This has likely had a profound influence on cultural thought, creating a unique characteristic of German culture compared to other European and global countries. This characteristic is philosophical culture , meaning that the culture contains many philosophical elements, lucidity, and rationality; therefore, the brilliant development of German philosophy is also the pinnacle of German cultural development.

In Germany, there is mutual support between culture and law to create a common force regulating development, laying the foundation for stable and sustainable growth. The German market economy system involves state management and regulation to ensure adherence to market principles, while also regulating cultural and social needs, ensuring a balance between material and spiritual needs. This demonstrates not only the economic capacity of the state but also the level and vision of culture for development.

For example, in Germany, all children attending primary and secondary school are exempt from tuition fees. All newborns receive monthly government support until the age of 18, sufficient to live at an average standard, regardless of their parents' income. Upon closer examination, it's clear that this is not merely economic regulation, but, at its core, a result of cultural regulation – an awareness of ensuring harmony between economics and culture, and the harmony between human and social development.

However, German society is currently facing challenges in ensuring cultural security against the "onslaught" of global cultural and entertainment products, primarily in the film industry with the power of Hollywood, the "world's film capital." In response to this situation, to gradually create more cultural products that attract the domestic public and minimize the negative impact of foreign culture, Germany has strived to create an appeal for German culture through support for creative and performance activities, production, exhibitions, preservation, and dissemination of its culture.

A specific example is: Germany possesses a vast heritage of traditional and classical arts (theatre, music , etc.). To protect and promote this cultural heritage, Germany annually plans to provide financial support to theaters to support the performance of classical works. This support is not a one-time campaign, but rather a reduction in ticket prices for each individual seat in the theater, implemented through legislation. This is a rare form of regulation for the task of preserving and promoting traditional and classical cultural values, thereby contributing to the enhancement and enrichment of the spiritual world of cultural recipients – the large public that the State aims to reach.

Referencing international models - image 2 — Singapore has a distinct and unique culture.

Singapore has a national regulatory system.

As a newly formed nation from impoverished fishing villages, with a diverse population and culture, Singapore has become a wealthy country with a prominent position not only in Asia but also globally in just over 60 years. Many factors contribute to this remarkable achievement, but this analysis will focus on the regulatory role of national culture in enabling the country's spectacular development.

Singaporean leaders have a far-sighted vision of the role of culture in uniting the peoples and ethnic groups of Singapore into a single nation, a single country. This cannot be achieved through economics alone; therefore, Singapore has meticulously compiled practical experiences and theories to gradually identify common cultural values for Singaporeans and the nation. This is an extremely arduous task. Building these shared values, and having them voluntarily accepted and followed by the vast majority of the population, creates the nation's soft power. Along with economic strength, this creates a combined strength and a source of pride and self-respect for the people of this small nation. From there, these agreed-upon values become the national regulatory framework , guiding each citizen in their thinking, feelings, orientation, and handling of relationships and actions in life.

At the end of the 20th century, the results of this search and compilation of shared values were expressed in the document "Common Views on Cultural and Moral Values That Everyone Shares and Should Emulate". This shared value system consists of five points: 1- The nation comes first, society comes first (nation before community, society before the individual); 2- The family is the foundation, society is the body (the family is the most basic unit of society); 3- Shared concerns, shared hardships (supporting the community and respecting the individual); 4- Seek common ground, set aside differences, negotiate and understand each other (consensus, no conflict); 5- Racial harmony, religious tolerance (racial and religious harmony).

These principles were adopted by the Singapore Parliament in 1991 and are known as the “Singapore Common Values”.

Although the translations of the five points above differ, from the perspective of the regulatory function of culture, it is clear that these are fundamental guidelines for each Singaporean citizen and the entire community to regulate all aspects of life, thereby creating harmony in Singapore's highly multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-cultural society. The core harmony lies in the relationship between the nation and the community, society and the individual, family and society, race and religion, etc. From this perspective, it is evident that Singapore has highly utilized and promoted the role of culture in regulating society and fostering cultural development.

Drawing from the experiences of these three countries, we can find useful suggestions for reference: Overcoming mistakes to gradually move towards the right direction, contributing to the promotion of the regulatory function of culture (China); promoting and seamlessly and scientifically combining the regulatory function of culture with the regulatory function of law (Germany); and meticulously building national values to guide and regulate all human activities (Singapore).

These issues are directly facing Vietnam, as the Party's 13th National Congress Document affirms: "Focus on researching, identifying, and implementing the construction of national values, cultural values, and human standards associated with preserving and developing Vietnamese family values in the new era" (Communist Party of Vietnam: Documents of the 13th National Congress, op. cit., Vol. I , p. 143).

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/tham-chieu-cac-mo-hinh-quoc-te-191151.html