On July 21, the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee organized a seminar "From preserving fine customs and traditions to affirming the human value system of Ho Chi Minh City".
Dynamic, creative, and affectionate are typical values
Ms. Dinh Thi Thanh Thuy - Deputy Head of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee said that Ho Chi Minh City is a special urban area, a major center of economy, culture and education of the whole country, and also a convergence and intersection of many cultural flows.
This diversity both creates its own vitality and sets the requirement to preserve good traditional values, build a lifestyle and standards of behavior suitable for a modern city.
Good customs and traditions are moral standards and good lifestyles that have been formed and preserved through many generations. This is a solid spiritual foundation contributing to shaping the personality and lifestyle of each individual and community" - Ms. Dinh Thi Thanh Thuy said.
According to Ms. Thuy, the process of globalization, the development of the market economy, information technology and social networks are strongly impacting cultural life. A part of the population, especially young people, has manifestations of deviation in awareness and behavior, fading some traditional values.
Therefore, the city needs to shift from just "preserving" to proactively "affirming" the human value system of Ho Chi Minh City. The proposed value system includes patriotism, compassion, affection, honesty, solidarity, dynamism, creativity and responsibility.
These are typical qualities that need to be nurtured to form the image of civilized, modern, and compassionate city people" - Ms. Dinh Thi Thanh Thuy emphasized.
Ms. Pham Phuong Thao - former Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, former Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, said that the outstanding values of Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City people are expressed through openness, tolerance, affection; pioneering spirit, dynamism, creativity; resilience and unique fighting culture.
Openness is shown in the ability to receive people from many regions, absorb progressive ideas and new things. Affection is shown through the spirit of compassion, love, and supporting each other in difficulties, natural disasters, and epidemics.
Meanwhile, the pioneering, dynamic and creative spirit is present in many fields such as economy, science and technology, education, health, literature and art, journalism and social movements.
Overcoming behaviors that tarnish the urban image
Besides the strengths, Ms. Pham Phuong Thao - former Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, former Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council pointed out the limitations of Ho Chi Minh City.
According to her, it is a manifestation of pragmatic lifestyle from the market economy mechanism; deviant manifestations in cultural behavior, even in cyberspace; then the remnants of old lifestyles such as unlimited drinking, wastefulness, swearing, public noise...
We need to "build" good things to improve, "oppose" the limitations to become cultured people, imbued with the culture of Ho Chi Minh City people" - she said.
The Organizing Committee said that it has received 173 papers from agencies, units, researchers, experts and artists. Through appraisal, 80 papers were selected to be edited into a yearbook.
The presentations focused on distinguishing between preserving tradition and conservatism, between cultural adaptation and hybridization; assessing the impact of social networks, market economy and globalization; clarifying the role of family, school, society and media in building human value systems.
Through the seminar, the Organizing Committee expects to receive many valuable contributions, contributing to raising the awareness of the whole society about the importance of culture and people in sustainable development" - Ms. Dinh Thi Thanh Thuy said.
According to delegates, Ho Chi Minh City needs to build clear, easy-to-remember and viable codes of conduct; strengthen cultural education in families and schools; promote the exemplary role of cadres and civil servants; apply technology to spread beautiful actions.
Ms. Pham Phuong Thao proposed placing culture on par with economy, politics and society; mobilizing resources to invest in cultural institutions and cultural industry; building a digital cultural environment suitable for the digital economy, digital society and digital citizens.
Promoting the human value system is expected to become an endogenetic source of strength, contributing to building a civilized, modern, compassionate and sustainable Ho Chi Minh City in the new era.
