Building a temple in Vietnam that honors Confucius may help the country resist Western cultural infiltration, boost its economic development and establish a better relationship with China, analysts said Wednesday.
Vietnam's government has faced criticism over the construction of the Temple of Literature, which has been built to help the public to worship the Chinese philosopher Confucius, who is widely revered in many countries and regions including Vietnam, -Japan and South Korea.
The Vietnamese Tuoi Tre newspaper reported on Wednesday that the government has been attacked by some for wasting public resources on the project. The temple, measuring over 42,000 square meters in area, is nearing completion in the city of Vinh Yen in northern Vietnam and has so far cost about $12.45 million.
"Chinese culture has had a huge influence on Vietnam. The -promotion of traditional culture can protect Vietnam from western -cultural infiltration," claimed Zhuang Guotu, professor at the Research School for Southeast Asian Studies at Xiamen University, -stressing that Western countries want to achieve their political aims through cultural infiltration.
Zhuang believed that the cultural project will also have huge economic value as a tourist attraction.
This can help the country's tourism industry develop and boost the economy of Vietnam, Zhuang said, rejecting accusations that the project was a waste of state funds.
By building the temple to -worship an ancient Chinese philosopher, -Vietnam is conveying a -message of friendship to China, Zhuang said.
Confucianism has a high status in Vietnam, said Qi -Jianguo, former Chinese ambassador to Vietnam.
"People who know about Confucianism are regarded as knowledgeable and are respected in Vietnam," he said, adding that former president Ho Chi Minh's father was a Confucian scholar.
