Family is where the roots are held
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Hoai Son - Specialized Member of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Society, the identity of Vietnamese families is created from love, attachment, filial spirit, gratitude, responsibility between generations and awareness of preserving family customs.
Those are very simple but lasting values. In every Vietnamese family, grandparents and parents not only give birth and raise them, but also pass on to their children and grandchildren how to live, how to be human, how to behave with the community, with the homeland, and the country" - he shared.
To make the family continue to be a place to nurture personality and pass on cultural values, first of all, each family must truly become a cultural environment.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Hoai Son, family culture is present in the simple things of life: How parents talk to their children, how children treat grandparents, sharing housework, common meals, returns to the countryside or simply a thank you, an apology at the right time.
If you want your children to be proud of tradition, the family must tell them beautiful stories about their homeland, lineage, and country in a close and natural way" - Mr. Son said.
Most importantly, each family must be aware that they are the "first school" of human beings" - Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Hoai Son emphasized.
Each family is like a "cultural preservation unit
According to media expert Tam An, the endurance of Vietnamese families comes not only from filial piety, sacrifice or affection, but also from the role of preserving life values.
Family is considered the "oldest communication system of mankind", where people learn to be human even before school, books or the internet. Thanks to that, many standards of behavior of Vietnamese people have been preserved for hundreds of years.
Notably, that teaching does not take place through dry lessons but through very ordinary actions. Expert Tam An believes that children receive adults' behaviors by observing more than by explaining. Therefore, parents' way of keeping promises, knowing how to apologize or behave with neighbors all become the first lesson about personality.
Accordingly, national culture is formed from millions of such families. Each family is like a "culture preservation unit", silently transmitting the spirit of filial piety, responsibility, tolerance and compassion through many generations. Thanks to that persistent process of transmission, many core values of Vietnamese people still exist even though the country has gone through war, renovation or international integration.
Many people are looking at technology as the reason why family members are increasingly distant. However, expert Tam An believes that the deciding factor does not lie in the technology itself but in how people use it.
In the digital age, all platforms compete to keep users staying the longest. Therefore, even when the whole family is sitting in the same room, each person may still be living in a separate "digital world".
Technology does not create distance, but depends on how people use it. Today, family members have more opportunities to connect through video calls, whether studying or working away from home. AI also helps save time for many daily tasks.
According to her, what modern families lack is not time, but quality time. Common meals, a few minutes of conversation before bed or a weekend dedicated to family seem very normal, but they are the foundation that creates a sense of attachment and trust between family members.
