Effects of Marxist Methodology on Social Science Researches Conducted by Vietnamese Scholars Before 1986

In the early twentieth century, Marxism was propagated into Vietnam through patriotic intellectuals. After the propagation into Vietnam, Marxism not only influenced national liberation movements, but also profoundly affected scholars, particularly scholars of social science. In fact, many of well-known Vietnamese scholars have relied on Marxism’s theory of social existence and social consciousness, infrastructure and superstructure, practical concept, concept of class struggle, etc. to comment on poetry, history, language, geography, philosophy, etc. In other words, the scholars have applied Marxist methodology to explore and study cultural and social life in Vietnam; and in that way, a generation of Marxist researchers in the field of social sciences has been formed. After the renovation of the country, the Government of Vietnam has implemented its policy of openness and international integration, and scholars have been therefore able to receive many other Western ideals and cultures, and the Marxist methodology was not the only one used in social science research. Consequently, some people expressed their skepticism about the role of Marxist methodology in academic research in Vietnam, even completely denied the historical significance of Marxist methodology to the academia in Vietnam. This article is intended, through Vietnamese Marxist scholars, especially the ones in the field of social sciences prior to 1986 （i.e., prior to the renovation of the country） to demonstrate the historical significance of the Marxist methodology to the Vietnamese academia. It is clear that the penetration of the Marxism and the Marxist methodology into Vietnam have created a revolution in the field of academic research （primarily in the field of social science）. It has promoted academicresearch from conservative toward innovative, from traditional to modern. With the presence of the French colonialism as well as the French culture, the Marxism and the Marxist methodology helped Vietnamese scholars break away from Chinese Confucian scholarship and shift to systematic scholarly studies based on practical bases, scientific bases and modern methods. Although there are still some certain drawbacks, it cannot be denied that the Marxism and the Marxist methodology have played an important role in the formation and development of modern social sciences in Vietnam today.

Marxism and the Subsidy Period in Vietnam （1975-1986）

Marxism was spread into Vietnam by patriotic intellectuals from the 20s of the 20th century and still exists until today. The presence of Marxism in Vietnam through such a long history is enough to prove its importmlce and strong influence in the socio-political life of Vietnam. First of all, Marxism is closely related to the movement of national liberation revolutions in Vietnam from the 20s to the mid 70s of the 20th century： Marxism, with its outright revolutionary nature, had most adequately and effectively met the urgent needs of national liberation revolutions in Vietnam at that time, and at the same time evoked the fierce belief of patriotic revolutionists in a noble ideal--tJle ideal of communist society, and encouraged them to devote themselves to national liberation revolutions. It can be said that Marxism has become the soul of national liberation revolutions in Vietnam; hence, the victory of such revolutions in the mid 70s of the 20th century is also the victory of Marxism in an Eastern country that was very obsolete then. Furthermore, Marxism is also associated with the reforming of old society and building of new society--the socialist society in Vietnam： after winning national independence and unification for the country in the mid-70s of the 20th century, Vietnamese patriotic revolutionists posed the question of＂What new model of society should be built in Vietnam to match the country＇s history context？＂ This question is not only related to the fate of of everyone, but also related to the fate of Vietnamese people as a whole. Marxism had brought to patriotic revolutionists and all Vietnamese people a very clear answer： the socialist society （the first phase of communist society）, where there will no longer be capitalist ownership, no people exploiting people, no rich and poor, from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs, all resources are of common ownership, etc Thus, from 1975 to 1986 （the subsidy period in Vietnam）, the Communist Party of Vietnam had led the people to begin reforming the old society and building new one nationwide with a very happy attitude and a strong belief in the future of socialist society. However, only when embarking on the construction of a new society did our party notice that the realization of an ideal model of society according to Marxism in an obsolete country which had just been out of wax like Vietnam （without any initial material premises, except a political party of the working class and labor population--the Communist Party of Vietnam） is a very difficult job. Therefore, the construction of socialist society in Vietnam in the early stage, from 1975 to 1986, ended in a severe social-economic crisis. Thus, Marxism had capitalized on its strengths in national liberation revolutions in Vietnam, helping Vietnamese people to be free from the domination of colonial counties and empires, but it also had adverse impacts on the reforming of old society and building of new society, which was reflected in the socioeconomic crisis in Vietnam during the 1975-1986 period. Here, the questions to be posed are,＂Has Marxism ended its historic mission for Vietnamese people？＂, or ＂How should Marxism be adjusted to be appropriate to the new historical context of Vietnam？＂ and ＂If such adjustments are needed, what will the prospects of Marxism in Vietnam be like？＂ This article will focus on answering those questions