Culture is strength, an inner power, helping the country overcome perilous challenges.

"Culture is important everywhere, but for the Vietnamese people, culture is what helps this nation survive and not disappear. That's the 'vital' meaning of culture, not just that it's very important."

On the occasion of the beginning of the new year 2026, Professor Vu Minh Giang, Vice President of the Vietnam Historical Science Association and Member of the National Cultural Heritage Council, shared interesting insights about culture and cultural development in the new era with the Government Online Newspaper.

Recently, Resolution No. 80/NQ-TƯ was issued in the context of the country entering a new stage of development with increasingly high demands for rapid, sustainable development, closely linking the economy, politics , society with culture and people, establishing a new position for culture. Developing culture and people is the foundation, driving force, pillar, and regulating system for the sustainable development of the country. Culture must lead the way, permeating all areas of social life, from policy planning to implementation, from real life to the digital space.

"The unique strength of a nation with a rich cultural tradition"

According to Professor Vu Minh Giang, the issuance of Resolution No. 80/NQ-TƯ by the Politburo further affirms the particularly important role of culture, especially in the new era of development. He argues that for a long time, the country focused heavily on national defense and security, foreign relations, and the economy , while culture, although always valued, received less attention through policies and investment.

To clearly understand the significance of Resolution 80, Professor Vu Minh Giang emphasized the need to re-examine the historical role of culture for the Vietnamese nation. First and foremost, culture has helped the nation avoid assimilation, fostered national consciousness, promoted indigenous strengths, and preserved and protected traditional cultural values.

Culture is also an intrinsic strength that helps a nation overcome life-or-death challenges. Immediately after gaining independence, in the context of the country facing a precarious situation and preparing for a protracted resistance war, President Ho Chi Minh convened the First National Cultural Conference (November 24, 1946), laying the foundation for building a new Vietnamese culture. The spirit of "culturalizing the resistance" unleashed the combined strength of the entire people – an intrinsic resource of decisive importance, surpassing even military and armed strength.

"Therefore, our later victories in the resistance wars for national independence and liberation were not only due to the strength of will and military might, but also the strength of culture," Professor Vu Minh Giang emphasized.

According to him, history shows that the strength of the Vietnamese people lies not in "guns and bullets," but in their cultural traditions and their ability to mobilize the strength of the entire nation. In every resistance war, even when the balance of power was unfavorable, the culture of national defense became the secret to victory.

Professor Vu Minh Giang believes that culture is increasingly recognized as a valuable national resource, a fact clearly affirmed in Resolution No. 80/NQ-TƯ. Unlike natural resources, which can be depleted, cultural resources, if properly exploited, will continuously increase in value. "But to exploit them correctly and effectively, we need intelligence, methods, knowledge, and many other necessary conditions," Professor Vu Minh Giang stated.

Therefore, Professor Vu Minh Giang argues that the cultural industry will transform all those resources into cultural products. Historically, we have exploited cultural resources, but in a relatively simple, if not rudimentary, way, resulting in low efficiency. Furthermore, without long-term investment, cultural resources will be depleted.

He affirmed that Resolution No. 80/NQ-TƯ not only reaffirms the importance of culture, but also that, in the general trend of development, it is time for us to transform all cultural resources into a resource for sustainable national development.

"Cultural development is not just about shouting slogans."

To build and develop the cultural industry, it is essential to have cultural products; and there must be close coordination among the "four stakeholders": firstly, the vision of the managers; secondly, the professionals; thirdly, the investors; and fourthly, the journalists, to convey, connect, and disseminate the coordination of the other three stakeholders. From there, To create a harmoniously developing ecosystem for the cultural industry, and to produce cultural products that are sufficiently appealing.

Drawing on South Korea's experience, Professor Vu Minh Giang pointed out that Vietnam can absolutely develop a cultural industry, but it needs a specific strategy, a vision, a structured approach, and decisive implementation. Simply shouting slogans will not translate the Resolution into reality.

"Previously, we were not aware of the material value of cultural products, only considering them as forms of entertainment; having them was fun, but not having them was okay. But increasingly, we realize that human life has three main needs for enjoyment: material, spiritual, and mental," said Professor Vu Minh Giang.

Regarding material needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, these are essential and indispensable. Secondly, spiritual enjoyment was dominated by material values ​​for a long time, but we have later realized the true importance of spiritual needs.

"It's not by chance that our children spend tens of millions of dong to buy tickets to see the Korean band BlackPink perform in Vietnam. Why can a painting sell for millions of USD... and many other spiritual products can command high prices to own? Clearly, we see one thing: There is another human need that people are willing to pay a very high price to satisfy. This shows a shift in thinking. That is very encouraging," Professor Vu Minh Giang shared his feelings.

"Removing institutional 'bottlenecks' is crucial."

Professor Vu Minh Giang argues that culture is not just a "story" for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism alone. It's time we understood culture in a broader sense, with a more sustainable foundation. Resolution No. 80/NQ-TƯ has encompassed and placed culture in its proper position.

Professor Vu Minh Giang agrees that state investment and support are not only financial resources but also measures to encourage creativity, protect artists, and create conditions for cultural and artistic talents to maximize their potential. On the other hand, removing institutional "bottlenecks" is crucial for developing the cultural industry and culture in the new era. Many cultural projects seek investment but are hampered.

Professor Vu Minh Giang stated that many organizations, individuals, and businesses are very committed to culture and wish to invest in the cultural sector, but still face obstacles in terms of mechanisms and policies.

He also suggested that institutional reviews and financial mechanisms need to be considered, and that "Dien Hong Conferences" should be organized to invite managers, experts, and investors to share experiences, highlight difficulties and obstacles, and discuss how to strongly initiate and promote the development of the cultural industry in the coming period.

Professor Vu Minh Giang also mentioned that it is time to recognize that culture is not only about developing the cultural industry but also about political culture and foreign relations. A culture also needs to be both firm and flexible, and adaptable to changing circumstances while maintaining core principles.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/van-hoa-la-suc-manh-la-noi-luc-giup-dat-nuoc-vuot-qua-nhung-thu-thach-hiem-ngheo-5078045.html