¹Nguyễn Mạnh Tuấn, ²Mr. Hoang Ngoc Dao, M.A.

^1,2Saigon Polytechnic College

DOI : https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2025.v4i5n11

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ABSTRACT

Summary “Facing the Sea” by Nguyễn Mạnh Tuấn is a representative novel that reflects the social reality of Vietnam after the war, in the context of the country's transition to the period of renovation (Đổi Mới). The work offers a profound critique of shortcomings in governance, the economy, and social life, such as bureaucracy, conservatism, and stagnation in the operational system, while also expressing a strong desire for reform and renewal. Through the stories and fates of its characters, the author vividly portrays the struggle between the old and the new, between conservatism and progress, thereby revealing his faith in the vitality of change and his aspiration to build a just and democratic society. With its remarkable literary and thematic value, the novel affirms Nguyễn Mạnh Tuấn’s position in the stream of modern Vietnamese literature.

KEYWORDS:

Post-war Vietnam, Social issues, Bureaucracy, Reform desire, Realism, Democracy, Modern literature, Nguyễn Mạnh Tuấn

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VOlUME 04 ISSUE 05 MAY 2025