Promoting the role of research and connecting social sciences in the Southern region

Photo caption — Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Tuan Hung, Director of the Southern Institute of Social Sciences , spoke at the ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Tuan Hung, Director of the Southern Institute of Social Sciences, said: Over the past 50 years, the Southern Institute of Social Sciences has carried out many important research programs and topics in the fields of politics , economics, society, history, culture, language, etc. associated with the reality of the South, contributing to the development of guidelines and policies of the Party and the State. Basic research projects such as history of exploration, archaeology, sociology, Southern dialects, etc. have created a knowledge base and large-scale data on the land and people of the South. At the same time, the Institute also trains successors, once one of the earliest postgraduate training institutions of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences in Ho Chi Minh City, with dozens of masters and doctors becoming core staff and lecturers for institutes, schools, and localities in the region.

With the policy of "from practice to practice", closely following the practical situation of the Southern localities to research, advise, and contribute to the development of the Party and State's guidelines and policies, the Institute has proposed, participated in, and implemented many valuable research projects, leaving a deep impression on the role of a State scientific research agency in the South. Many results from the Institute's investigation and research projects have actively contributed to the Party and State's Innovation guidelines and policies, especially from programs on the Mekong Delta, on farmers and rural areas in the South, on urban poverty reduction, on Oc Eo culture...

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Tuan Hung, although the Southern Institute of Social Sciences has achieved many achievements, it is still limited in the face of new requirements. In the period of 2025-2030, the Southern Institute of Social Sciences will continue to promote achievements, overcome limitations, expand connections and cooperation, take advantage of a multidisciplinary research institute, stick closer to the reality of the South, take the reality of the South as the research object, in order to contribute to the sustainable development of the region. The Institute also focuses on improving the professional qualifications of officials and civil servants and expanding cooperation with domestic and foreign research institutions to become a connecting center for social sciences of the region and of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences in the South.

At the ceremony, the Southern Institute of Social Sciences announced the results of a survey on population and human resources of Vietnam and southern provinces and cities in 2024 - 2025.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Nhung, representative of the research team, said that according to the results of an online survey of nearly 257,000 people aged 18 to 60 in 63 provinces and cities of Vietnam in August 2024, the trend of being single, unmarried and childless is becoming more and more popular, especially in urban areas. 63.7% want to get married and have children in the future, but 22.2% of single people said they have no intention of getting married and having children.

The research results also pointed out four main factors influencing the decision to get married: Income, working conditions, housing and health, in which income plays a decisive role. For the group under 40 years old, especially under 30 years old, stable employment and income, along with housing conditions, are prioritized over marriage and having children.

From the above analysis, according to Dr. Nguyen Thi Nhung, the State needs to have policies to support and encourage marriage and childbirth such as: Exemption from personal income tax, family deductions, interest-free home loans for couples or individuals raising two children. At the same time, it is necessary to regulate a living wage for a family of four, ensuring that the income of two workers is enough to cover the cost of raising and educating two children.

On this occasion, the Southern Institute of Social Sciences signed a cooperation agreement with the Southern Vietnam News Agency Information Center and the Institute of World Economics and Politics. This cooperation is expected to improve research efficiency, strengthen the connection between theory and practice, thereby affirming the role of social sciences in policy making and sustainable development in the Southern region.