Vol 5, No 2 (2021)

The article discusses several ideological and theoretical problems the Communist Party of Vietnam faced when preparing and holding the 13th Congress at the end of January 2021. The author dwells but on some problems, in his opinion, the most important ones for the CPV, related to attempts to discredit Marxism, a loss of confidence in socialism in the country and the serious crisis in international Communist movement. These include the exacerbation of internal and external challenges facing the SRV, the division of party ranks, especially in the upper echelon, the adjustment of internal political slogans and notions of socialism, including in the light of Ho Chi Minh ideas, with the aim of scientific justification of the non-capitalist nature of the market economy and the socialist path in Viet Nam. Considering the contradictory processes in the party and in the country from the point of view of objectivism, the author concludes that, despite all the differences in positions and opinions, the congress demonstrated neither signs of ideological confusion nor disruption in the CPV.

While education is often understood as a means to improve the social mobility of individuals and decrease the measure of inequality that may be present in any modern society, this direct line of causality starting with access to education towards improved social outcomes is not always a clear case. In this article the author explores the interrelationship between social inequalities and higher education in Vietnam by presenting a survey of existing research which indicates that increased access to the education does not immediately address issues of inequality. As such, this article will look at the socio-cultural foundations of inequality of Vietnam, look at the relationship between Neoliberalism and higher education, and evaluate data on local inequalities and higher education. The author argues that a concerted approach to providing higher education access, participation, and attainment, by engaging with the socio-cultural dynamics of rural localities will better ensure that higher education can adequately meet the needs of the constituents it is meant to serve. In understanding issues related to higher education in Vietnam, a broad view of policy and practice must be complimented by a closer focus on how persons navigate the social worlds they inhabit and the ways in which their social identity is negotiated in relation to this.

In doing research on the traditional culture and society of Vietnam, scholarship notes the perceptible characteristics of heterogeneity, the existence of contrasting elements which seem to be inflexible, often sclerosis in the Vietnamese social and cultural complex, even religious life and political dialogue? With such rich and dimensional manifestations, on the basis of criticism and debates with Vietnamese and international scholars, the purpose of the article is to emphasize the fact that in Vietnam the contrast and the combination of the above-mentioned duality, dichotomy and counterbalance do not occur between two clear-cut systems considering as two people, two classes, or two civilizations. The existent base had originally from a wide range of elements of natural, residential and cultural conditions.

The article provides an overview of the Round table on the topic “The Vietnamese Communist Party in National Construction and the results of the 13th CPV congress” held by. the Center for Vietnam and ASEAN Studies IFES RAS. Russian and foreign scientists discussed a wide range of problems of domestic and foreign policy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, its socio-economic development, the history of the CPV, informational, educational and cultural policy of the Party.

This is a review of the book “Spiritual Culture of Vietnam: Traditional Religious and Mythological Views of Vietnamese” by E.Yu. Knorozova. The author summarizes her many years’ studies on mythology and religious views of Vietnamese, on their forming and development beginning from ancient times up to nowadays. The monograph is based on concrete translations and studies of numerous original sources (which the author has worked at for decades), taking into account all the available works by Russian and foreign researchers. In fact, the book is an encyclopedia of traditional spiritual life of the Vietnamese people, distinctive from spiritual life of other peoples, which up today has a great influence on the state ideology and policy of Vietnam. The completeness of materials, convincing and irreproachable arguments in favor of the author’s conclusions will undoubtedly give long and happy life to the book, as one of the buttresses for future studies on similar and closely-related problems.