This transformation not only sets requirements for economic, institutional and technological renewal, but also demands profound changes in culture and people.
In that process, an innovation culture means encouraging new thinking, new action, a spirit of experimentation and the ability to adapt, thereby helping translate the policy of renewing the development model into real innovation capacity for the country, organisations and each individual.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee and President To Lam affirmed that renewing the development model is not merely an adjustment of growth, but a renewal of the way development achievements are created, allocated and enjoyed, with the people and human beings placed at the centre, as the subject, goal and driving force. Thus, renewing the development model is, in essence, also a shift from old ways of working, thinking and organising to new development methods. This requires change first and foremost in the mindset, attitude and behaviour of people and organisations.
Prof. Dr Nguyen Huu Duc from Viet Nam National University, Ha Noi, shared: “At present, when speaking of innovation, people often think of the human factor and, more deeply, the cultural foundation that encourages people to dare to think differently, ask questions, experiment, fail and turn knowledge into new values. Without innovative people and an innovation culture, there can be no substantive innovation.”
At present, when speaking of innovation, people often think of the human factor and, more deeply, the cultural foundation that encourages people to dare to think differently, ask questions, experiment, fail and turn knowledge into new values. Without innovative people and an innovation culture, there can be no substantive innovation.
Prof. Dr Nguyen Huu Duc, Viet Nam National University, Ha Noi
Reality shows that Viet Nam has many advantages in adaptability, flexibility and cultural acculturation. According to Prof. Dr Nguyen Huu Duc, a country may import technology, build high-tech parks and issue many strategies, but if society remains reluctant to engage in criticism, afraid of risks and accustomed to a culture of safety, innovation will find it difficult to move beyond the level of a movement.
Over 4,000 years of national construction and defence, Vietnamese culture has developed mainly through a mechanism of acculturation, both receiving external influences and adapting them to protect its indigenous structure. Vietnamese culture has always demonstrated a strong capacity for integration: flexible, adaptable and quick to adjust, yet not easily assimilated. This is an important foundation in the development process. However, adaptation does not automatically become innovation; receiving the new does not mean creating the new.
To develop an innovation culture and rise in the knowledge economy and global competition, Viet Nam needs a broad and profound transformation in education, enterprises, public governance and the social value system. This is not simply about implementing more programmes, projects or new centres, but about changing the way people learn, work, cooperate and create value.
To develop an innovation culture and rise in the knowledge economy and global competition, Viet Nam needs a broad and profound transformation in education, enterprises, public governance and the social value system.
For example, in education, it is necessary to shift from rote learning to learning in order to ask questions. Schools must help learners know how to identify problems, formulate hypotheses, verify them with data, debate with reasoning and propose solutions.
The goal is not to turn everyone into an inventor, but to form the thinking and action habits of creative people. This means not easily accepting what is already available, not fearing difficult questions and not hesitating to seek new ways of doing things.
Along with this is a change in the way failure is viewed, accepting failure in order to learn. No innovation ecosystem can develop if every failure is regarded as a fault to be punished. It is necessary to distinguish honest failure in experimentation from violations caused by carelessness, dishonesty or self-seeking behaviour. An innovation culture must protect those who dare to do the right thing, dare to take responsibility and dare to correct mistakes.
In this process, the State, schools, enterprises and society cannot operate in isolation. The State creates institutions and commissions major problems to be solved; schools generate knowledge, human resources and technology; enterprises bring knowledge to the market; while society identifies problems, monitors impacts and benefits from the outcomes.
On that basis, an innovation environment should be gradually built, where students are encouraged to ask questions, lecturers’ academic freedom is protected, enterprises are encouraged to invest in research and development (R&D), and civil servants are given room to experiment with policies.
Renewing the national development model requires Viet Nam to build a culture in which innovation is not an activity reserved only for scientists, technology enterprises or a group of exceptionally talented people, but becomes a value encouraged throughout society. This is also the cultural foundation needed for Viet Nam to proactively create change, thereby realising the requirement of renewing the development model and generating new drivers of national development.
