Trends in Changing the Cultural Life of Coastal Residents in Ha Tinh


4.1.1. Industry structure has profound changes

The industrialization and modernization in Ha Tinh, which began in the late 20th century until now, has contributed to bringing the coastal countryside of Ha Tinh up with many new developments, from a countryside known as a remote area, to an area with strong economic growth of the province and the North Central region. According to the objectives of the action program to implement the Marine Strategy and planning of the province until 2020, the industrialization and modernization in the coastal area of ​​Ha Tinh continues to be pushed to new heights, bringing the economic zones to completion. In that context, it is forecasted that the demand for labor in the coastal economic zones of Ha Tinh will be very large, leading to a strong development of the service system to meet the daily living needs of the new labor force coming here, also to provide goods for the coastal economic zones. Therefore, the service industry will receive a lot of investment from residents along with other industries. The two factors of labor force and service activities in economic zones will be the main factors promoting the strong change in the industrial structure in the coastal area of ​​Ha Tinh in the coming years. The number of residents working in services and in economic zones will increase rapidly. However, due to the characteristics of each economic zone, this change will be different.

In the fishing economic zone, seafood exploitation (playing the role of a key economic sector) will continue to receive strong investment. The State's preferential policies on capital, along with the development capacity of the industry, large-capacity fishing vessels will appear more and more, fishing equipment will be more and more modern, the ability to fish in the open sea will increase in quantity, ... leading to the system of fishing logistics services (fuel supply, ice, boat repair, seafood processing for export, cold storage, seafood purchasing, ...) and some other services will develop in this economic zone. At that time, in the fishing economic zone, the industry structure will be: fishing services; exploitation, fishing; and some other industries.

In the tourist economic zone, the number of residents working in fishing will decrease and tend to switch to aquaculture, tourism business (food, accommodation, resort, entertainment, etc.) and work in the tourist area. Therefore, in the years

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Next, in the coastal tourism economic zones of Ha Tinh, tourism business services will bring the main source of revenue to the local budget and become a key economic sector. At that time, the fishing industry will have a new task of serving tourism in the form of craft village tourism. The fishing industry will no longer play the role of the main economic sector in this economic zone. The exploited and caught products will be the main source of supply for the tourist area and tourists. Fresh seafood farming areas serving tourists will appear here... Based on that reality, the structure of industries in the tourism economic zone in the following years will shift to: tourism; entertainment; fishing and aquaculture.

Trends in Changing the Cultural Life of Coastal Residents in Ha Tinh

In the industrial economic zone, fishing tends to have difficulty surviving, because seafood resources become scarce in the vast environment of the industrial zone, fishing areas are narrowed, residents' residential areas are far from the coast, far from the fishing environment, while many new occupations bring in higher incomes and are more attractive to residents than fishing in this economic zone. Therefore, in the industrial economic zone, fishing only exists in some households that try to hold on to their old occupations out of habit in their spare time (for fun) and mainly to improve family meals. Therefore, compared to the two economic zones above, the existence of fishing in the industrial economic zone becomes more fragile, the change of occupations takes place strongly and clearly, fishing is no longer the occupation that brings the main source of income for residents in the industrial zone. The occupational structure in the industrial zone will be: industry, services, manual labor, agriculture and fishing.

According to the province's guiding viewpoint, the process of occupational conversion in the industrial economic zone takes place according to the process of forming and developing non-agricultural and non-fishery activities [97]. By the end of 2015, about 30% of the existing agricultural workers - equivalent to about 3,000 workers - are forecasted to convert to work in the industrial and service sectors. By 2025, the majority of workers in the economic zone will work in the non-agricultural sector, with only


A small number of workers work in agriculture and fisheries (about 1,000 to 2,000 workers) [PL6.2, p. 230].

4.1.2. The composition of the population has changed.

The industrialization and modernization process continues to be promoted, the coastal economic zones of Ha Tinh are gradually put into operation until completion, leading to rapid changes in the population in the coastal areas of Ha Tinh in the following years. In addition to the local residents who have lived for generations, there are also residents from other places coming to invest in new industries and services here, especially in the industrial economic zone and the tourist economic zone, where there are also residents from other countries coming to invest in business and do business. The population in the coastal areas of Ha Tinh during the period of promoting industrialization and modernization becomes complicated and often unstable, the number of people coming in and out, temporarily residing, temporarily absent, and transient visitors coming and going during the day increases rapidly. The number of fishermen and farmers has decreased significantly in the face of the province's new economic development policy as well as the actual development of these economic zones. The population in the three economic zones by then will be as follows:

In the fishing economic zone, in terms of occupation, the residents will be divided into many different groups such as: residents specializing in fishing, residents specializing in fishing service businesses (fishing logistics), residents trading in large seafood (traders), residents trading in consumer goods, necessities, entertainment services, restaurants, etc. In terms of origin, the residents include: indigenous residents (local residents, local residents, have lived here for a long time), residents from other places who come to do business and then settle down, residents who do business and come and go during the day, transient guests, etc.

In the tourist economic zone, the population composition will change more strongly than in the fishing economic zone. According to the estimates of investors and Ha Tinh province, by 2020 the population in Thien Cam tourist area will be 38.5 thousand people, 10 thousand tourists; by 2025 the population will be 54.5 thousand people, 20 thousand tourists [92]. Thus, in the following years, the population residing in the tourist economic zones will increase dramatically, leading to changes in the population composition, in addition to the number of residents living


In the past, there would be a group of residents migrating along with the birth and formation of the tourist area, a new group of residents coming to live and work in the tourist area, doing business in tourism services, etc. In addition, in the tourist economic zone, the number of resort tourists will also be quite large every year. Therefore, the population in the tourist economic zone will be: local residents, residents from other places migrating to live and work in the tourist area, tourists, visitors coming and going during the day, etc.

In the industrial economic zone, the composition of residents has changed more diversely than in the two economic zones above. In addition to long-term residents, there are many new residents coming to work and live in recent years (including both domestic and foreign residents), there are residents who come to work and then leave monthly, weekly, daily in quite large numbers,... Forecasting the potential for industrial development in the Vung Ang economic zone, the number of industrial workers in the economic zone is about 23,000 people by 2015; 64,000 people by 2025 and 116,000 people by the shaping stage [91]. Of which, it is expected that about 80% of workers working in the economic zone will settle in urban areas within the economic zone, the remaining 20% ​​are forecasted to be workers settling in Ky Anh town and neighboring residential areas [PL6.2, p.230].

Regarding the population size within the planning scope of the development of the Vung Ang economic zone, it is forecasted that by 2025, there will be about 157,000 people; By the stage of shaping and completing the main functional areas, there will be about 297,000 people. In addition to the official population living and working in the economic zone, there are other components such as: boarding students, armed forces, visitors, workers coming during the day from neighboring areas (pendulum workers)... These population components are forecasted to increase gradually with the level of completion of the inter-urban transport system in the region and equal to about 10 - 20% of the official population of the Economic Zone [PL6.3, p.231].

4.2. Trends in changing cultural life of coastal residents in Ha Tinh

Through the study of the current status of cultural life of coastal residents of Ha Tinh in chapters 2 and 3, we have partly mentioned the direction and causes of changes in cultural life of coastal residents of Ha Tinh under the impacts of industrialization and modernization.


In this part, the thesis analyzes and specifically identifies the trends of changes in the cultural landscape that have been, are, and will continue to take place during the process of industrialization and modernization in the coastal area of ​​Ha Tinh. These trends are:

4.2.1. Loss of customs associated with the old living environment

Implementing the policy of industrialization and modernization, indigenous residents living in the coastal area of ​​Ky Anh district (Ha Tinh province) have relocated to new places to make room for Vung Ang industrial park projects. This migration has forced residents to live far from the sea, far from the fishing environment, so fishing has no conditions to survive. Furthermore, because fishing resources are becoming increasingly scarce due to the environment and the development of industrial park projects, most residents have changed their occupations to work for the industrial park and work in the industrial park, fishing has only a few residents left. Once the living environment changes, cultural factors associated with the living environment are also lost, customs, habits, and sacred spaces are also no longer there. Ms. Nguyen Thi Nguyet, 58 years old, sells food in Lien Phu village, Ky Lien commune, Ky Anh town (interviewed on April 26, 2014. Previously, she was a resident of Ky Loi commune - a coastal commune of Ky Anh) said: "Our coastal area now does not have fishing as before, most of the fishermen have moved to new places and do many different jobs to make a living, there is no place to work at sea like before, there is now an industrial park there... Because there is no more fishing, the customs and rituals related to the sea in the past are no longer practiced".

Along with the loss of customs associated with the old profession and living environment, some taboos in traditional society have also disappeared due to changes in socio-economic conditions during the period of industrialization and modernization. Taboos such as: avoiding meeting women on the way to fishing, avoiding counting nets, avoiding strange women on fishing boats, etc., which were very popular in the past, now remain very few among residents in all three economic zones [PL4.9, p.206]. Mr. Le Xuan Tien, born in 1964, in Lam Hoan village, Cam Nhuong commune, Cam Xuyen district, (interviewed on February 20, 2014) said: “For our fishing profession today, whoever grasps the science will be successful in business and fishing, avoiding losses. I do not think that meeting women on the street is not good. Moreover, nowadays there are many people passing by, how can we avoid them all?


The custom of hanging a pineapple tree in front of the gate and leaving a half-burnt log in front of the house when someone gives birth is a fairly common custom of the residents of the coastal area of ​​Ha Tinh in the past. This custom is inherently associated with the taboo of the residents who work as fishermen, who are at risk of many unpredictable risks while at sea. Residents in this area believe that a woman who gives birth during her confinement period (one month) is unclean, so fishermen often avoid meeting women who have just given birth during this time, believing that if they do, they will have bad luck, suffer from "phong long", and be unlucky for fishing at sea, etc. Based on that concept, families with someone who has given birth less than a month ago often hang a pineapple tree in front of the gate so that everyone in the village knows to avoid it. This custom is very rare among the residents today [PL4.6, p.202]. The second meaning of the custom of hanging a tree in front of the gate is to keep the child safe, so that everyone knows that there is a newborn baby and avoids bringing "bad breath" into the house and affecting the child. "Bad breath" according to the residents are people who are in mourning, have difficulties, people with heavy souls, etc. If these people enter the house, they will make the child cry, eat and sleep poorly. The custom of hanging a tree still exists among the residents today mainly with this second meaning.

The custom of pouring water on the roof when a child is born, associated with the concept: a child born when the water level is low is a good omen, when he grows up he will have a lot of luck and success in fishing. Or the custom of worshiping the Midwife after the child is born, associated with the concept that the Midwife is the one who protects and teaches the child the operations to join social life, ... today is no longer among residents in the three economic zones of the coastal area of ​​Ha Tinh [PL4.6, p.202]. The loss of the custom of worshiping the Midwife reflects the change in awareness of coastal residents of Ha Tinh during the period of industrialization and modernization, residents know how to look straight at the reality of life, face reality, do not blame or seek reasons to avoid responsibility, or comfort themselves in the face of difficulties and things that people do not perceive. In other words, residents have more realistic awareness, know how to accept and face all difficulties to overcome, residents have understood that human life is not free from hardships and difficulties that people have to face, ... That also shows the progress in awareness of residents in modern social life. All these awareness help fishermen


gradually moving away from leaving it to fate, leaving it to chance, ready to take responsibility for oneself, without pushing that responsibility to the gods, or some supreme being.

Along with the loss of folk taboos, customs associated with the old living environment and traditional customs with humanistic significance in the fishing profession have also faded in the face of the trend of industrialization, modernization and the increasingly strong transformation of the industry structure in the coastal area of ​​Ha Tinh. These are the custom of releasing fish from the first catch of a new boat, new net, the custom of abstaining from fishing on the day of "fish crossing the dragon gate" (with the meaning of letting the fish compete, associated with the story of carp turning into a dragon), the custom of worshiping new boats, new nets, worshiping boats going out to sea,... are customs that have the meaning of arousing humanity, encouraging love for the profession, professional excitement through important milestones, both for the purpose of reminding and arousing professional enthusiasm before events taking place,...

4.2.2. Restoring traditional culture with restructuring and simplification

Restructuring traditional culture is to restore and inherit traditional cultural elements with creativity, transformation, rearrangement, etc. to suit contemporary social life. With that trend, most of the customs of the coastal residents of Ha Tinh today inherit traditional customs, with arrangements and additions of new elements of contemporary life, making these customs valuable and meaningful to contemporary life and able to live in contemporary society. Those customs are: even-month ceremonies, even-year ceremonies, etc. These are customs that were practiced quite commonly in the lives of the coastal residents of Ha Tinh in the past and have developed even more in today's society. In essence, the meaning of these ceremonies in the past was to thank the Midwife for protecting and educating the child, and to pray that she would continue to teach the child until adulthood. Nowadays, these ceremonies have taken on a different meaning. Families prepare a meal to report to their ancestors, then invite friends and relatives to celebrate and leave behind memories of the child's growth. In addition to the even-month and even-year ceremonies, the coastal areas of Ha Tinh today also have the popular custom of celebrating birthdays (birth anniversaries). This ritual has recently been introduced to the coastal areas of Ha Tinh.


In recent years, it has been widely accepted and practiced by young people. Along with birthdays, longevity celebrations are also a custom that today's society is interested in, and the coastal area of ​​Ha Tinh is no exception. Every year, when the New Year comes, the commune and village organize longevity celebrations for the elderly aged 70, 75, 80, 85... and above.

The wedding ceremony in the coastal area of ​​Ha Tinh today, although still preserving the four traditional rituals, has changed in terms of time, rituals and the nature of each ritual compared to tradition, such as: the previous engagement ceremony was a meeting between the two families, the groom's family came to the bride's family to officially propose, allowing the couple to move freely, to get to know each other and also on this occasion, the groom's family looked at the girl and through that also learned about the bride's family's family background, to come to a decision on whether or not to continue the marriage relationship between the two families. But today, having held the engagement ceremony also means that the young couple has decided to get married. Therefore, in today's engagement ceremony, in addition to the parents (adults) of the two families meeting, the main purpose of the ceremony is for the groom's family to come to inform the bride's family that the young couple has decided to get married and the two families meet to discuss the marriage. Therefore, in today's engagement ceremony, the groom's family comes to the bride's family to discuss and agree on the engagement date and the wedding date. All information that needs to be given to the two families before and after the engagement ceremony is communicated through the couple to the parents of both sides. After the meeting at the engagement ceremony, the groom's family chooses an auspicious date and time according to the time agreed between the two families to hold the engagement ceremony and the wedding.

Today's engagement ceremony, although still keeping the same name, in fact, today's engagement ceremony includes the wedding ceremony (the wedding ceremony). This is a simplification of the aggregate nature, not a loss. This simplification shows the adaptability of traditional culture in contemporary society, aiming to simplify and save time to suit the busy conditions of the industrialization and modernization period, but the essence of the rituals is still guaranteed, so today's engagement ceremony includes the wedding ceremony gifts. The time of the engagement ceremony and the wedding ceremony today is much closer than before, usually only the day before and the day after. That is, if the wedding ceremony (the bride's procession) is held the next day, then the morning or afternoon of the day before the groom's family

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