The Vietnamese-Chinese Cultural Exchange Since The Relation Normalization Up To Now(1991-2014)

In current international and regional context, the international relation and cooperation have become a factor correlating closely to the benefits of the countries in the world. During this course, countries or ethnic minorities themselves have more or less contributed to the development of international society. At the same time, the strengthening international relation and cooperation brings countries a lot of political and economic benefits.After the Cold War, when mentioning to international relation, beside politics, economic and military relation, governments more and more attached much importance to the exchange and cooperation in the cultural field. Therefore, its role has been increasingly prominent. It can be seen that cultural exchange and cooperation developed based on the friendly political economic relation among nations. In turn, it not only brings into play its role in impulsing the development of political economic relation and mutual understanding between the people of the countries, but also helps the nations learn from each other and makes their culture more diversifying. Besides, in the context of the globalization era, cultural exchange is also an important pathway to convey the soft power of each country, which has irreplaceable role in enhancing the image and expanding their influence on the international arena. Therefore, researching cultural exchange has become an important topic in the study of international relation. In this context, it can be said that the study of cultural exchange between Vietnam and China from the time they got relation normalization up to now has a great significance.So far, the Vietnamese and Chinese academia when studying the relation between the two countries since the normalization have mostly focused on the areas of polity, diplomacy and economy, not paying much attention to studys concerning on cultural exchange. Based on this actual state, the writer tries to delve into and research on the Vietnamese and Chinese cultural exchange to be conscious systematically of cultural exchange between the two countries since the normalization. Besides, the writer also initialy raises some comments and reviews of cultural exchange during this period, and simultaneously give out some specific recommendations to promote the Vietnamese and Chinese one in the coming time.The thesis "The Vietnamese-Chinese cultural exchange since the relation normalization up to now (1991-2014)" includes 6 chapters except for the opening and conclusion. The opening includes reasons for selecting topic, the current state of research, researching methods, new contributions and limitations of the thesis.Chapter 1, "The Vietnamese-Chinese cultural exchange review before relation normalization". It can be said that the Vietnamese-Chinese cultural exchange between two countries has a long history. Due to the contiguous territory of two countries, their people have favorable conditions in contacting and exchanging culture. During the length of history, the cultural exchange process between the two countries has continuously happened and gone through different periods. The exchange activity made the culture of each country more abundant and nuanced, and increase mutual understanding between the two peoples. The writer, on the basis of looking back at the history of Vietnamese-Chinese cultural exchange, has chance to understand better the development of cultural exchange and cooperation between two countries since the relation normalization.In Chapter 2, the writer presents the basis of Vietnamese-Chinese cultural exchange since the relation normalization up to now. Along with the rapid recovery and development in political relation of two countries Vietnam and China in the new period, leaders of two countries also pay particular attention to cultural exchange activities. Two sides reached a consensus on promoting cultural exchange between two countries. The two governments signed an Agreement on cultural cooperation and the implementation plans of it, which provides the legal basis for the deployment of cultural activitives of two sides. Also, in current international relation, cultural diplomacy plays an more important role in the foreign policy of the country. Currently, many countries have instituted cultural diplomacy strategy to promote national culture, expanding the benefits and impact of the country to the outside world. China and Vietnam are not exception. Therefore, the writer has in turn conducted to find out about the institution and enforcement of cultural diplomacy strategies in China and Vietnam, and on that basis, presents the relationship between the of Chinese and Vietnamese cultural diplomacy strategy and the cultural exchange of two countries. It is not difficult to realize that the core of cultural diplomacy strategy is exactly the foreign cultural exchange strategy. In other words, cultural exchange is an integral part of cultural diplomacy. Nowadays, most of the cultural exchange activitives between countries have been implemented under the direction of cultural diplomacy strategy. From this perspective, it can be seen that Vietnamese-Chinese cultural diplomacy strategy is one of the important basis of cultural exchanges between the two countries since the relation normalization until now.In chapter 3, the author presents the process of cultural exchange of Vietnam and China from relation normalization. In general, this process can be divided into two periods:the first one is from the time of beginning normalization to the late 1990s of century 20th (1991-1999). This is the period the cultural exchange of two countries was restored and developed more quickly. The second one is from 2000 up to now. During this period, cultural exchange between two countries had greater scope and deeper level. Under the direction of the two governments, exchange and cooperation in the field of culture of two sides became so close, as well as form and content of exchange were also very diversified.In chapters 4 and 5, the writer discibes and narrates the specific expressions of the Vietnamese-Chinese cultural exchange since the relation normalization up to now. Based on the delve of process of exchange and cooperation between two countries in some fields such as education, movies, books, publishment, literature and art, physical education, tourism, etc... it can be said that the cultural exchange between two countries since the normalization was developed so much. It proved that the governments and Culture management agencies of two actualized the terms of the cultural agreement and plans of implementation which had been signed, and actively implemented articles of exchange and cooperation. It can be said that two countries have achieved great advance in cultural exchange activities as well as great achievements. However, the cultural exchanges between the two countries during this period, besides the achievements, it still existed some issues should be thought thoroughly, for example the imbalance in cultural exchange between two countries, or some obstacles in the bilateral process of cultural exchange and cooperation coming from Vietnamese-Chinese history.In Chapter 6, the writer proceeds to assess of Vietnamese-Chinese cultural exchange since the relation normalization up to now. He thinks that the academic of two countries just mainly focused on the fields of politics and economics since the normalization. They hardly have delved and had an overall assessment of exchange and cooperation of two countries in the field of culture. Therefore, in the last chapter of the thesis, basing on the research of the previous chapters, the writer tries to make an initial assessment of the cultural exchange process of Vietnam and China since the normalization of relation so far, and also raises some recommendations to more promote cultural exchange between the two countries in the near future.In the conclusion, the author highlights the achievements as well as problems remaining in the Vietnamese-Chinese cultural exchange since the normalization of relation, simultaneously confirms that cultural exchange and cooperation has a great significant meaning in promoting the development of culture of each party and the friendly relation between Vietnam and China.