Sociologist Nguyen Duc Truyen at the Settlement Studies Institute speaks with Dai Doan Ket (Great Solidarity) newspaper about the urbanisation and its consequences.

Presently, we are facing many cultural conflicts in either urban or rural areas because we have not yet done sufficient research and raised awareness about the valuable cultural treasure of rural areas.

However, in my opinion, it is impossible to eliminate this type of household based business. It remains valuable and has a particular role to play. It would be better to leave a part of agricultural land to people who find it impossible to change to non-agricultural jobs. In areas where agricultural land is abundant it would be best not to take it from people. The State should create conditions for people living in hilly and mountainous areas to shift to non-agricultural jobs.

Presently, we are focusing on implementing development projects which have an affect on people’s interests, societal change and social consequences after agricultural land is taken to do these projects.

Are traditional values also being lost through the urbanisation process?

Many farmers are rushing into an urban lifestyle after the State has compulsorily purchased their land and compensated them for the loss. They had no control over their life when going through that experience of change. But it is not their fault, as luxury lifestyles and materialism are increasingly embraced by society today.

There is a tendency to leave rural areas, agriculture and related things behind. Old houses are being destroyed because everyone is no longer proud of a five room, one-roof house (a very typical traditional house in northern Viet Nam).

Western culturists however were very fond of these houses when they conducted research into housing in Ninh Hiep Village in Ha Noi’s Gia Lam District. They think these houses are very suited to Viet Nam’s tropical weather. But it is not uncommon to see high-storeyed houses in villages today.

However, it is difficult to blame the locals. We feel great anguish at the disappearance of ancient houses as a result of urbanisation process, but we do almost nothing to preserve them. It is difficult to force people to preserve these houses while not providing them with a source of income or being accorded an economic value on their possessions. It would be better to preserve our culture through tourism.

There are opinions that we are supporting urbanisation and forgetting about the countryside, would you agree?

That’s right. We are destroying it before fully seeing its beauty. We are also adopting urbanisation before being fully aware of its disadvantages. Presently, we are facing many cultural conflicts in either urban or rural areas because we have not yet done sufficient research and raised awareness about the valuable cultural treasure of rural areas. We should not think of rice fields in the literal sense. In reality, rice fields are a mixture between economics, life, society and culture. When they are taken away for the urbanisation process everything which has a strong attachment to them will also be removed, including the spirit of the countryside.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News