Losing rural culture means losing Vietnamese identity.
Economic losses recover quickly, but cultural losses take a very long time to recover! Yet many people are indifferent to this issue. As a result, many rural areas are now neither truly urban nor truly rural.
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| The chaotic architectural scene in the countryside today (Illustrative image)... |
Going back to the countryside now, I'm very happy to see that the lives of the people have clearly improved. Thanks to the National Target Program for building new rural areas, electricity, roads, schools, health stations, cultural centers, and clean water have received significant investment… Rural roads alone have increased 1.83 times in just a few years compared to 10 years ago. However, recently, our rural planning has only focused on the overall picture, neglecting the specific needs of individual households. The toilets of the front family are facing the back family. Livestock areas and wastewater drainage systems are disorganized. The structure of rural houses is also unorganized.
In many places with ample land, people build terraced houses or line the roads with rows of narrow, tube-shaped houses, even though they don't engage in any business. Rural areas are superior to cities in terms of greenery, cleanliness, and beauty, but now many places lack green spaces. They tear down wooden fences to build brick fences. While it's understood that overgrown gardens need improvement, ornamental trees must still be preserved to create a pleasant landscape and provide shade. The recent heatwave has made many places realize the importance of greenery, and they've now considered planting more trees as part of the new rural development plan.
Housing, from mountainous regions to lowlands, reflects the unique character of each ethnic group and region. I once visited Japan and noticed that their rural areas lacked high-rise buildings. Houses were built with yards and roofs. Taiwan also experienced rapid housing development in rural areas, even constructing apartment buildings in the countryside, but is now correcting this mistake and studying a new law on rural development that aims to encourage people to adopt traditional house styles. South Korea was similar in the past, but now they prioritize tradition, so most rural areas have preserved their cultural identity.
In our country, it's a hodgepodge. Rural areas want to adopt urban culture, but in my opinion, they should only learn from urban design to improve their lives, not just build high-rise buildings. Currently, a large number of rural residents are migrating to cities, not only for work but also for housing, so the pressure on housing in rural areas is no longer as great as in previous years. Many houses are left vacant; people only come back for Tet (Lunar New Year) and then leave again. So why build high-rise buildings? The disruption of the basic housing structure in rural areas is mainly driven by the wealthy. How can the poor afford to build a few stories high? Not only is the government not providing guidance, but in many places, they even divide up land along the road for people to build narrow, multi-story houses.
While wealthy city dwellers prefer farmhouses, and even city villas are a return to the old-fashioned model of houses with landscaped gardens, rural people, on the other hand, want enclosed, high-walled, multi-story houses like those in the city. The awareness of local leaders is crucial. They must educate the people about the traditional rural character, what should be preserved, and what should be discarded. For example, in the 1960s, every house had cow and buffalo sheds near the kitchen, making the kitchen very dirty, but thanks to public awareness campaigns, that situation no longer exists. Now, we need to educate people that building excessively tall houses is inappropriate for the village landscape so that people don't rush to build them. Traditional building styles should be preserved, such as wealthy families building five bays and two wings, while poorer families built three bays and two wings, with tiled roofs and wooden rafters. While wood is scarce and can be replaced with other materials, these styles should still be maintained. Houses in the Northern Delta are encouraged to have tiled roofs, while houses in the Mekong Delta are encouraged to have thatched roofs made of coconut leaves rather than corrugated iron, as it is too cold in winter and too hot in summer.
The old saying goes, "A child without a father is like a house without a roof," and now in Vietnam, we have far too many houses without roofs. Perhaps it's because of the devastation of war; during reconstruction, people didn't think about traditional houses. Or perhaps it's because of the nationwide resettlement program, which built countless houses for the needy, not houses for the people. We need to be careful, otherwise we will pay a heavy price: losing our rural cultural identity. People originally came from rural areas before moving to cities; this is true in every country. Therefore, losing rural culture means losing Vietnamese identity. Economic losses recover quickly, but cultural losses take a very long time to recover! Yet, many people are indifferent to this issue. As a result, many rural areas are neither truly urban nor truly rural. The landscape and architecture are impacting the people. Love for the countryside is fading, foreign cultures are gradually entering, and at some point, the sense of community and neighborly affection will also diminish. Regarding this issue, we cannot blame the people because of their limited access to resources and their desire to improve themselves. Unfortunately, that desire to improve has not been properly guided....
According to NNVN
