Culture is the soul of the nation!

Visitors listen to an introduction about the construction process and artifacts related to the Ho Dynasty Citadel heritage.

Vietnam - a nation that has gone through thousands of years of fighting against foreign invaders to gain and maintain independence and also spent the same amount of time fighting against natural disasters and enemies to build villages, homelands and countries. That heroic historical tradition is the extremely rich "material" to nurture and forge an advanced Vietnamese culture, imbued with national identity. It is a culture that reflects the soul, spirit and mettle of Vietnam with the noble and lasting qualities and values ​​of patriotism, solidarity, loyalty, peace, tolerance, resilience, courage...

When talking about culture, people sometimes look at it in a narrow perspective. On the surface or in a narrow sense, Vietnamese culture is a huge treasure, including a valuable system of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. However, it is not enough to cover the depth as well as affirm the role and position of culture as an endogenous source of strength for all sustainable development, if we only look at culture in a narrow sense. Because the connotation of Vietnamese culture with its traditional roots of patriotism, resilience, and humanity also includes spiritual activities of society such as science, education, literature, art, ethics... At the same time, culture is also a hidden factor, playing a role in promoting the perfection of many fields and aspects of life, such as political culture, leadership culture, office culture, corporate culture... Even culture in a broad sense is also a manifestation of the level of social development, from the beginning to the most brilliant civilizations of mankind.

And after all, in a broad or narrow sense, when talking about culture, we are talking about the most quintessential, quintessence, unique, progressive values ​​that are crystallized, filtered, and cultivated through the long historical process of struggle and construction of a nation and people. Then, in turn, culture is not only the place to "anchor" the national soul, but also becomes an endogenous resource, a spiritual foundation that urges society to constantly move and develop. In the most general terms: "Culture lights the way for the nation to go" (President Ho Chi Minh ).

In order for culture to play its role of “lighting the way”, first and foremost, it is necessary to have a correct and profound understanding of the role, meaning and importance of culture. Since its inception, our Party has grasped and promoted the role of culture. In the “Outline on Vietnamese Culture” (1943), our Party identified culture as one of the three fronts ( economics , politics, culture) and developed culture in three directions: Nationality - Science - Mass. From that orientation, up to now, our Party has issued many important resolutions such as Resolution of the 5th Central Committee, Session VIII, on building and developing an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity; Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW of the 9th Central Committee Conference, Session XI, on building and developing Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements of sustainable national development... These are resolutions that pave the way to honor the position and affirm the role of culture; At the same time, to clarify the connotation of Vietnamese culture, a comprehensively developed culture, towards truth - goodness - beauty, imbued with national spirit, humanity, democracy, science...

Deeply rooted in the national cultural vein, Thanh culture is a very special stream. On the one hand, Thanh culture can be likened to a mirror reflecting the quintessence and essence of Vietnamese culture with a strong identity; on the other hand, it has its own nuances, associated with the history of the land and the cultural characteristics of the ethnic groups living together. If culture is named by its genre of tangible and intangible culture, Thanh has very typical representatives. That is the world cultural heritage Thanh Nha

The lake - a majestic stone architectural work, demonstrating the intellectual height, creativity and talented hands of the Vietnamese people. It is a special national relic of Lam Kinh - the "memorial capital" of the Later Le Dynasty, a dynasty that made great contributions to the history of the nation... Through the process of struggle and tireless labor, our ancestors created a treasure trove of unique intangible cultural heritage, expressed through a rich system of folk literature genres, or in customs, festivals, beliefs... Thanks to that treasure trove of valuable intangible cultural heritage, historical and cultural researchers have "lifted the veil of mystery of religion and folk beliefs, to gradually reveal the historical reality and the majestic stature of the named and unnamed heroes, who created and beautified the glorious tradition of building and defending the country of the people in Thanh land" (Dr. Hoang Minh Tuong).

Culture is both a product of creativity and a fundamental factor contributing to improving people's lives, as well as an important driving force for sustainable development. Therefore, placing culture in its rightful place, as well as allocating investment resources to culture, has become an objective necessity. In recent years, along with focusing on economic development, the Party Committee and the government of Thanh Hoa province have always paid attention to the cultural cause and considered culture an important pillar promoting growth and sustainable socio-economic development. On that basis, hundreds of billions of VND have been spent on preserving, embellishing relics and restoring and protecting intangible cultural heritage, considering this as a way to respect and create a connection with the roots of national culture. At the same time, focusing on building a safe, healthy and civilized cultural environment has contributed to repelling social evils, while creating an environment for people to develop in terms of morality, intelligence, physical strength, and aesthetics...

In particular, the promulgation of Resolution No. 17-NQ/TU, dated July 4, 2024 of the Provincial Party Committee on continuing to build and develop Thanh Hoa culture and people in the new period, not only aims to strengthen the Party's leadership in the cause of cultural development; but also creates a premise for culture to be truly on par with economics and politics. The Resolution has emphasized the viewpoint that is both core and profound, and comprehensive, that is: Thanh Hoa culture and people are not only a spiritual foundation, but also a solid material foundation, an endogenous resource, an important driving force for the rapid and sustainable development of the province. From there, building and developing Thanh Hoa culture and people must be on the basis of preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values ​​of the homeland; at the same time, proactively and selectively absorbing the quintessence of national and contemporary culture, ensuring suitability, enriching the cultural values ​​of the homeland. In particular, determining the core focus of cultural development is the comprehensive development of human beings in both intelligence and morality; at the same time, maximizing the human factor, taking human beings as the center, the subject, the main resource and the goal of development.

The journey of "cultivating" cultural values ​​is not a linear path, nor is it a process of cloning according to a certain pattern. Culture goes hand in hand with life, it is a mirror reflecting the reality of life in a vivid and profound way. Therefore, culture is truly the soul of the nation, the soul of Thanh land, first and foremost, it is to carry out the work of cultural revival or protect the core, quintessence and most quintessential cultural values ​​of the nation - a major goal and task being set by our Party. At the same time, we strive to nurture and cultivate new and good cultural values ​​on the basis of adequate investment in the cultural cause and investment in people. In particular, we focus on creativity and cultural enjoyment, so that culture both brings new values ​​of life and creates a "soft driving force" to promote the sustainable development of Thanh land.

Article and photos: Khoi Nguyen

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/van-hoa-la-hon-cot-dan-toc-258717.htm