Young People Contributing to the Preservation of Traditional Cultural Values

It can be affirmed that, with the development of modern technology, today’s young generation have more opportunities than ever to access, appreciate, and explore diverse cultural values. However, this also poses challenges in preserving and maintaining traditional cultural values.

First of all, we need to acknowledge how traditional culture is changing within the younger generation. Vietnam’s rich, diverse, distinctive, and humane traditional culture serves as a promising foundation for creative innovation. Many traditional cultural values of Vietnam have not yet been fully explored, or are only being utilized on a small scale and at a surface level. This means there is still significant potential for young people to discover, select, and invest creatively. Moreover, The Fourth Industrial Revolution has blurred geographical boundaries, making human interaction in all aspects, including culture, significantly faster and easier.

However, in the current “whirlwind” of foreign cultures, many express concern that young people may get carried away and forget the beautiful traditional cultural values of the nation. These concerns are valid, as some young people show little interest in traditional culture, and the influx of unfiltered foreign cultural influences has contributed to the erosion of traditional beauty. Part of this issue lies in the fact that development strategies from cultural policymakers have not been truly focused and in need of changes. It’s not that young people are uninterested or indifferent to traditional culture, but rather that the methods of promoting and educating about these cultural elements are not engaging. Many young individuals are passionate about learning about traditional culture and national identity but find it difficult to access, study, and experience it in real life. If available at all, the knowledge found in books is often highly academic, lacking appeal and disconnected from practical reality.

Given the current situation, preserving traditional culture presents major challenges, yet alongside these challenges are opportunities for creativity and growth. In recent years, cultural events and initiatives organized and led by young people have flourished to an unprecedented level. Various groups and individuals have chosen to introduce, promote, preserve, and develop the nation’s diverse traditional cultural values so that traditional arts are not forgotten. By leveraging available tools on social media platforms, many young people have successfully promoted traditional cultural products online. Startups and creative ideas inspired by traditional culture have generated strong interest within the community and achieved initial success. These efforts not only help promote Vietnam’s cultural values globally but also create significant economic value from cultural products.

Young people and media together form a powerful force in spreading cultural values to the public both domestically and internationally. When given the chance to be more exposed to the beauty of traditional culture, young people can begin to truly understand it. And once that understanding is formed, the love for traditional culture will emerge, allowing the beauty of it to be preserved and passed down for generations to come.