Communist Review - After nearly 20 years of implementation, the movement “All people unite to build cultural life” has really become a cultural movement that is widespread, makes an impressive impact and achieves effective results thanks to suitable innovative criteria.

Positive changes

Looking back over the past 20 years, the movement “All people unite to build cultural life” has created a positive impact on national socio-economic development, national security and defense. Through this movement, many good ways and creative models are actively implemented by the people. Up to now, many regulations have really become daily deeds of inhabitants. Since launch, the movement has been well supported by all inhabitants and entities and has become a link connecting patriotic emulation movements across the country.

The movement's criteria are attached to the daily life of the people. Therefore, the implementation becomes an inevitable trend to build a cultural life, a rich and healthy cultural environment. From individuals, families, residential groups, organizations, businesses, all aim to become a cultured person, to build a cultural environment so that it could become a driving force to promote political and economic - social tasks. A new face of cultural life was gradually formed. In particular, it is noticeable that obvious changes have been made in term of building civilized families – a vital cell of the society where good traditions are enhanced. Grandparents, parents have exemplary behaviors, descendants are pious. Entities have associated the implementation of professional and political missions with the promotion of cultured and civilized lifestyle. The enhancement of good persons and good deeds has become the goal in organizations, businesses and every family. According to local statistics, after 18 years of implemention, there are many typical models and effective methods to be executed and become popular. As a result, there were over 1,200,000 examples of good people and good deeds; 18,651,317/21,771,790 families recognized as “Cultured Family”; 73,984/104,609 recognized as cultured villages, hamlets, residential groups; 84,785/114,972 recognized as cultured entities. Many individuals and collectives have made outstanding achievements commended by the Party and State. Many families have donated land, contributed money and their efforts to build houses of culture, roads, schools and a new countryside. Typically, families in Dak Nong province such as the family of Mr. Ly Dao Lay living in Thuan Ha commune, Dak Song district have donated 400m² of land to build a hall in Dam Gio village or a senior villager named Ma Rin at Bon Bu P ' Ray, Dak N'drung commune, Dak Song district and Mr. Dieu N'ien bon Sa Pa's family at Thuan An commune, Dak Mil district have donated 600m² of land to build border markers, etc. There are also brave cadres, soldiers and inhabitants who arrested and suppressed criminals or volunteers living at wards, communes and towns who have actively participated in protecting their neighborhood security to preserve  the peace. These people have made more significant the movement "All people unite to build cultural life" during the process of economic and social development.  Mr. Nguyen Truong Minh Tien in Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City was known as the "Knight" of the street because he has arrested robbers for more than 600 times. He has become an examplary person honored in the Conference specialized in commendation of national patriotic movements. Local authorities always pay attention to promoting  movements such as "All people unite to build cultural life of local residents"; “building a new countryside” and local cultural festivals and traditional sports, thereby enriching the cultural and spiritual life, creating a healthy aesthetic life for the people. The culture and sport centers have actively found out the types of arts suitable to the people's intellectual level, regularly organized public art performances and contests and competitions for communicators. Many amateur arts shows have attracted a large number of amateur artists who are factors for local cultural and musical movements; Clubs are organized according to diverse interests such as clubs of poetry, literature, martial arts, dance, photography, singing or sport. Inhabitants have actively joined traditional musical groups, varying movements.

Over 18 years of implementation, in the whole country, there are 70 provincial cultural institutions (cultural centers, exhibition halls...); 589/707 districts have their own cultural & sports centers reaching the rate of about 83.3%; 6,102/11,027 communes, wards and towns have cultural and sports centers, reaching 55.3% (among 6,102 existing cultural and sports centers, 30% of them meet the standards prescribed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) compared to 68,222/113.607 villages and hamlets, reaching the rate of 60% (of the existing 68,222 cultural houses, 47% satisfy requirements recommended by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) ; cultural institutions under the ministries, branches and organizations include: 28 provincial labor culture houses, 17 district labor culture houses and over 100 culture houses for workers in enterprises; 80 provincial palaces of house for children, 189 houses for children of district, branches, armed forces and police.

An important factor that brings vitality and real development to the movement is the core individuals who are enthusiastic, creative and devoted to community. Fortunately, there are more and more people like this with innovative and creative thinking. They are typical factors in creating new models such as the self-governing residential area of ​​urban security  and environmental sanitation, the movement “the whole population unite to build a new countryside, a civilized city, a residential cluster with "5 no ” (no trash, no social evils, no poor households, no pavement encroachment, no rule violation), the creative and cultural spaces associated with preservation and promotion of values of cultural heritage, the model named "Turn landfills into flower gardens" or the wedding with less than 300 guests and without cigarettes,  the movement of eco-life, etc. From these succeeded models, residents in different localities still have the desire to continue implementing the “6 no” and “7 no” models by adding new criteria to improve their quality of life.

The movement “All people unite to build cultural life” has obtained positive results as communication and mobilization of people to register cultural titles have been reinforced in recent years. With enthusiasm and love for their homeland, many Party secretaries, chiefs of Fatherland Front organizations, heads of residents’ groups or members of exemplary cultured families have actively set the example and mobilized people to join in movements to improve cultural life. Therefore, in order to improve the quality and substantial effectiveness of this movement, the Central Direction Committee always emphasizes the need to replicate good models and follow sample worthy people’s examples.

Recently, many localities in the country have actively implemented new regulations specified in governmental Decree No. 122/2018/ND-CP dated September 17^th, 2018 on awarding the title “cultured family”; “civilized village”, “civilized hamlet”, “civilized residents’ group”. The Provincial Direction Committee of this movement has effectively implemented the guiding documents of the Central Direction Committee, especially after the Government issued Decree No. 122/2018/NĐ-CP and documents of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It has issued a document guiding the awarding of titles from 2019 under the new Decree. From the beginning, authorities of Hung Yen province have actively developed training plans on implementing this Decree to villages and hamlets. They also printed and delivered to each household leaflets, brochures on criteria for cultured family titles, on regulations of civilized lifestyle in weddings, funerals and festivals organizations. In localities, the outstanding results were achieved thanks to the regular and periodic assessment in order to timely detect inadequacies and new factors and take appropriate measures.

Fortunately, the movement “All people unite to build cultural life” has created positive changes in cultural life not only of communities, organizations but also of many specific organizations, especially in the military system. For many years, the General Political Department of the Vietnam People's Army, a part of the Central Direction Committee of this movement, has taken several measures to direct armed forces to build a good cultural environment, contributing to the success of the movement with the motto “Each military unit is a cultural bright spot”. Aware of this spirit, many military units have had good models, their own creative ways in accordance with their specific local conditions to effectively deploy the movement. Typically, the armed forces of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province have implemented practical activities to improve the quality of communication among soldiers about the Party's policies, the State's laws on religion; They also actively mobilize followers of religious groups to foster patriotic emulation movements,  have a good religious life, strengthen great national unity and build a new lifestyle in residential areas… The model of disseminating knowledge on national defense and security for monks and novices at pagodas in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province is considered to be innovative, effective and it has effectively contributed to enhance the cultural life of populations. These deeds have created confidence among local religious people, contributing to consolidating the national defense, maintaining political security in the area.

Continue to improve the quality and effectiveness of the movement in accordance with the new situation

However, in addition to the above positive results, in fact, there exist some shortcomings that should be overcome so that this movement will become a real driving force for socio-economic development of the country in the current new context.

In reality, many cultural titles have been massively awarded; in some places, the movements mainly focused on superficial activities; the implementation of regulations on civilized lifestyle in weddings, funerals and festivals in some areas has not yet been as effective as expected. In order to better the quality of the movement, the Central Direction Committee has ordered localities to seriously review cultural titles in conjunction with the Decree No. 122/2018/ND-CP on September 17^th, 2018 of the Government on the awarding titles “cultured family”, “civilized village”, “civilized village”, “civilized hamlet”, “civilized residents’ group”. During the process of supervision in localities, the Central Direction Committee should focus on the substantial implementation of new contents and requirements, in which special attention should be paid to improving the quality of titles in general and family titles in particular. The conferment of titles should be done on a voluntary basis and only reserved to households and residents’ groups who have already registered. Thereby, this could end the massive conferment of titles. Only when inhabitants are properly aware of the true value of the honored cultural titles, they could understand the true meaning that cultural movements bring to their lives.

One of the obvious difficulties and challenges to the development of the movement in the current period is the negative side of market economy affecting people’s morality and lifestyle. A number of inhabitants, especially the young, are indifferent to the pain, loss, and difficulties of others. This makes us frustrated ...Therefore, enhancing a cultural life and environment in the new situation and fostering at the same time the socio-economic development is becoming urgent. To build cultural environment for population, it is important to create a healthy cultural environment. That will be an important factor forming brave and qualified people for the sustainable development of the country. In recent years, there have been some shortcomings that have made society worry. Although the statistics show that more than 90%, even nearly 100% of families and residents’groups are awarded cultural titles, in reality, the panorama is not as bright as we think. The consequences are even more dangerous when the titles become "offensive" when conferred to unworthy recipients, thereby affecting the belief of society in this movement. By the strict regulations stipulated in Decree No. 122/2018 / ND-CP, the conferment of cultural titles will be more effective, creating a new motivation for people to join forces in building a cultural environment, to raise Vietnamese people up so that they could meet the requirements of sustainable development of the country in the new period.

At the conference summarizing the movement "All the people unite to build a cultural life" for the period 2000 - 2018, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc demanded to research and renew contents and methods in a practical and effective ways with focal activities in order to enhance the movement in the current new context.

The Resolution No. 33/NQ-TW dated June 9^th, 2014 of the 9th Plenum of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Vietnam, session XI on “Building and developing Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements of sustainable national development” proposed the mission of enhancing the cultural life in residential areas, organizations, businesses, fostering the solidarity, democracy and civilization, well implementing the Local Democracy Regulation, building a civilized lifestyle, especially in weddings, funerals and festivals in order to improve the quality and efficiency of cultural campaigns and the movement “All people unite to build cultural life”.

In the new context, especially under the impact of the new values ​​of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is necessary to conduct researches and assess the implementation of the movement to have central solutions.

Firstly, it is necessary to mobilize all forces and the entire political system to actively participate in the movement "All people unite to build cultural life". Communication should be reinforced to create a change in awareness about the role of culture and human factor towards the cause of national industrialization, modernization, construction and defense among members of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the government, public organizations and all classes of people in the society. Besides, it is needful to raise community awareness and voluntariness, promote the creative spirit of inhabitants in building local cultural life.

Secondly, it is recommended to improve the legal system in term of culture and building cultural life; It is necessary to continue promoting the implementation of Decree No. 122/2018/ND-CP dated September 17^th, 2018 of the Government - an important legal framework to improve the quality of cultural titles. It is compulsory to well organize the selection of cultured families based on principles of publicity, democracy, substantial efficiency. It must overcome the achievement disease and promote cultured villages (villages, hamlets, streets), build communes up to the standards of new cultured rural areas and establish civilized wards and towns. There is a need to improve self-governance and social responsibility in upholding cultural titles.

Thirdly, it is necessary to select a number of specific priority activities to create a profound change and pervasiveness in the cultural life of  community. It is necessary to renovate the assessment of the movement “All people unite to build a cultural life” which not only based on figures or numbers but also on specific criteria... It is advisable to reinforce supervision to timely detect inadequacies and limitations... Besides, the Central Direction Committee of the movement “All people unite to build cultural life” needs to develop a plan to coordinate ministries, central and local branches, to renovate contents and modes of organization of cultural activities  towards principles of practicality, efficiency and focal points. It is necessary to organize the periodic inspection and evaluation in localities, thereby drawing lessons learned; establishing appropriate mechanisms and policies; setting out goals and solutions to develop the movement in the future.

Fourthly, it is desirable to improve the effectiveness of the movement by creating a spillover effect from typical models and exemplary individuals ​​such as party secretaries, chiefs of Fatherland Front organizations, heads of residents’ groups or members of cultured families; It should have a good incentive system to motivate them to contribute to the community. It is possible to integrate the movement's tasks into other patriotic emulation movements of organizations and entities; to mobilize all resources and focus investment in culture equal to investment in other fields, creating a driving force to the development of culture.

Fifthly, it is recommended to improve the quality of cultural officials in localities and the efficiency of inter-agency coordination in implementing the movement “All people unite to build cultural life”. Each member of the Direction Committee is assigned to manage a certain area and is responsible for the movement implementation of that area.

Sixthly, it is necessary to promote ethical education in families and build up workplace culture. It is needful to effectively resolve family affairs and well educate family members to shape  cultural behavior in each family, community and workplace, creating positive changes in cultural awareness and making an important contribution to the development of society./.

This article was published in the Communist Review, No. 939 (April 2020)