Hanoi (VNA) - The 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, scheduled for January 19-25, is expected to further reaffirm culture as the spiritual foundation of society, an intrinsic driver of sustainable development, and a key pillar of national soft power amid deeper international integration.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency's correspondent in Paris, writer and cultural researcher Tran Thu Dung, a Vietnamese national long engaged in cultural and artistic life in France, said that culture has always held a particularly important place in national development, alongside science-technology.
While science-technology creates material strength, production capacity and competitiveness, culture provides spiritual depth and lasting social values. A civilisation built solely on skyscrapers, technology and commerce would become rigid and lifeless without art, green spaces and humanistic values, she said. From the perspective of a cultural researcher working abroad, she stressed that the 14th National Party Congress should continue to place culture in its proper position within the national development strategy, viewing it as a pillar alongside science-technology.
A country seeking to attract tourism, investment and talent cannot rely only on economic growth or technological progress, but must also possess a culture that is profound and inspiring, Dung stated.
On international integration, Dung emphasised the principle of “integration without dilution”. She said openness to external cultural influences is inevitable in a globalised world, but preserving and promoting national cultural identity must be selective and well considered, avoiding distortion or excessive commercialisation while retaining core values.
Sharing experience from France as President of the Aurore (Light) Association, she said effective cultural dissemination should begin with education. In France, many historic sites have been renovated into schools and universities, helping preserve heritage while serving communities. Schools, she noted, are cultural spaces that shape character, nurture pride and contribute to forming responsible citizens and future “cultural ambassadors”.
Drawing on her experience with local cultural institutions in France, Dung highlighted policies that bring heritage closer to the public, such as periodic free access to museums and cultural sites. These measures allow broader public engagement, foster national pride and strengthen awareness of heritage preservation. When culture becomes part of daily life, each citizen can help promote the country’s image abroad.
Regarding overseas Vietnamese communities, she said cultural and art practitioners abroad play an important role in preserving the Vietnamese language and spreading the Vietnamese culture, but face challenges related to livelihoods and operating conditions. She, therefore, called for more practical support mechanisms and policies.
According to her, building Vietnam’s image through culture requires selective investment. Culinary culture is an effective channel, but teaching the Vietnamese language and promoting culture demand professional educators and deep cultural understanding, as language education also conveys historical and identity-related values.
She proposed enhancing support for promoting Vietnamese culture overseas, viewing this as a means of national image promotion and sovereignty affirmation through education, culture and tourism, including information on Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly). Vietnamese cultural centres abroad should be further invested to become shared community spaces for both overseas Vietnamese and international friends.
Dung expressed her hope that the 14th National Party Congress will continue to elevate culture as the spiritual foundation of society, an intrinsic driver of sustainable development, and an important source of national soft power, contributing to a modern, deeply integrated yet culturally rich and humane Vietnam./.
