Cultural resources to be turned into national “soft power”

Hanoi (VNA) – The cultural sector is working to turn cultural resources of the nation into soft power, thus promoting the cultural values and strength of the Vietnamese people, and contributing to speeding up fast and sustainable development.

To this end, the Culture, Sports and Tourism sector has defined eight major pillars of the cultural resources that can be transformed into cultural soft power suitable to the common criteria of the world.

The pillars include world natural heritage, intangible and tangible cultural heritage named in the Soft power 30 list, cultural celebrities and values, human resources and cultural products, infrastructure and cultural spaces, new festivals and cultural events, and innovative cultural organisations and communities.

Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has approved the Cultural Development Strategy to 2030, which is one of the major discussion contents of the National Culture Conference 2021 that is slated for November 24.

According to Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung, the strategy gives 11 major tasks and solutions, including raising public awareness of the Party viewpoints and President Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts of culture regarding the building and development of the culture and people of Vietnam in the new situation.

The Minister stressed the need to complete institution, policies and legal corridor by reviewing all legal documents and solving bottlenecks in the field.

At the same time, it is necessary to develop cultural industry, he said, underlining the necessity of building a healthy cultural environment to create motivation for national development.

He also highlighted the need to improve the quality and efficiency of cultural activities, preserve and promote the cultural identities of 54 ethnic groups.

Another important task of the sector is to protect and promote the values of heritage, especially UNESCO-recognised heritage and special national heritage, he said.

According to Minister Hung, the strategy set a target of making a contribution of 7 percent from the cultural industry to the GDP.

In the time to come, it is necessary to strengthen international integration to promote the image of the nation and people of Vietnam to the world, enhancing the quality of human resources of the cultural sector, and increasing the application of science and technology in the field to better popularise cultural messages and values to the community, said the official.

The minister also underlined the need to seek resources, including those from the State and the community for cultural development./.