At the scientific seminar "Applying the system of national values, the system of cultural values, the system of family values associated with the construction of criteria for Can Tho people" organized by the Department of Publicity and Education of the Can Tho City Party Committee recently, the papers contributed to identifying the value systems associated with the reality of Can Tho City. Mr. Nguyen Thuc Hien, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Can Tho City, emphasized: "This is an issue that has both strategic and practical significance for the city. Understanding the goal of building Can Tho people "Intellectual - Dynamic - Benevolent - Chivalrous - Elegant" in the spirit of Resolution 45-NQ/TW helps us to implement the construction, investment and development of socio-economic without neglecting the human factor, taking the cultural life of Can Tho people as the center of development".

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho City, said that after nearly 20 years of becoming a centrally-run city, Can Tho has continued to promote and affirm its strategic position, as a place where converges and develops economically, politically, culturally and socially of the region. Can Tho's culture has also been promoted as a locomotive, continuing to contribute to the development of the city in a civilized and modern direction. Many cultural activities are organized in a diverse, vibrant, and practical way, meeting the increasing cultural enjoyment needs of all classes of people in the city. In particular, the implementation of the criteria for Can Tho people is well-practiced and concretized by models and good practices, which are supported by departments and localities.

For example, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Can Tho City, on the basis of the values "Pure heart - Bright mind - Big ambition" and the orientation of building the system of national values, the system of cultural values, and the system of family values, has been linked with the implementation of the construction of Can Tho people through many effective forms and methods. In the period of 2017-2023, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Can Tho City has voted and commended nearly 5,320 examples of "Outstanding youth following Uncle Ho's words", "Typical young doctors following Uncle Ho's words"...; carry out campaigns to live beautifully in youth such as "One good news every day", "One beautiful story every week"...

Over the past years, the city's Education and Training sector has focused on building a culture of behavior in schools, in order to shape the personality and beautiful ways of behaving for students right from school. Models such as traditional education, increasing experiential activities, improving life skills... have shown their effectiveness. Over the past 10 years, the program of heritage education in schools has been implemented by the Department of Culture and the Department of Education of the city with positive results. The field trips to historical sites, museums, the trips to learn about cultural heritage... have fostered love for the hometown and country, and shaped the students' awareness of their responsibilities to themselves, their families and society.

From the local reality, Mr. Tran Van Tuoi, Head of the Department of Publicity and Education of Vinh Thanh District Party Committee, shared deeply about the issue of applying the family value system in preserving, promoting and building families in the locality. Outstanding in Vinh Thanh district is the family work that is built on the basis of culture and traditional characteristics, known for its spirit of community cohesion, observance of etiquette, family style and spirit of learning. The exemplary grandparents, parents, filial children and grandchildren, and righteous neighbors have helped to form a sustainable family value system. Cultural people and cultural families have a mutual and dialectical relationship. Agreeing with this view, teacher Le Phuoc Nghiep (Ninh Kieu district, Can Tho city) said that the family has a very important role in shaping the character and morality of a person, and more broadly, in helping to shape the cultural value system, the national value system.

However, the papers at this scientific seminar also pointed out that, before the development of urbanization, industrialization, and the digital age, each person was not affected much. That also affects the shaping and affirmation of value systems and in the construction of criteria for Can Tho people. With young people, the influence of the internet and social networks changes their thinking, perception, and behavior in relationships in the family and society. Mr. Tran Van Tuoi, Head of the Department of Publicity and Education of Vinh Thanh District Party Committee, said the following: “The time that family members spend together is getting less and less, while each person has a job, work, study, and in the evening, everyone wants to rest and have their own entertainment, so everyone focuses on their smartphone. Even though they live under the same roof, it seems like parents and children are living in completely different worlds”.

The program "Proud of Can Tho people" implemented by the Can Tho City Museum at schools in the city aims to help students understand the criteria for building Can Tho people.

On the other hand, there is also the reality that in the market economy, the role of money and material things is used by many people as a reference to evaluate and exchange many values, both material and spiritual. Money makes people dependent, willing to trade in exchange for tradition, culture, and virtue. The conclusion of the National Cultural Conference in 2021, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized: "Human happiness is not only about having a lot of money, wealth, eating well, and dressing well, but also about the richness of the soul, living in love and compassion, justice and fairness".

Dr. Ha Thi Thuy Duong, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Region IV, said that the application of the criteria for Can Tho people must not only be based on the system of national values, the system of cultural values, and the system of Vietnamese family values, but also based on the requirements and development orientations of the city. Over time, the construction of criteria for Can Tho people also needs to be adjusted and supplemented accordingly. In fact, each locality, on the basis of the common value system of the nation, on the basis of practice and local cultural identity, will build a set of criteria for local people that is suitable and realistic. Dr. Ha Thi Thuy Duong cited the example that Hanoi City, in addition to the criterion of elegance (also one of the 5 criteria for Can Tho people), also mentions the criterion of civilization; Ho Chi Minh City, in addition to being dynamic (also one of the 5 criteria for Can Tho people), also emphasizes the criterion of building human relationships. "Building the criteria for Can Tho people correctly, fully, appropriately, and practically, not too far-fetched, unrealistic, and difficult to implement is very important because it has the effect of adjusting the thinking and actions of everyone, leading the development of the city in line with the set goals," - Dr. Ha Thi Thuy Duong emphasized.

Speaking at the conclusion of the seminar, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tam, Head of the Department of Publicity and Education of the Can Tho City Party Committee, said: In the cause of renovation and national construction, Can Tho has and is continuing to promote its tradition of solidarity, unity, overcoming difficulties, and determination to build and develop the city, contributing positively to the development of the Mekong Delta region and the whole country. The City Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee of Can Tho City have issued many policies on improving the cultural and spiritual life of the people in a synchronous and harmonious manner with economic and urban development, contributing to building a new cultural lifestyle and urban civilization. This is considered a sustainable way of doing things because the core of cultural life is to build a cultural ideology in each person. On that basis, the city has made many efforts to develop culture, build a warm, equal, progressive, happy and sustainable family; building Can Tho people "Intellectual - Dynamic - Benevolent - Chivalrous - Elegant". Thereby, contributing to building and developing Vietnamese culture and people in general, Can Tho people in particular, to meet the requirements of sustainable national development.