The relationship between socialist values and national values during the period of transition to socialism in Vietnam

Prof., Dr. LE VAN LOI
Vice President,
Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics

1. Introduction

The relationship between the socialist value system and the national value system is a critical theoretical and practical issue, but also very complicated. There have been and still are different perceptions and new aspects that need to be resolved in the process of building and developing the country along the current socialist orientation.

Recognizing and correctly handling the relationship between the socialist value system and the national value system in the transitional period to socialism is an important basis for effectively determining the goals, paths, motivations, and orientations for national development, as well as helping to evaluate and adjust the actions of the subjects of the country’s renovation process.

2. Content

2.1. The concept of the socialist value system and the Vietnamese national value system

To understand the relationship between the socialist value system and the national value system, it is necessary to first clearly define what the socialist value system and the national value system are, as well as the position of these two value systems in the current social life of Vietnam.

In terms of perception, there are still many different understandings of the concept of “value”. Some researchers believe that value is the utility, usefulness, properties, and attributes of things and phenomena that bring benefits and satisfy human needs.

The Encyclopedia of Cultural Studies (edited by A.A.Radugin) defines: “Value is the property of an object or a social phenomenon that satisfies a need, a desire, or an interest of a social subject (individuals, social groups, or the whole society”(1).

American sociologist J.H.Fichter said: “Everything that is useful, desirable, or admirable to a person or group of people “has a value”(2).

It is believed by some other researchers that value is a human evaluation of an object, phenomenon, or event that is consistent with the concept, needs, and tastes of the evaluator. From that perspective, researcher Tran Ngoc Them stated: “Value is a human evaluation of natural and social phenomena and thinking in the direction that those things are necessary, good, interesting, beautiful, or that those are the things that people consider true, good, and beautiful”(3).

Meanwhile, some researchers believe that value is both objective and subjective. Author Nguyen The Kiet asserts: “Value is the meaning of material or spiritual things and phenomena that can satisfy positive human needs, etc. Value has both objective and subjective attributes”(4).

Although there are different perceptions of value, in general, many scholars affirm that the concept of value contains the relationship between subject and object, between subjectivity and objectivity in the process of transforming human society and nature. Value is both a manifestation of the “intrinsic force” of a person, a measure of that intrinsic force, and at the same time the goal of human beings towards truth, goodness, and beauty. The concept of a “value system” refers to a system of values ​​that are connected and arranged in a certain order, reflecting the identity as well as the needs, priorities, and orientations of groups, classes, ethnic groups, and countries. The value system of a community is formed over a long period of time, going through a process of screening, supplementation, adaptation, and transformation along with the changes of history.

2.2. The relationship between the socialist value system and the traditional national value system

The socialist value system and the traditional national value system have similarities and differences.

The socialist value system is a system of core, all-encompassing values, expressing the good nature, humanity, and superiority of socialism. According to the viewpoint of Marxism - Leninism and historical reality, the concept of socialism is understood from three perspectives, including: (i) The ideological and theoretical trend of a better society, representing the lower stage of communism; (ii) The practical movement reflecting the practical struggle of the working class and working people against the capitalist regime and other regimes of exploitation and oppression to build a better regime - the socialist regime; (iii) The realistic social regime, a type of social organization according to the principles of scientific socialism.

According to the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, “Socialism is often understood in three capacities: Socialism as a doctrine, Socialism as a movement; Socialism as a regime. Each of these capacities includes many different manifestations, depending on the worldview and level of development at each specific historical stage”(5).

As an ideological movement, socialism has a long history and with the great contributions by the classics of Marxism, socialism has transformed from utopianism into a science. Scientific socialism has been widely spread among the working class and working people, creating a vibrant revolutionary movement to implement a social regime where there is no more oppression or injustice, and where everyone is free, equal, and happy.

Real socialism was born from the Russian October Revolution and was the first real model of socialism. After the collapse of socialism in the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, the socialist movement in the world fell into decline, but Vietnam and some other countries remained steadfast in following the path of socialism and continued to explore, create, and build socialist models in each country.

Thus, no matter from which angle it is approached, socialism has the essential characteristic of establishing a good society, without oppression and injustice, where everyone has a prosperous, free, and happy life. Those are the core values ​​of socialism.

The socialist value system is richly expressed in all areas of social life, creating the superiority of the socialist regime, specifically:

(i) The noble goal is to liberate the class, liberate society, liberate the people, and create conditions for the people to develop in a comprehensive manner. The humane and humanistic nature of socialism always focuses on people and liberates people, liberates society, and builds a society where everyone has freedom and happiness, as the Communist Manifesto emphasized: “In place of the old bourgeois society, with its classes and class antagonisms, there will appear an association, in which the free development of each person is the condition for the free development of all”(6).

(ii) A socialist society has highly developed productive forces and is consistent with the public ownership of the main means of production, advanced management skills, and high labor productivity. An indispensable attribute of socialism is to organize management scientifically and effectively; to improve labor productivity to create advantages over the private ownership system. V.I.Lenin once emphasized that, after the proletariat won authority and power, “of course, there is another fundamental task that is put first, which is: to establish a social system higher than capitalism, that is, to improve labor productivity and therefore (and for that purpose) to organize labor at a higher level”(7).

(iii) It is a democratic society that promotes the people’s mastery. The socialist state is a type of semi-state, both having the nature of the working class and deeply rooted in the people and in the nation. The people build their own state and have the right to participate in state management, the management and organization of social life.

(iv) Socialist society has an advanced, highly developed culture, always nourished by traditional values ​​and assimilating the most advanced values ​​of the era. According to V.I. Lenin, “Proletarian culture must be the lawful development of the sum of knowledge that mankind has accumulated under the domination of capitalist society, landlord society, and bureaucratic society”(8). In socialist culture, the values ​​of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty are promoted, education is advanced, education for all and aims at comprehensive human education; modern science and technology truly become direct material productive forces.

(v) It ensures fairness, equality, and solidarity among fraternal nations. In the Communist Manifesto, K. Marx and F. Engels affirmed: eliminating exploitation among people will also eliminate the exploitation of one nation by another. V. I. Lenin supplemented, developed and proposed the viewpoint that nations are equal, have the right to self-determination and advocated “Proletarians of all countries and oppressed nations unite”. These are the guiding principles in resolving the national problem and at the same time are the superior values ​​of socialism.

(vi) It promotes the spirit of true patriotism and pure internationalism. The classics repeatedly emphasized the relationship between class and nation, between nation and internationalism. In the Communist Manifesto, K. Marx and F. Engels argued that the proletariat must rise up to become a nation, that is, unify class interests with national interests based on true patriotism and the stance of the proletariat. At the same time, the classics affirmed that socialism is international and must have an international spirit to be able to defeat capitalism. Those ideas became guiding orientations and at the same time were also core socialist values.

If the socialist value system was formed very early in human history and had qualitative development along with the formation of scientific socialism and real socialism, then the national value system was formed alongside the formation and development of nation states.

Vietnam is a nation with a long history; its national value system was formed and developed at an early time, becoming the spiritual foundation and consistent orientation for the process of thousands of years of building and defending the country by the Vietnamese people. Vietnam’s history is the history of the Vietnamese people’s indomitable and tenacious struggle against foreign invaders, against domination, and against assimilation as well as against natural disasters, especially storms, floods and droughts. That historical process has forged the spirit of patriotism, the will of self-reliance, the spirit of solidarity, bravery, resilience, diligence, creativity, loyalty and attachment to nature of the Vietnamese people.

In terms of nationhood, independence, self-reliance, peace and unity are the greatest values, permeating and dominating all other values. As a nation that has suffered much pain and loss due to frequent invasions and having to fight and sacrifice against invasion and domination by foreign powers, the Vietnamese people always yearn for a peaceful life. The wars of national defense fought by the Vietnamese people were all for the purpose of building a peaceful life. Thus, peace has become a great value that all Vietnamese people recognize and strive for.

On the other hand, due to the plots of foreign invaders and conflicts between ruling groups, Vietnam has been divided many times in history. However, with the tradition of “Lac Hong’s descendants”, after each division, the Vietnamese people overcame all difficulties to build a unified country, affirming the truth that “the country of Vietnam is one”. National unification has become a national value because it is the aspiration, the will and the unchanging belief of the Vietnamese people.

Along with the fundamental values ​​of independence, self-reliance, peace, and unity, the Vietnamese national value system also contains other core values ​​such as wealth, power, civilization, etc. History has helped the Vietnamese people understand that to maintain independence, freedom, and not be enslaved, they must be rich, powerful, and strong. Therefore, after every victory over foreign invaders, despite devastation and loss, the Vietnamese people rose up to rebuild the country, with the desire to be strong in order to maintain independence, to protect the Fatherland.

Although periods of peace for national development have not been long, with the spirit of hard work and creativity, the Vietnamese people have built a solid foundation over many historical periods such as the Ly - Tran dynasty, the early Le dynasty, and the Tay Son dynasty. Along with that, using self-reliance combined with cultural assimilation, the Vietnamese people have built a unique culture, demonstrating a high level of civilization and rich national identity, as Nguyen Trai affirmed “Like our Dai Viet country from the past/ We have long established our culture of civility”. It is a culture that promotes talents, promotes the spirit of humanity, promotes the ideology of respecting the people, for the people, and wishes for the people to be prosperous and happy.

The Vietnamese national value system was created by the Vietnamese people through millennia of history of building and defending the country. That process has fostered in the Vietnamese people outstanding qualities, and values ​​rich in identity, particularly: patriotism, solidarity, self-reliance, diligence and creativity in work, living ethically, etc. Those values ​​have endured over time, becoming indispensable elements in the table of national values ​​and the table of standards of Vietnamese human values.

From the general analysis of the socialist value system and the Vietnamese national value system, it can be seen that there are clear parallels between the two value systems, or in other words, there are also areas of convergence. Both value systems promote equality among nations, oppose oppression and slavery between one nation and another, one person and another, and promote a prosperous and good society.

If the socialist value system emphasizes class liberation and human liberation, then the Vietnamese national value system, with its special emphasis on national independence, emphasizes the aspect of conditions for realizing socialist values. If the former emphasizes building a society in which there is no longer exploitation among people, with a high level of development, where people have a prosperous, free life and are fully developed, then the latter also emphasizes the strength, wealth, culture, prosperity and happiness of the people.

The reason for this similarity and difference is that socialist ideology represents the common aspiration of humanity. Vietnam is a country with a long history, a great civilization, and an important part of the world. Of course, the Vietnamese people also aim for those common aspirations. What is special is that, due to historical and cultural conditions, the Vietnamese people have contributed many good and unique traditional values, contributing to enriching the socialist value system.

2.3. Since Marxism-Leninism was introduced into Vietnam and became the ideological foundation for the Vietnamese revolution, the two value systems have become increasingly closely interlinked, creating a premise for each other’s development.

When our country was invaded and colonized by the French in the mid-19th century, the Vietnamese national value system suffered a serious crisis. The country was lost, and its name was erased from the world map. The national value system that had been forged and built up for thousands of years was also trampled, despised, and sought to be erased by the foreign invaders.

The patriotic movements against French colonialism based on the traditional national value system, although reformed according to different ideologies, all failed. Only when Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh turned to Marxism - Leninism, spread Marxism - Leninism into the patriotic movement and the workers’ movement, and formed the path of national liberation along the path of proletarian revolution, that is, the path of national independence linked with socialism, based on the foundation of the socialist value system, was the crisis in the path of national salvation overcome.

With the foundation of the Communist Party of Vietnam in February 1930, the Vietnamese national value system developed into a new form: the national value system following the path of socialism.

Thus, in the context of the country being colonized by French colonialists, the socialist value system permeated the patriotic movement and the workers’ movement, playing a leading role in orienting the right development of the national value system.

Conversely, the reason why the socialist value system penetrates and increasingly asserts its leadership role in the flow of Vietnamese national history is because it meets the historical needs and aspirations of the entire Vietnamese people, which are the aspirations for independence, freedom, and happiness. Thus, although the traditional national value system was powerless in the face of historical challenges, it is the soil for the socialist value system to sow seeds and develop. From that perspective, it can be seen that the socialist value system has been revived and enhanced, promoting the development of the national value system; the traditional national value system is the condition and premise for the development of the socialist value system in Vietnam.

The August Revolution of 1945 succeeded, and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was born, which opened a new era for the Vietnamese people - the era of independence, freedom and socialism. Under the new regime, the new national value system - the socialist-oriented national value system with the core values ​​of independence - freedom - happiness began to be realized in practice. Since then, the relationship between the national value system and the socialist value system in Vietnam has been unified not only in terms of ideals and value similarities but also in the way of expression: The national value system is the socialist-oriented national value system, and the socialist value system is the socialist value system developed in Vietnam.

That unity is expressed in the goal of the revolution: “to build an independent, unified, free, and prosperous Vietnam. To make the people happy and build a happy and glorious society”(9); as well as in the last wish of President Ho Chi Minh before he passed away,: “to build a peaceful, unified, independent, democratic, and prosperous Vietnam, and to make a worthy contribution to the world revolutionary cause”(10).

The unity of these two value systems led and contributed to creating a great driving force for our nation to successfully carry out the long-term resistance war against the invading French colonialists, both building socialism in the North and conducting the resistance war against the invading American imperialists, liberating the South, and unifying the country in the Spring of 1975.

Under the Party’s wise and talented leadership, after 30 years of arduous struggle and sacrifice, the Vietnamese people have completed the people’s national democratic revolution, reunited the country, opened an era of unification, renovation and deep international integration, creating conditions for the socialist value system and the national value system to be closely intertwined across the entire country.

In particular, the national renewal initiated and led by our Party, with its great and historically significant achievements, has promoted the socialist value system and the national value system to develop to new heights and increasingly demonstrated their organic unity in practice.

2.4. The relationship between the socialist value system and the national value system during the renovation period is organically unified to the point of inseparability and demonstrates the richness, liveliness, and creativity of Vietnamese socialism.

Along with the renovation process, our Party has developed an increasingly clear awareness of socialism and the socialist value system, in line with the country’s reality and the trend of the times. In the Platform (supplemented and developed in 2011), the Party affirmed eight essential characteristics of the socialist society that the people are building, including: “A rich people, strong country, democratic, equitable, civilized; owned by the people; a highly-developed economy based on modern productive forces and appropriate progressive production relations; an advanced culture, deeply imbued with national identity; the people have a prosperous, free, happy life, with conditions for comprehensive development; the ethnic groups in the Vietnamese community are equal, united, respect and help each other to develop together; there is a socialist rule-of-law state of the people, by the people, for the people led by the Communist Party; and there are friendly and cooperative relations with countries around the world”(11).

That is also the socialist value system, demonstrating the good nature and superiority of socialism as well as reflecting the aspirations of the entire Vietnamese people, as General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized: “We need a society in which development is truly for the people, not for profit that exploits and tramples on human dignity. We need economic development coupled with social progress and justice, not increasing the gap between rich and poor and social inequality. We need a humane, united, mutually supportive society, oriented towards progressive and humane values, not unfair competition, “big fish swallowing small fish”, for the selfish interests of a few individuals and groups. We need sustainable development, in harmony with nature to ensure a healthy living environment for present and future generations, not to exploit resources, abuse resources, consume materials without limit, and destroy the environment. Also, we need a political system where real power belongs to the people, by the people and serves the interests of the people”(12).

The socialist value system with the above-mentioned core values ​​represents the unity to the point of blending socialist ideals with the needs and aspirations of the entire Vietnamese people. This value system bears the nature of the socialist value system and at the same time represents the unique characteristics of the Vietnamese people. In a certain aspect, this value system can be seen as a form, a specific model of the socialist value system. Therefore, it is the socialist value system of Vietnam, of the Vietnamese people, by the Vietnamese people, for the prosperity, freedom and happiness of the Vietnamese people. The Vietnamese national value system, under the enlightenment of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought and tested through the historical stages of the revolution, especially throughout nearly 40 years of renovation, has been forged, refined, and affirmed as the value system of an independent nation in transition to socialism with core values: Peace, unity, independence, prosperity, democracy, equitability, prosperity, civilization, and happiness. That value system bears a socialist nature, organically unified with the socialist value system to the point of blending, forming the national value system of Socialist Vietnam.

That system of national values has been interwoven from 95 years of heroic national history since our Party was founded, becoming a priceless spiritual asset, contributing to consolidating the country’s foundation, position, potential and prestige, creating an important foundation and premise for “The Party’s will to blend with the people’s hearts and aspirations to bring the country forward into a new era”(13).

According to General Secretary To Lam, “The era of rising up is the era of breakthrough development, accelerating under the leadership of the Party, successfully building a socialist Vietnam, being rich, strong, democratic, fair, civilized, prosperous, happy; catching up, advancing together, standing on par with the world powers”​​(14). Thus, entering the new era, the system of national values ​​organically unified with the core socialist values ​​will continue to guide our nation to rise up and develop strongly for a bright future.

3. Conclusion

From studying these aspects of the relationship between the socialist value system and the Vietnamese national value system in the transitional period to socialism, it can be seen that this is a complex, multi-dimensional relationship that requires further comprehensive and in-depth research. Initially, it can be affirmed that in the transitional period to socialism, especially in the period of national renovation, these two value systems have an inseparable, organically unified relationship. The socialist value system here is the Vietnamese socialist value system that the Vietnamese people have drawn from the practice of developing the country along the path of socialism, from the will and aspirations of the entire nation for socialism. The current Vietnamese national value system is the value system of a country in transition to socialism, which is resolutely, persistently, creatively, and unitedly building socialism successfully in Vietnam.

Clearly recognizing the relationship between the two systems is the basis for correctly applying scientific socialist theory to the country’s reality, avoiding dogmatic and rigid thinking. As V.I.Lenin once affirmed: “We must know how to apply the universal, basic principles of communism to the characteristics of the relationships between classes and parties, to the characteristics of objective development towards communism, and to the specific characteristics of each country, which we must know how to study, identify and anticipate”(15).

Clearly recognizing the relationship between the socialist value system and the current Vietnamese national value system will provide a more solid foundation and arguments to affirm the correctness of the country’s development path in the direction of socialism, pride, confidence, autonomy, self-reliance, and self-strengthening, firmly under the banner of national independence and socialism in the new era of development.

_________________

Received: January 11, 2025; Revised: January 13, 2025; Approved for publication: January 15, 2025.

Endnotes:

(1) A.A. Radugin (Editor-in-Chief): Encyclopedia of Cultural Studies, Institute of Cultural and Artistic Studies, Hanoi, 2022, p.165.

(2) F.H. Fichter: Sociology, Saigon, 1973, p.173.

(3) Tran Ngoc Them: Vietnamese value system from tradition to modernity and the path to the future, Ho Chi Minh City Culture - Literature Publishing House, 2016, p.39.

(4) Nguyen The Kiet: “Some issues on building the Vietnamese national value system in the current period”, Proceedings of the National Scientific Conference “National value system, cultural value system, family value system, and Vietnamese human standards in the new era”, Hanoi, 2021, p.706.

(5), (12) Nguyen Phu Trong: Some theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2022, pp.17, 21.

(6) K.Marx and F.Engels: Complete Works, vol.4, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2002, p.628.

(7) V.I.Lenin: Complete Works, vol.36, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2005, pp.228-229.

(8), (15) V.I.Lenin: Complete Works, vol.41, op. cit., pp.361, 93.

(9) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.8, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.265.

(10) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.15, ibid., p.614.

(11) CPV: Platform for national construction in the transitional period to socialism (supplemented and developed in 2011), National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.13.

(13), (14) General Secretary To Lam: “Aspiration to rise up in the new era”, Nhan Dan Newspaper, January 1, 2025, pp.2, 2.