With a noble meaning, June 28 is recognized as Vietnam Family Day, aimed at honoring the traditional cultural values of the Vietnamese people.
Understanding Vietnam Family Day on June 28
The family is a fundamental unit of society, maintaining lineage and serving as an important environment for the formation, nurturing, and education of human character. It preserves and promotes good traditional culture, combats social evils, and creates human resources for the cause of building and safeguarding the homeland. Every nation and ethnic group that wishes to exist and develop must know how to care for and protect the family.
President Ho Chi Minh affirmed that caring for families is essential because: “Many families together form society; a good family leads to a good society, and a good society further enhances family well-being. The nucleus of society is the family.”
1. History of Vietnam Family Day
On June 28, 2000, according to Ho Chi Minh’s instructions, the Central Executive Committee issued Directive No. 55-CT/TW on enhancing the leadership of local Party committees regarding the protection, care, and education of children.
The family is a fundamental unit of society, maintaining lineage and serving as an important environment for the formation, nurturing, and education of human character.
On May 4, 2001, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 72/2001/QĐ-TTg regarding Vietnam Family Day. The decision clearly states: June 28 each year is designated as Vietnam Family Day, aiming to enhance the responsibility of leadership across sectors, levels, organizations, and all families to consistently focus on building warm, equal, progressive, and happy families, while promoting the protection, care, and education of children to contribute to building and safeguarding the homeland.
2. Significance of Vietnam Family Day
Over generations, Vietnamese families have formed and developed with valuable standards that contribute to building the cultural identity of the nation. Precious traditional values such as patriotism, love for the homeland, mutual care and support, loyalty, respect for elders, commitment to learning, diligence, creativity in labor, resilience, and courage to overcome difficulties and challenges have been preserved, nurtured, and promoted by Vietnamese families throughout the history of nation-building and defense.
Throughout various developmental periods, the structure and relationships within Vietnamese families have changed, but the basic functions of the family remain intact, and families are still a vital, irreplaceable factor in the socio-economic development of the country.
Vietnam Family Day is a significant cultural event that honors the traditional cultural values of Vietnamese families, providing an opportunity for families to interact and share experiences in building a cultural family, aiming for sustainable development amidst industrialization, modernization, and international integration.
This day is also a time for family members to care for one another, for society to pay attention to young children and those without parents, and for couples to understand the value of home and work together to overcome challenges for a happy family.
3. Ways to Bridge the Generational Gap in Families
1. Effective Communication
Communication is a crucial way to bridge the gap between generations. Talking with children, understanding their world, and helping them grasp the differences between the previous and current generations is essential. This interaction helps multiple generations gradually understand each other’s habits, thought processes, and traditions, thus clearly recognizing and identifying these differences to avoid misunderstandings later on. Listening to and accepting their thoughts is vital. Open communication is a healthy way to bridge generational gaps.
2. Stay Updated with Current Trends
If you want to understand and keep up with the advancements that children are adopting, you need to understand their world, the language they use, and the trends and technologies that excite today’s youth. By doing so, communication between you and the younger generation will be easier, and you can pay more attention to them.
3. Avoid Comparisons
Each generation is born and raised in different environments and circumstances. Never force younger generations to think or compare their actions with those of your era. If this outdated thinking is ingrained in future generations, it could hinder children from thriving in a fiercely competitive world today. Accept the reality that everything around has changed significantly compared to the past as you age. Therefore, avoid comparisons and allow the next generation to enjoy and live in the reality they were born into!
4. Flexibility
Flexibility is something parents need to remember when trying to bridge the gap with their children. This flexibility should be appropriate to each developmental stage of the child to help them grow correctly without going overboard. The role of parents is equally important. Parents should be open to change and flexible in their ideas. You need to understand your children’s growing needs and assist them in developing over time.
5. Teach the Next Generation About Core Family Values
Time may continue to change, but that does not mean that the traditional and core family values will fade away. Parents need to teach their children to respect and adhere to these values, which are partly traditional, as they will help them become decent individuals with character despite living in a modern world.
4. Activities on Vietnam Family Day
For families, during this occasion, each child should return to their home, organize family reunions to recall family traditions. In the context of the pandemic, if family members cannot reunite, they should call each other and show concern to strengthen their bonds, gradually integrating “Family Day” into life, making it a significant celebration with high humanitarian meaning, well-preserved in every Vietnamese family.
On this special day, take some time for your home to share meaningful moments together:
- Travel together
- Gather for a family meal
- Watch a movie together
- Return to the countryside to reunite with grandparents
- Surprise parents with gifts
- Assist parents with household chores
This year, Vietnam Family Day falls on Friday, June 28, 2024.
