Domestic and foreign managers and researchers in culture and arts have gathered in northern Ninh Binh province to discuss on how to specify the Vietnam’s external cultural strategy to 2020 with a vision towards 2030.

Addressing a workshop on international experience in building the strategy on external cultural relations on August 13, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan affirmed that culture is the spiritual foundation of society, serving as the nation’s inner strength to ensure sustainable development and firm protection of the country for the goal of wealthy people, a strong, democratic, equal and civilised country.

“It’s a crucial task for building the culture and people of Vietnam in comprehensive development toward the true, the good and the beautiful, deeply imbued with the national identity, democracy and science and human values,” he said.

Poul Bache, Director of the Danish Cultural Agency, noted that external cultural services aim at expanding cultural exchanges, absorbing the quintessence of the mankind’s culture to enrich the national culture. It also helps developing the potential of the national culture in order to actively participate in the international cultural integration and exchange while supporting other types of diplomacy used in international relations.

There are a national news agency, 977 printed newspapers , 67 radio and TV stations, 74 online papers and magazines, 336 social networking, 1,174 websites in Vietnam . They actively contribute to promoting Vietnam ’s image to the world and introducing the world’s culture to Vietnam , said Le Van Nghiem, director of External Information Department under the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Participants suggested developing professional media publications while focusing on personnel training in the cultural diplomacy and combining cultural diplomacy with other affairs relating to overseas Vietnamese and politic and economic diplomacies.

They also discussed how to strengthen ties with countries and territories, promote the image and people of Vietnam to the world, and absorb the world’s quintessence to enrich the national cultural identity.-VNA