Literary, arts associations’ union holds ninth congress

Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Union of Literary and Arts Associations (VULAA) convened the ninth national congress in Hanoi over January 8-9, with the participation of 475 delegates representing more than 40,000 writers and artists nationwide.

The congress defined the union’s key tasks for 2016-2021 as developing Vietnamese artists comprehensively - in both quantity and quality. The aim is to boost creativity in artworks that will help nurture Vietnamese people’s soul, by focussing on the values of sound morality, personality and lifestyle.

It approved a 25-member presidium for the VULAA in the 2016-2021 tenure with poet Huu Thinh re-elected as the chairman.

Addressing the event, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong hailed the attainments Vietnamese writers and artists have reached over the past seven decades, noting that they have continually accompanied the nation during the revolutionary cause.

He cited late President Ho Chi Minh as saying that, “culture and arts are also a battlefield, and artists are soldiers on that battlefield.”

Readers want literary and art works that sincerely and profoundly reflect the life and people of Vietnam, promote humanistic values, while uncompromisingly combating the bad, he noted. He asked the VULAA make comprehensive reforms in its organisation and operations so as to provide a favourable ‘environment for creation’for its members.

The leader pointed out that hostile forces and political opportunists are trying to conduct the “peaceful evolution” scheme, with the aim to incite some writers, artists and journalists to run counter to the nation’s revolution.

The union must be well aware of this threat to consolidate its structure and members’ firmness, the General Secretary emphasised.

He also told the VULAA to thoroughly prepare for popularising the 12th National Party Congress, slated for late January, and internalise guidelines to be approved at that event so as to apply them in its activities, helping create high unanimity in the society for the sake of an affluent, strong, democratic, equal and civilised Vietnam.-VNA