Social equity in current context of scientific technological revolution in Vietnam

dustrial revolution create devices and 
tools that can correctly identify and 
monitor the quality of products and labour 
productivity of each individual and each 
community. This means that each person's 
labour can be objectively evaluated, more 
accurately and more reasonably. That is 
the condition and premise to implement 
social equity in a reasonably grounded 
way. In addition, science, technology and 
industry have helped increase labour 
productivity and production capacity of the 
economy, creating more and more 
products. More wealth is generated, and 
the basic needs of people and society are 
guaranteed to be the most important 
prerequisites for human and social 
development. Satisfying the basic needs of 
individuals and society is itself equality, 
humanity and progress of the human race. 
On that equal foundation, the modern 
society may provide other social equitable 
contents at higher but more vital levels 
such as equity in education, healthcare, 
and environment, etc. 
If previously, in the pre-industrialised 
societies, the saying "not to be afraid of 
shortage, but to be afraid of unfairness" was 
absolutely correct, then in the era of 
scientific-technological and industrial 
revolutions today, it is not any more. 
Correct is now the phrase "sufficiency does 
not always mean fairness, while shortage 
never does". This means that, under the 
impacts of the scientific-technological and 
industrial revolutions, horizontal equity 
(equal treatment for those who contribute 
equally) is like a condition being firmly 
assured, as the type of equity that has the 
character of the human race, being 
universally humane. Vertical equity, i.e. 
treating differently those who are different 
from the common groups or live in different 
conditions, means that people with higher 
abilities, working better, and making more 
contributions are entitled to more benefits 
which belong to the upper layer of social 
equity, bears special significance in the era 
of scientific-technological and industrial 
revolutions. It is the vertical implementation 
of equity that really drives the human and 
social development. 
The scientific-technological and industrial 
revolutions contribute to extending the 
reach of the hands and the vision of the 
eyes of each person and each social 
community, helping them to continuously 
boost their capacities in all aspects as well 
as their labour productivity. In addition to 
the aspect of social differentiation due to 
ownership differentiation that creates social 
classes, differentiation due to increasing 
capacity and labour productivity is an 
Luong Dinh Hai 
71 
important cause of social polarisation, 
despite the fact that this polarisation is 
reasonable and legitimate. In the early stage 
of industrialisation, most countries expressed 
an attitude of accepting and promoting rich-
poor polarisation towards a vertical equity 
to promote rapid development of their 
people and societies. The differentiation 
here is due to fairness and therefore very 
reasonable and legitimate. It motivates 
people to be more active and utilise 
rationally all of their capacities and enhance 
their labour productivity and efficiency, 
developing the economy and generating 
more wealth. Social progress is as a result 
maintained regularly. 
While vertical social equity is 
accelerated by the scientific-technological 
and industrial revolutions, creating a 
reasonable rich-poor diversification that is 
growing day by day, can this lead to social 
polarisation? That is a big question, which 
we have not found a valid answer in 
research documents. Certainly, in principle, 
the differentiation taking place over a long 
period of time will inevitably lead to 
polarisation. Logically, that is unavoidable. 
But in reality, it is not really the case, as the 
opportunity to increase income generated 
by the scientific-technological and 
industrial revolutions is not permanent or 
long-term for any specific individual or 
community. The opportunity to increase 
such income source is not confined to any 
specific type of subject, but to all subjects 
in society. Human development always 
takes place unevenly in all aspects. People’s 
capacities and qualities also vary. Taking 
advantage of opportunities brought about 
by the scientific - technological revolution 
and those by the industrial one are not the 
same. Therefore, it is essential to promote 
and expand the opportunity for maximum 
use of the achievements of the two 
revolutions. We should not be afraid of the 
rich-poor differentiation due to vertical 
equity under the impacts of the revolutions. 
The paradox of vertical social equity in the 
revolutions will create such a differentiation 
and social polarisation that is a reality 
which is tough to solve. But it is 
unadvisable to base on that to constrain the 
development of the scientific-technological 
and industrial revolutions. 
In Vietnam today, that paradox has not 
yet caused any consequences on the social 
development; on the contrary, it is the rich-
poor differentiation due to other irrational 
sources of income that causes great harm to 
the human and social development. 
Therefore, in our opinion, the State should 
further encourage and accept the rich-poor 
differentiation due to vertical equity under 
the impacts of the scientific-technological 
and industrial revolutions to promote people 
and society to grow stronger and faster. 
On the other aspect, the scientific-
technological and industrial revolutions 
often promote the horizontal equity level. 
They create more products to satisfy needs 
of living and improve the society’s basic 
living standards. In other words, the 
achievements of the two revolutions 
always raise the people’s average, and 
also, minimum, living standards. It also 
means that the scientific-technological and 
the industrial revolutions further horizontal 
social equity to be broader, more inclusive 
and at higher and higher levels. Horizontal 
equity, therefore, also rises and becomes 
Vietnam Social Sciences, No. 1 (195) - 2020 
72 
more sustainable. More products are 
included in the basic needs in a more 
diverse way that demonstrates the social 
progress at a higher level. However, when 
horizontal social equity is enhanced, 
vertical social equity will also be pushed to 
higher levels, the paradox of the situation 
"the more the equality, the higher the 
extent of division into layers/levels" 
continues to exist. 
Along with the development of the 
scientific-technological and industrial 
revolutions, the fairness in both vertical 
and horizontal ways is increasingly 
expanded into many elements such as 
environmental fairness and fairness in 
achievements of all development aspects: 
education, healthcare, sports, etc. To 
ensure the implementation of social equity 
in all elements, both horizontally and 
vertically, is very difficult when ones 
needs to, at the same time, ensure the 
development of a market economy at a 
rapid pace. Our survey shows that the 
majority of people deem the impacts of the 
scientific-technological and industrial 
revolutions have not yet exerted great 
impacts on the implementation of social 
equity, and the paradox of the situation 
"the more the equality, the higher the 
extent of division into layers/levels" is not 
as strong, as under the impacts of the 
market economy and institutions. The 
shortcomings in the implementation of 
social equity today are mainly caused by 
the market economy and institutions. 
Therefore, it is necessary to accelerate the 
application of achievements of the 
scientific-technological and industrial 
revolutions in socio-economic and human 
development, using them to limit 
shortcomings caused by the market 
economy and institutions which can distort 
social relations and restrain the human and 
social development. 
4. Conclusion 
While the rich-poor gap is widening, 
causing the risk of social polarisation, the 
matter is how to effectively utilise 
achievements of the scientific - technological 
and industrial revolutions to restrain such 
widening and to narrow the rich-poor 
differentiation which is in existence today. 
The achievements of the two revolutions 
themselves neither create fairness nor cause 
injustice, and neither increase nor decrease 
the rich-poor gap. Their application in line 
with the defined purposes of individuals, 
social groups and communities based on 
market rules makes the rich-poor 
differentiation occur in different trends. The 
achievements are very fundamental tools, 
which are especially effective, to raise 
income for social groups, either widening 
or narrowing the rich-poor gap in and social 
polarisation. To properly apply them for 
humanitarian purposes and social progress 
has become an urgent task and requirement 
of the modern society. 
Notes 
1
 The paper was published in Vietnamese in: Nghiên 
cứu Con người, số 4, 2018. Translated by Van Thi 
Thanh Binh. 
2
 The author uses research results of Project KX 
01.11/16-20. The research team of that project has 
Luong Dinh Hai 
73 
conducted sociological surveys, in-depth 
interviews, workshops with managers, executives, 
researchers, university lecturers, secondary school 
teachers, workers, entrepreneurs in the provinces 
and cities of Lao Cai, Quang Ninh, Hanoi, Da 
Nang, Ninh Thuan, Dak Lak, Ho Chi Minh, Dong 
Nai and Vinh Long. Opinions assessing the 
impacts of the scientific-technological revolution 
on the Vietnamese people and society vary on the 
basis of differences in evaluating the country’s 
level of industrial development. The majority of 
respondents said that Vietnam is currently only in 
the industrial period of 2.5, i.e. not yet reaching 
Industrial Revolution 3.0. But the impacts of the 
industrial and scientific-technological revolutions 
on Vietnam’s people and society are now very 
strong and generating more and more pressure 
from many aspects. The impacts and changes in 
different aspects due to them are, even though 
uneven, gaining more and more strength, being 
disruptive, inevitably changing many aspects of 
life and people in a drastical manner. The impacts 
on social equity implementation and social 
relations are also stronger and stronger, creating 
many challenges in the years ahead. A 2017 report 
of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences on 
the impacts of Industrial Revolution 4.0 also 
contributes to affirming that, though laying more 
emphasis on the challenges created by the 
revolution. It is more and more obvious that 
impacts of the scientific-technological and 
industrial revolutions on social equity are stronger 
and stronger in Vietnam. 
3
 We believe that the main technology platform of 
Industrial Revolution 1.0 was the steam engine and 
internal combustion engine; Industrial Revolution 
2.0 - the electromagnetic machines (power 
generators and electric motors); Industrial 
Revolution 3.0 - electronic devices; and Industrial 
Revolution 4.0 - to be artificial intelligence. Read 
more: [2, pp.3-14], [3, pp.3-16]. 
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