The Philosophy of Wuwei in Vietnamese Classical Literature: Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm and the Emergence of a Sustainable Minimalist Communication Model in the Digital Era

Abstract

This study examines the philosophy of wuwei (non-coercive action) in Vietnamese classical literature through the poetic and philosophical legacy of Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm (1491–1585), proposing its relevance as a sustainable minimalist communication model for the digital era. Situating Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm within the broader framework of Daoist thought and contemporary communication theory, the article investigates how silence, strategic withdrawal, and minimalist expression function as sophisticated modes of ethical and cognitive communication rather than forms of passivity.

Methodologically, the study employs textual hermeneutics, interdisciplinary comparative analysis, and conceptual communication modeling. Selected poems from Bạch Vân Am Thi Tập are interpreted alongside contemporary theories of the attention economy, slow media, digital minimalism, reflexivity, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) theory. The analysis further compares Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm’s communicative philosophy with contemporary minimalist digital practices and non-intrusive media strategies.

The findings demonstrate that wuwei communication operates through cognitive resonance rather than informational saturation. Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm’s strategic silence, symbolic natural imagery, and selective engagement collectively form an early model of sustainable communication grounded in authenticity, ethical distance, and deep attentional ecology. The study argues that minimalist communication increases long-term cognitive retention, reduces informational fatigue, and strengthens message integrity within digitally saturated environments.

The article concludes that the proposed Wuwei Communication Model (WCM) offers a significant theoretical contribution to intercultural communication studies, digital ethics, and sustainable media theory. By reconnecting Daoist literary philosophy with contemporary communication challenges, the study presents Wuwei as a viable framework for restoring cognitive balance and humane interaction in the age of algorithmic excess.