Hallyu in the Contemporary Culture of Vietnam

Abstract

This researcher tries to apply a cultural pattern perspective in this research to analyze and assess a sense of considerable distance between Vietnamese modern culture and Korean wave. This perspective identifies inflow of Korean wave into Vietnam became an inevitable reality since Korean wave actively promoted development of Vietnamese modern popular culture. Korea and Vietnam have very similar characteristics in history, ideology of traditional society, and ideas of the cosmos. These characteristics were not formed naturally, but observed under the cultural pattern perspective. Two countries’ culture may have the different starting point by two different patterns: aspects of the economic and cultural origins. Korean society has developed differently from Vietnamese society. Korean society began to change into the modernization fundamentally along with development of information technology and production of modernistic goods, but traditional social relations and moral values have held fast. Based on the hybrid between the old and new things and between the regional and western things, Koreans have created Korean wave of showing attraction and dynamics of modern civilized society. Chinese, Taiwanese and Hong Kong films and music were very popular before this Korean wave in Vietnam. There were Taiwanese film of romantic style, Chinese film of historical style, and Hong Kong film of social-romantic-comic style in Vietnam before Korean wave. But their influence never lasted long. Modern Vietnam is absorbed in a question of how to address the relation between culture and civilization. And which way would make it possible for Vietnam to develop sustainably has also become an important interest. Appearance of Korean wave suggests an important and meaningful basis partially for us to answer this question. The Vietnamese understand Korea as a close nation and role model. Korean wave is accepted by the Vietnamese as the proper method of providing open view watching the world. In addition, introduction and manifestation of Korean wave in Vietnam have partially a positive influence on removing complex Vietnam has. Historically Vietnam has a strong complex it is a small country adjacent to a huge neighbor China. However Korean wave became an astonishing example that even a small country can accomplish a great work, and it became a role model of Vietnam.