Exploiting literature and art to undermine the country.

Literature and art are essential needs in the spiritual life of human beings; they can penetrate deep into the soul of each individual. If they convey positive messages, they inspire and improve life, but if literary and artistic works are politically charged or contain reactionary ideas, they will pollute the spiritual life of society. Therefore, literature and art have become one of the areas exploited by hostile forces to undermine the country.

Calls for the establishment of a so-called "Independent Writers' Association"

According to statistics from the Ministry of Public Security, there are currently about 50 overseas radio and television stations with Vietnamese-language programs, over 430 newspapers and magazines, and more than 40 publishing houses that regularly publish content propagating anti-Vietnam sentiment. Nearly 3,000 psychological warfare documents are smuggled into Vietnam annually through various channels. Recently, some artists and intellectuals have been exploited and lured into fleeing abroad, engaging in acts of treason against the Fatherland, writing numerous publications and books that slander and defame the regime. In addition, some writers and poets, due to their weak character, have undergone self-transformation and created literary and artistic works heavily influenced by their personal grievances.

Dr. Nguyen Toan Thang, a literary researcher. Photo: People's Police Newspaper.

According to Dr. Nguyen Toan Thang, a literary researcher, the struggle to protect the Party's ideological foundation in the field of literature and art is very intense and complex, stemming from the characteristics of intellectuals and artists.

"Intellectuals and artists have one strength: their imagination, but this is also their weakness. They are easily swayed, their spiritual lives easily disrupted. This characteristic makes them vulnerable to exploitation and manipulation. The struggle in this area is extremely difficult."

Recently, some artists and intellectuals have been calling for and advocating for the establishment of a so-called "Independent Writers' Association." Under the guise of revitalizing national literature, this organization aims to carry out a very clear political agenda: to undermine the socialist regime in Vietnam, forming an illegal organization opposed to state organizations, and to gather artists with extremist, disgruntled, and anti-regime ideologies.

Therefore, the struggle in the field of literature and art is not simply about identifying right and wrong, but the most crucial issue is guiding the masses to clearly see what is right and wrong. This is the view of Professor, Doctor Dinh Xuan Dung - former Vice Chairman of the Central Council for Literary and Artistic Criticism.

"We must identify the issues correctly and strike the right blow. The ideological struggle is not like a military struggle; the ultimate goal of this struggle is to persuade and win the masses over to our side," Mr. Dung said.

Deliberately exploiting literature and art for subversive purposes: This needs to be dealt with.

Recently, with the explosion and widespread use of social media, many artists and writers have used Zalo and Facebook accounts to comment on national issues using literary language with a one-sided, biased, and extremist perspective.

On Facebook, some artists and intellectuals have posted statuses, poems, and prose excerpts to express their personal feelings and opinions on certain domestic events, often in a critical and condemnatory tone towards the government. These poems and essays are written with flowery language, but they subtly incorporate reactionary viewpoints. Therefore, to identify erroneous viewpoints and ideologies in literary and artistic works, we need a frame of reference, a standard for understanding and evaluating them.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Thien - Editor-in-Chief of the Vietnam Arts and Literature Forum Magazine, stated: "In criticizing and combating wrongdoings and hostile elements, we must have a standard. This standard is the creative application of Marxist-Leninist principles, and the Party's cultural and artistic guidelines as expressed in its official documents."

Major General Nguyen Van Tin - former Deputy Director of the Propaganda Department, Ministry of National Defense. Photo: Thi Uyen

The line between right and wrong, good and evil, in the field of literature and art is difficult to define, and sometimes the public may not even recognize what is hostile or reactionary. Therefore, according to Major General Nguyen Van Tin, former Deputy Director of the Propaganda Department, when detecting erroneous viewpoints and ideologies embedded in literary and artistic works, state management agencies should proactively engage in discussions and meetings with the authors to find common ground and guide their understanding, rather than condemning and isolating them.

"There are many authors that we greatly admired during our school years, even knowing every word and phrase of their works and poems by heart. But now, they're expressing various opinions. If we categorize them into a particular group, it might become a problem. Therefore, a very flexible approach is required. The point is to draw people to our side, not push them away."

Associate Professor, Dr. Hoang Minh Luong - Academy of Journalism and Communication. Photo: AJC Times

Associate Professor, Dr. Hoang Minh Luong - Academy of Journalism and Communication, believes that while errors and deviations in the creation of literary and artistic works can be addressed through discussions and guidance, those who intentionally exploit literature and art to distort the image of leaders, tarnish the country's image, slander the regime, and insult or defame their ancestors must be severely punished.

The causes of the deviations and wrongdoings in the field of culture and art in recent times stem not only from the mistaken perceptions and stubbornness of some artists dissatisfied with the regime, but also from the collusion and manipulation of hostile forces both domestically and internationally against some artists. Therefore, for culture to truly become the spiritual foundation of society, it is necessary to identify and combat these wrong and deviant manifestations in the field of culture in general and literature and art in particular. This is how literature and art can become more deeply rooted in the spiritual life of the people and become an intrinsic strength, a soft power in the socio-economic development of the country.