Vietnamese Language in Westernization: Integration or Disguise?

Abstract

Through proud historical development, the Vietnamese language has overcome all obstacles to become a rich and beautiful language, with a unique identity and full of potential. In the international arena, in all fields of activities, Vietnamese has equal status with all other languages. The process of integration and development will inevitably entail contact and mutual influence between cultures, including languages. On the positive side, it has contributed to enriching the lexicology of the national language, especially new terminologies in the fields of science and technology, make more diverse forms of communication, and in some ways, it shortens the gaps to more developed cultures and civilizations. However, in terms of culture, it can also cause negative effects, that is, chaos, tension in Vietnamese disguise. This paper reports the current status of the Vietnamese language in the midst of Western trends in Vietnam. Data were collected from historical documents and daily news from popular sites of Vietnamese mass media.