Buddhist Philosophy and Confucian Thought: Reinterpreting Family Values among Vietnamese Youth in Contemporary Society
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/m7w42h34Keywords:
Education, Family values, Gender equality, Intergenerational relationships, Tradition and modernity, Vietnamese youthAbstract
This study explores changing family values among Vietnamese youth amid socio-economic transformation and globalization. While traditional values like marriage and filial piety remain important, they increasingly coexist with modern ideals emphasizing education, economic stability, and personal autonomy. Using structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews with 397 young adults aged 18–30, the study offers both quantitative and qualitative insights. Findings reveal growing acceptance of non-traditional structures, including cohabitation, single parenthood, and shared caregiving, signaling a shift toward more progressive, inclusive family models. These changes reflect a redefinition of familial roles and expectations. The study’s implications are relevant for educators, policymakers, and social workers aiming to strengthen family cohesion and adapt to evolving societal dynamics in contemporary Vietnam.
References
General Statistics Office of Vietnam. (2020a). Results of the 2019 Labor and Employment Survey. Statistics Publishing House.
General Statistics Office of Vietnam. (2020b). Results of the national survey on violence against women in Vietnam in 2019. Statistics Publishing House.
High 5 Inc. (2023). Screen Time vs. Family Time: The Impact of Technology on Modern Families. Retrieved Aug 26th, 2024 from https://high5inc.org/news/screen-time-vs-family-time-the-impact-of-technology-on-modern-families/
Mackay, L. J., Komanchuk, J., Hayden, K. A., & Letourneau, N. (2022). Impacts of parental technoference on parent-child relationships and child health and developmental outcomes: a scoping review protocol. Journal of Child Health Care, 11(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-022-01918-3
Mai, V. H., & Mai, K. (2003). Cultural Sociology. Social Sciences Publishing House. https://vietbooks.info/threads/xa-hoi-hoc-van-hoa-nxb-khoa-hoc-xa-hoi-2003-mai-van-hai-163-page.96922/
Minh, N. H., & Huong, B. T. (2023). Marriage Formation in Vietnam: Characteristics and Changes. In A. J. C. Hernández & S. L. Blair (Eds.), Conjugal Trajectories: Relationship Beginnings, Change, and Dissolutions (Vol. 22, pp. 109-127). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1530-353520230000022006
Ngo-Thi, T.-T., Huynh, V.-S., Dang-Thi, N.-T., Nguyen-Duong, B.-T., Vu-Nguyen, T.-T., Nantachai, G., . . . Tran-Chi, V.-L. (2022). Mediation Effects of Premarital Sexual Permissiveness on the Relationship Between Expectations for Marriage and Marital Intention of Vietnamese Undergraduate Students. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 15, 3513-3530. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S387789
Nguyen, H. M. (2024). Main challenges of Vietnamese families nowadays and in the coming years. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 25(1), 19-34. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649373.2024.2293534
Nguyen, L. T. T., Le, T. K. D., Tran, V. C., Nguyen, D. N., Nguyen, H. K., & Le, D. D. (2024). Internet Impacts on Parent–Child Communication in Vietnamese Urban Families. Child & Family Social Work. 30(1), 64-75. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.13157
Nguyen, P. T., & Nguyen, Q. T. (2024). The philosophy of human emancipation in Ho Chi Minh’s ideas and its contemporary relevance in Vietnam. Kalagatos, 21(1), eK24009. https://revistas.uece.br/index.php/kalagatos/article/view/12513
Nguyen, T. N. T., & Nguyen, Q. T. (2024). Cultural Transformation and the Evolution of Festivals: The Impact of Modernization on the K’Ho Ethnic Minority in Vietnam. Journal of Underrepresented and Minority Progress, 8(2), 62-88. https://doi.org/10.32674/p41bwp41
Nguyen, T. Q. (2022a). International Integration and Its Impacts on Human Resource Development in Vietnam Currently. Synesis, 14(2), 74-89. https://seer.ucp.br/seer/index.php/synesis/article/view/2235
Nguyen, T. Q. (2022b). Perspectives on human beings in Chinese philosophy and its historical significance to the cause of educational innovation in Vietnam currently. Argumentos - Revista de Filosofia, 28, 82-94. https://doi.org/10.36517/Argumentos.28.8
Nguyen, T. Q., Nguyen, V. T., & Nguyen, T. P. (2023). Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts on the education of the young Vietnamese generation today. Perspektivy nauki i obrazovania – Perspectives of Science and Education, 62(2), 562-577. https://doi.org/10.32744/pse.2023.2.33
Nguyen, T. Q., Pham, L. T., & Lai, N. V. (2023). Confucius’s political philosophy of governing the country: Historical and contemporary considerations. XLinguae, 13(3), 2-14. https://doi.org/10.18355/XL.2023.16.03.01
Nguyen, T. Q., Pham, T. L., & Nguyen, T. P. (2022). The four noble truths an integrative Buddhist philosophy of life. European Journal of Science and Theology, 18(6), 47-63. http://www.ejst.tuiasi.ro/Files/97/5_Quyet%20et%20al.pdf
Nguyen, T. V., Nguyen, Q. T., Do, H. T. T., Nguyen, K. V. N., & Phung, A. T. (2024). Buddhism, social dynamics and scientific perspectives in contemporary Vietnam. European Journal of Science and Theology, 20(3), 49-63. https://www.ejst.tuiasi.ro/Files/106/3_Nguyen%20et%20al.pdf
Pham, L. T., Nguyen, T. V., Nguyen, H. T., Do, H. T. T., Nguyen, K. N. V., & Nguyen, Q. T. (2023). Between Communitarianism and Confucianism: Charles Taylor and the Confucian Concept of Self in Comparative Perspective. Bogoslovni vestnik, 83(3), 553-566. https://doi.org/10.34291/BV2023/03/Pham
Pham, N. T. (2013). Innovating leadership and management culture in Vietnam today. National Political Publishing House.
Phan, T. C., Ngo, V. M., Nguyen, T. P., Saefullah, K., & Doran, D. (2024). University Social Responsibility and Teachers’ Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Reputation and Image. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 15(1), 57-90. https://jsser.org/index.php/jsser/article/view/5521
Pusztai, G., Fényes, H., & Engler, Á. (2022). The Effect of Socioeconomic Status and Religiosity on Hungarian Young Adults’ Marriage Behavior. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 13(4), 78-96. https://jsser.org/index.php/jsser/article/view/4286
Putri, M. L., Suminar, J. R., Hadisiwi, P., & Rachmawati, T. S. (2023). Gender Equality in Education: Relationship Between Communication Patterns and Women’s Attitudes Toward Higher Education. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 14(4), 51-74. https://jsser.org/index.php/jsser/article/view/4007
Soetan, T. O., & Nguyen, D. H. K. (2023). Addressing Gender Disparity Through International Higher Education: Use of Contextually Appropriate Global Policy Framework. Journal of Underrepresented & Minority Progress, 7(2), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.32674/jump.v7i2.4758
Susilo, S. (2020). The Role of Families in Cultivating Children’s Personality Values: An Analysis of Social Psychology Education. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 11(4), 275-303. https://jsser.org/index.php/jsser/article/view/2858
Ton, N. Q. T., & Nguyen, V. T. (2014). Twenty years of Southern Urbanization - Theory and practice. Ho Chi Minh City National University Press.
Tran, T. M. T. (2021). Complex transformation of divorce in Vietnam under the forces of modernization and individualism. International Journal of Asian Studies, 18(2), 225-245. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1479591421000024
Tympa, E., Nousia, A., Karavida, V., & Kanellopoulou, E. (2024). Parents’ Perspectives on Teaching Preschool Children on Financial Saving and Sharing Need. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 15(1), 38-56. https://jsser.org/index.php/jsser/article/view/4593
Vu, K. (Ed.). (2000). Vietnamese Culture - Society and People. Social Sciences Publishing House.
Vu, T. T. (2021a). Gender role attitudes and the division of housework in young married couples in northern Vietnam. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 52(1), 90-109. https://doi.org/10.1017/S002246342100014X
Vu, T. T. (2021b). Love, Affection and Intimacy in Marriage of Young People in Vietnam. Asian Studies Review, 45(1), 100-116. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2020.1798873
Vu, T. T., Huppatz, K., & Onnudottir, H. (2021). ‘Although I had a failed marriage, I won't be a failure as a mother’: An analysis of Vietnamese single mothers’ involvement in their children’s schooling. Women’s Studies International Forum, 89, 102534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2021.102534