VNUHCM Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities

Training and developing programs for middle administrative managers at Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City: An evaluation using the Kirkpatrick model

Ngan Thi Kim Nguyen — 2025-12-19

In the context of university autonomy and increasingly intense competition, middle administrative managers play a pivotal role in advising, supporting leadership, and administering the operations of higher education institutions. Training and developing have therefore become a key strategy to enhance their capacity. This study evaluates the effectiveness of training and developing programs for middle administrative managers at seven member universities of Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City, employing Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level Model. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining a survey of 168 middle administrative managers with in-depth interviews with leaders, lecturers, and staff members. The findings indicate that the training and development programs generally yielded positive outcomes across all four levels: reaction, learning, behavior, and results with mean scores of 4/5 or higher. However, several limitations were identified: the programs remain generic, lacking tailored design to meet the specific tasks of middle administrative managers, while staff in charge of training and developing have limited capacity for advising and designing appropriate programs. Based on these findings, the article proposes solutions to improve the training and developing quality for middle administrative managers, including the development of a competency framework, specialized training modules, a professional unit for career development, and the establishment of periodic evaluation mechanisms. This study contributes empirical evidence to the field of higher education management in Vietnam and provides useful policy recommendations for universities in the current governance reform context.

Some comparisons on goddess worship in Vietnamese - Korean folk culture

Thoa Thi Bui — 2025-12-19

In the spiritual life of Asian agricultural residents, especially residents of monsoon Asian ethnic groups who grow wet rice (including the Vietnamese and Koreans), worshiping goddesses is a quite common phenomenon and has existed for a long time. Over thousands of years of history forming and developing the cultures of the two ethnic groups, Vietnam and Korea, the custom of worshiping goddesses (of natural or human origin - they can be historical figures or historical myths) has become one of the typical cultural features. Along with many other types of folk beliefs, goddess worship has been playing a certain role in the spiritual life of Vietnamese and Korean residents, contributing to molding the traditional cultural values of each country, while creating common denominators in the cultures of the two nations. Through the issue of comparative research on a number of aspects such as origin, role, function, number of goddesses along with offerings, worship rituals, objects of worship practice, etc., as well as a few other characteristics of this type of worship between the two peoples, this article will point out some similarities and differences in goddess worship among Vietnamese and Koreans. Besides, the research results also initially explain the causes of those similarities and differences.

The classification of discourse markers in Vietnamese language

Bao Hoang Nguyen — 2025-12-26

Discourse markers play a crucial role in organizing information and maintaining coherence in discourse; however, their classification system in Vietnamese language has not yet been thoroughly and systematically explored. This paper aims to classify the Vietnamese discourse markers based on three main criteria: pragmatic function, sentence position, and morphological structure. The research data is drawn from literary works to ensure the accuracy, representativeness, and expressive richness of the linguistic units under investigation. The findings reveal that the Vietnamese discourse markers exhibit functional diversity, including information linkage, discourse navigation, and the expression of speaker attitudes, emotions, and stances. In terms of position, discourse markers may appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence, with the initial position being the most common, often used for initiating, drawing attention, or shifting topics. Morphologically, they can take the form of single words, phrases, or even dependent clauses, demonstrating considerable flexibility in form and use. The study also highlights the multifunctionality and context-dependent variability of many discourse markers, which complicates the classification and calls for a flexible analytical approach. These insights help to clarify the features of Vietnamese discourse markers and provide a foundation for further research in pragmatics, Vietnamese language teaching, and translation studies.

The Role of Livelihood Capitals in Agricultural Production in Thanh Phu District, Ben Tre Province

Le Thanh Hoa — 2025-12-26

This study aims to analyze the role and contribution of livelihood capitals in agricultural production in Thanh Phu district, Ben Tre province, a coastal area of the Mekong Delta characterized by distinct ecological conditions and diverse farming models. A quantitative approach was employed using a household survey of 200 respondents across five communes representing three different ecological subregions. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and frequency distribution to evaluate the current status and effectiveness of the five livelihood capitals based on the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework.

The findings indicate that the human capital plays a pivotal role, with personal farming experience (95.5 percent) and internet access (92 percent) identified as the most effective information channels, and the agricultural extension system achieving a 94 percent satisfaction rate. The natural capital faces serious challenges, with only 21.5 percent of households reporting positive groundwater conditions, and 61.5 percent perceiving poor surface water quality due to climate change impacts. The physical capital remains relatively stable, as 73 percent of households own permanent housing and 95 percent have private land ownership. In contrast, the financial capital exhibits a notable disparity, with 52 percent of households operating at small to medium scales. The social capital demonstrates stratified effectiveness: agricultural extension (95 percent) and farmers unions (90 percent) receive high satisfaction, whereas cooperatives are rated satisfactory by only 50 percent of households.

The study recommends strengthening investment in the agricultural extension system and the application of information technology; prioritizing water resources protection measures against the impacts of climate change; facilitating access to preferential loans and developing community credit funds, and simultaneously enhancing the operational quality of cooperatives and other social organizations to ensure sustainable agricultural livelihood development.

The interactive approach: criteria and methods for teaching Vietnamese language listening to foreigners

Phuong Hoang Nguyen — 2026-01-26

A signifcant proportion of listening activities in practice are interactive in nature, as it has been proven in research studies around the world. All listening activities, except for media listening, speech listening and eavesdropping, are aimed at two-way listening and speaking in direct communication. Traditionally, however, language teaching activities have often adopted a passive approach to listening comprehension, leading learners to perceive listening as a purely receptive act. This approach emphasizes the mere reception of information rather than active synthesis or clarifcation when comprehension issues arise. If learners are placed in communicative contexts, and if they can interact with the speaker to seek understanding, the teaching and learning eﬀectiveness of language listening activities will be enhanced. For these reasons, in this article, we study the application of the interactive approach to teaching Vietnamese listening to foreigners. We review research works on interactive listening teaching and Vietnamese listening profciency tests. Then, the concepts of interaction, interactive listening and their constituent elements are clarifed. On that basis, the methods for teaching interactive Vietnamese listening are proposed. The criteria for assessing interactive listening skills of foreigners in the teaching-learning process and in testingassessment activities are also oﬀered. The obtained results have the potential to build interactive Vietnamese listening textbooks for foreigners as well as assessment standards for interactive Vietnamese listening profciency tests.

In this chapter we research on applying interactive approach to teaching Vietnamese language listening for foreigners. We examine research works on teaching interactive listening and tests for assessing language listening competence. Then, the concepts of interactive, interactive listening, and their constituent elements are clarified. Later, methods for teaching Vietnamese interactive listening are proposed. Criteria to assess the interactive listening skills of foreigners in the teaching-learning process and in testing-assessing activities are also suggested. The results obtained have the potential basis to develop interactive Vietnamese listening course-books for foreigners as well as standards for assessing tests of Vietnamese interactive listening competence.

The Arak Worshipped Cult Changes in the Ethnic Khmer in Southern Vietnam: The Causes and Trends

An Thanh Ngo — 2026-02-05

The Arak belief holds a crucial place in the cultural and spiritual life of the ethnic Khmer in Southern Vietnam. The practice of Arak worshiping cult reflects the matriarchal system impacted in to the Khmer society, as rituals are traditionally carried out by a woman medium representing a clan lineage. Arak serves as a mediumship for fulfilling the spiritual needs of the ethnic Khmer basing on spirit possession, divination, blessings, and healing.

In contemporary Vietnamese society, however, the Arak has undergone profound transformations due to the impact of urbanization, advancements in science and technology, government regulations on religious practices, and the growing influence of Theravāda Buddhism. This paper examines the causes behind these transformations and explores the adaptive trends of this folk belief within modern society.

The research findings indicate that while certain traditional practices are gradually fading over time, the Arak persists through various restructuring forms. These include the integration with Theravāda Buddhism—seeking spiritual support from the religion—, the personalization of rituals within family settings, and the commercialization of fortune-telling services by Arak practitioners. These changes highlight the resilience of the Arak belief and the adaptability of the Khmer culture in the face of modernization.

The design and implementation of interdisciplinary curricula at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNUHCM: current status and solutions

Thoa Thi Minh Doan — 2026-02-05

In the context of globalization and higher education reform, interdisciplinary curricula have emerged as a necessary trend to address complex societal challenges. This study evaluates the current status of designing and implementing the interdisciplinary curricula at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (USSH, VNU-HCM), with the aim of proposing solutions to enhance their effectiveness. Data were collected through a Likert-scale survey of 111 lecturers and 397 students, complemented by in-depth interviews with four staff and lecturers from relevant faculties. The findings indicate that the USSH possesses significant potential for developing interdisciplinary curricula, bolstered by its liberal education philosophy, autonomy in higher education, and the inherently interdisciplinary nature of the social sciences and humanities. This is reflected in the high average scores from a survey on the need to integrate knowledge in curriculum design and teaching. However, challenges include a lack of coordination between faculties and limitations in lecturer capacity, particularly in teaching methodologies and assessment practices. Linear regression analysis reveals that curriculum design and implementation are the primary factors influencing effectivenes. Based on these results, the study proposes four solutions: (1) organizing workshops to raise the awareness of interdisciplinary education, (2) standardizing the curriculum design process with an integrative approach, (3) enhancing inter-faculty coordination and innovating teaching methods such as problem-based learning, and (4) training lecturers in multidisciplinary teaching skills. These solutions not only aim to improve training quality at the USSH but also hold broader applicability, meeting labor market demands in an era of global integration.

Quoting as a strategy of textual hybridization in Essais franco-annamites (1929-1932) by Phạm Quỳnh

Ngoc Thi Anh Vo — 2026-02-05

This article examines citation practices in Phạm Quỳnh's Essais franco-annamites (1929-1932) as a strategy for discourse co-construction and cultural mediation within a colonial context. Employing an intertextual approach (Kristeva, Compagnon, Maingueneau), it argues that Phạm Quỳnh's citations are deliberate acts, closely linked to polyphony and enunciative positioning. Through classifying citation forms (direct, indirect, hybrid, distanced), the article shows how Phạm Quỳnh uses citation for argumentation and to establish epistemic authority, bridging Western scientific discourse and Eastern intellectual heritage. For instance, in Le culte des ancêtres en pays d’Annam, Phạm Quỳnh integrates quotes from Confucius, Comte, and Carlyle to align ancestor worship as a moral paradigm with universal reason, thereby connecting Confucian philosophy to Western theoretical language, constructing a hybrid discourse that affirms Vietnamese identity while engaging with global knowledge. Similarly, Une apologie du régime du Protectorat is not a mere eulogy of French colonial policy, but rather a strategically crafted text in which citation serves a primary political function: it allows an indigenous voice within rigid colonial discourse. This mode of enunciation – indirect, mimetic, yet critical – represents an early form of postcolonial discursive practice, wherein the colonized subject inhabits the voice of the colonizer to subvert its intended meaning. Accordingly, the article argues that citation functions not merely as a technical tool for source attribution, but as a vital discursive strategy through which Phạm Quỳnh shapes his identity as a modern indigenous intellectual within a knowledge space dominated by colonial authority. Citation thus becomes a means for him to negotiate his identity, defend cultural values, and assert a Vietnamese intellectual voice in East-West dialogue.

Developing Interdisciplinary Education Based on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education

Ha Duy Mong Nguyen — 2026-02-05

The context of integration and globalization brings numerous opportunities for exchange, interaction, and learning to promote development, while also highlighting a range of complex issues spanning various fields that require the involvement of multiple stakeholders for resolution. Consequently, higher education in the 21st century must focus on training individuals with creative and innovative thinking, as well as the ability to collaborate with diverse groups to effectively address the intricate challenges facing communities, nations, and the global society. This article analyzes the relationship between interdisciplinary education and education for the sustainable development in the context of the 21st century, while synthesizing both domestic and international research to propose a theoretical framework for integrating interdisciplinary education aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This framework is built on the principle of system compatibility and consists of three main components: (1) target audiences and interdisciplinary curricula tailored to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); (2) a group of teaching methods oriented towards interdisciplinarity and supporting the sustainable development goals; and (3) a group of methods for assessing interdisciplinary and sustainable development competencies. Furthermore, the framework suggests principles for integrating interdisciplinary education based on the sustainable development goals into university curricula and training activities, ensuring compatibility among the three above components.

The reason on its way of Becoming - Reading The Brothers Karamazov by F. M. Dostoevsky from Hegelian philosophy

Uyen Nho Minh Nguyen — 2025-12-25

What can reason be if not precisely the becoming of reason from its own sentient, irrational past? This seems an unfamiliar argument in current research trends approaching Dostoevsky as a critic against reason. Negating such dualistic perception, Hegel’s The Phenomenology of Spirit reveals to us the temporal character of reason, or reason on its way of becoming, a journey of knowing evolving from observing reason, actualizing reason to real reason. The observing reason enters the world with friendly admiration and hopes to grasp the Notion through pure curiosity in doing scientific research; whereas the actualizing reason must struggle to survive in harsh and impoverished reality, fight for virtue over greed, and search for a way out of great misery through fervent faith. At last, the real reason determines ethical laws and proceeds to construct society and the state. At this point, the reason will transform into the moment of spirit - a new chapter of becoming opens, followed by moments of religion and absolute knowledge. From a Hegelian point of view, Dostoevsky is a phenomenologist who describes the activity of reason to us. Each character in The Brothers Karamazov appears not as a detached existence but entails the weight and the floating sphere of Spirit, meanwhile, their will and emotion represent the reason on its way of becoming.

Vietnamese idioms from the perspective of Appraisal Theory

Ly Tuan Phan — 2025-12-26

The research of Vietnamese idioms in use is not novelty in Vietnam. This paper uses the Appraisal Theory developed by Martin, J. R., & White, P. R. (2005), which is considered as a part of realizing Interpersonal metafunction in of Systemic Functional Linguistics, to determine evaluation factors in Vietnamese idioms. Accordingly, we investigated 50 Vietnamese idioms that were listed in the Dictionary of Vietnamese Idioms and Proverbs in Use compiled by Do Thi Kim Lien & et al (2015) to identify and then classify their Attitude, Graduation hidden in use. Idioms were randomly selected from the dictionary. From a qualitative approach, the methods of linguistic description and discourse analysis were used to achieve the two purposes. Besides, the statistical classification method was also used to count and classify idioms in terms of the Appraisal Theory. The survey results show that all idioms carry evaluation in performance. The Attitude hidden in idioms was mainly realized in the type of Judgment and Appreciation. The level of evaluation in the idiom was mostly high and realized by Sharpen and Raise. This classification result may be a new approach in compiling a Vietnamese idiom dictionary. Furthermore, the classification of Vietnamese idioms based on the Appraisal Theory may support the critical discourse analysis to become more effective when approaching Vietnamese texts (spoken or written discourses).

The conservation of historical and cultural relics in Ly Son island district (Quang Ngai province): a view from community archeology

Hau Thi Nguyen — 2026-01-26

Ly Son island district belongs to Quang Ngai province in Central Vietnam. The community here has a long history and the process of exploiting the sea in the East Sea of Vietnam. The residents' lifestyle and livelihood closely linked to the sea are clearly shown through the rich and diverse cultural heritage system on the island. Approaching from community archaeology, the article clarifies the role of the Ly Son island community in the process of creating, maintaining, and preserving historical - cultural relics. The preservation and promotion of cultural heritage are intrinsically tied to socio-economic development. Sustaining traditional livelihoods, such as fishing and agriculture, enables communities to maintain their cultural heritage, which precisely reflects their historical, economic, and social trajectory, especially within island communities like Ly Son Island District. Drawing from research and practical surveys, the article suggests various approaches to enhance the community participation, supporting the development of cultural policies by authorities at all levels for Ly Son island district amid its urbanization and modernization journey. The cultural heritage preservation by and for the community lays a solid foundation for the sustainable development of Ly Son island district’s economy, culture, and society, while benefiting Vietnam’s coastal communities as a whole.

Promoting religious resources: Insights from the Buddhist practicing experience in Hồ Chí Minh City during the COVID-19 pandemic

Loc Hoang Duong — 2026-02-05

The concept of religious resources and how to leverage them for national development is a topic of current debate among policymakers, religious leaders, and researchers in Vietnam, a country embarking new era with considerable challenges. Drawing inspiration from the community support of Hồ Chí Minh City Buddhism during the COVID-19 pandemic, the author identifies practical approaches to promoting religious resources and suggesting relevant solutions. The results shows Hồ Chí Minh City Buddhism significantly contributed to pandemic relief, offering both material aid (food, medicine, medical equipment, vaccine funding) and spiritual support (rituals, meditation guidance). This affirms that religious resources are a suitable, practical, and scientific contributor to national development. Hence, the article suggests proposals for promoting religious resources in Vietnam today.