Postcolonial theory has been concerned as a promising research area. Especially for a country that has undergone a long colonial period like Vietnam, the application of post-colonial theory to literary research proves to be appropriate and necessary to look back at the remaining cultural remnants of colonialism. One of the outstanding content of postcolonial theory is the ambivalence that can be found in both colonial and colonial subjects. The article is focused on pointing out the ambivalence in some short stories in Bach Khoa magazine by analyzing the characters in terms of ideas, attitudes and emotions. From there, it aims to explain the internal contradictions as well as express the colonialist's aspiration to escape in complex social context of South Vietnam in the 1954-1975 period.

Ly Lan's novel Buu Son Ky Huong is one of the outstanding literary works about Southern culture. Analyzing this novel from a cultural perspective, the article explores some Southern cultural features expressed through the application of Southern cultural subjects in relation to the natural environment, the social environment with tradition and the Minh Tan (a modernization movement in Southern of Vietnam in 1900s). Thereby, it helps to recreate some cultural characteristics of the South as it was set the context of the country in the 19th century.

Engaged Buddhism is a concept initiated by Thich Nhat Hanh in the 1960s in the 20th century. Committed to modernizing Buddhism is to practice but not to leave the world, not to ignore the monastery of overweening pride, but close to real life. This article focuses on understanding the Buddhist spirit of commitment in Hermitage Among the Clouds, of Thich Nhat Hanh Zen Master, in two aspects such as socially engaged Buddhism and right mindfulness people, mainly using analytical-synthetic and interdisciplinary methods are to clarify the spirit of engaged Buddhism, especially the spirit of living in the world, joyful in the way, and the Buddha was always in the heart of Vietnamese Buddhism during the Tran Dynasty that Thich Nhat Hanh conveyed.

Narrative theory has been interesting in Vietnam since the early 2000s and quickly became a potential research direction in literature. In early 2022, the novel "Coi Nhan Gian" by Nguyen Phuc Loc Thanh with the content reflecting the picture of Vietnamese society at the end of the 20th century - the beginning of the 21st century has resonated in the literature. The article gives an overview and evaluation of this novel based on the aspects of narrative theory: (1) Narrator and narrative point of view; (2) Structure organization, and character building in the work. The approach is the basis for affirming the aesthetic values and own imprints in terms of artistic expression, contributing to the positioning of the work in contemporary Vietnamese literature.

Existentialism has had a profound influence on the literary life of Vietnam. With existential sense, Nguyen Phuc Loc Thanh contemplates the human condition amidst the chaotic and bustling affairs of life. Due to this reflection, the epic novel "Cõi Nhân Gian" consistently places its characters in their most powerful present state in order to adapt to their times. Simultaneously, the dignity of humanity is elevated through the act of overcoming adversity and discovering self-worth. The article focuses on exploring the author's present-existential perspective on individuals in the ever-changing landscape of the new society. Consequently, it highlights the positive messages about attitudes towards life and the freedom of choice that the author embeds within the novel.

By analyzing the text, the article points out the involvement of the element of dream in the structure of the novel Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke. Dream is not only a central element in the events of the work but also contains the spiritual structure of the I Ching, which is the quintessence of Chinese thought. Simultaneously, the paper also affirms the great talent of the writer and the profound significance of the work for contemporary society. This affirmation revealed that the creative application of folk cultural knowledge, the spirit of Chinese and human dreams, and artistic bravery participated in social reality by creating a great dream with a dialogic significance with "the Chinese dream".  Therefore, this work is not only a dream but also becomes a dream interpretation, a modern allegory to symbolize and reveal the unchanging end if humans still chase fake prosperity and lose humanity.

Marriage and coming-of-age ceremonies are necessary life-cycle customs of Northeast Asian countries in general and Japan in particular. These customs are not only a unique spiritual culture but also a form of expression for traditional Japanese thinking and lifestyle. Many studies have been on Japanese marriage and coming-of-age ceremonies, especially in the Heian period. Still, there have not been many studies from the literature perspective. Through "Genji Monogatari," this article indicates the marriage and the coming-of-age custom of the aristocracy who lived in the palace during the Heian period to explore the uniqueness of their spiritual life, which was far from the miserable life of ordinary civilians outside the palace.

Online testing is becoming increasingly common in Vietnam and the world, but the number of studies on the quality of this testing mode in Vietnam is still limited. Therefore, the current research was conducted in order to examine university students' perceptions of some main factors determining the quality of online testing. The online survey method via Google form was employed to collect data from students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages ​​of four private universities in Ho Chi Minh City and received 721 valid answer sheets, of which selecting ten students continued to participate in in-depth interviews via telephone. The results showed that the majority of participants highly evaluated the practicality of online testing, but they did not consider this testing mode very reliable and valid. In addition, the research results also demonstrated that online testing negatively affects students' learning and exam preparation.