The focus should be on promoting Da Nang's moral standards and building  its own cultural lifestyle amongst local residents in order to create a firm momentum for the city to become a more cultural, modern, humane and civilised city in the years ahead.

Local cyclo drivers always show their friendly attitude towards visitors

This proposal which was jointly made by prestigious cultural experts nationwide was in the spotlight at Tuesday’s seminar entitled ‘Building a Civilised, Modern and Humane Lifestyle in Da Nang’.

The Head of the municipal Department of Publicity and Training, Mr Dang Viet Dung, remarked the fact that there have been many remarkable changes in the city’s urban lifestyle in a more comprehensive and intensive manner in the current context of deeper global integration.

Mr Nguyen Huu Chien, the former Vice Director of the city’s Department of Culture and Sports, noted that the upward trend of urbanisation has helped to eliminate such deep-rooted phenomena in rural areas as arbitrary and patriarchy over recent years.

Prestigious historian Duong Trung Quoc highlighted the significance of upholding the spirit of mutual trust, understanding and toleration amongst local residents to build good interpersonal relationships.

Addressing the one-day seminar, Mr Bui Van Tieng, the Chairman of the city’s Union of Literature and Arts Associations, underlined the importance of promoting the city's civilised lifestyle through numerous simple but practical deeds done by locals, for instance, vehicle users all stopping at red light.

Furthermore, importance should be attached to restoring and preserving the Vietnamese traditional cultural values, the ‘cradle’ of human values.

In his point of view, Mr Nguyen Hoang Long, the former Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, highlighted the essential role of enhancing the joint effective coordination amongst individuals, families, the society, and the whole community in building a more civilised, modern and humane lifestyle in the city.

In the current context of global integration, its is essential for the city, and Viet Nam as the whole, that the world’s cultural quintessence should be absorbed selectively while traditional cultural identities should be preserved and promoted. 

In reality, active engagement must occur simultaneously with the protection and promotion of the distinctive traditions to interact extensively with the cultural achievements of mankind, as well as create new good cultural values of the contemporary life.

According to the leader of the city’s Department of Publicity and Training, all opinions and recommendations mentioned above will be welcomed and evaluated in order to take more effective measures to build a more civilised, modern and humane lifestyle in the city in the coming time.

Local woman enthusiastically introduce the values of ‘ao dai’ (Vietnamese traditional long dress) to a foreign tourist

Also at the seminar, historian Duong Trung Quoc proposed that the city authorities should give the go-ahead to the construction of monuments dedicated to 3 historical figures, namely emperors Tran Nhan Tong and Minh Mang, and early 20^th-century Vietnamese nationalist Phan Chau Trinh.

In detail, Emperor Tran Nhan Tong was the first person to realise the crucial geographical position of the Hai Van Pass.  Combining nature and the creations of man, the pass deserves its name “the most marvellous wonder” as given by the emperor in 1470 when he went there sightseeing. 

Emperor Minh Mang made imperial journeys to the city’s Marble Mountains for 3 occasions in total during his reign, and especially, he ordered the construction of roads leading to this attraction, as well as sacred pagodas and temples there.

Nationalist Phan Chau Trinh is one of the most remarkable figures in the rich history of Da Nang and Quang Nam Province.  Most notably, the ‘Duy Tan’ movement (1906 - 1908), which raised the patriotism among the people from all over the country, was initiated by this nationalist.