Vietnam’s cultural industries require national direction and funding.

A stunning light performances at the Opera House, Hanoi (Photo: VNA)

Each nation has its distinct culture and art, however, not all have developed cultural industries around it, according to PhD Nguyen Thi Quy Phuong, former deputy director of the institute for journalism and communications studies.

“We are talking about a cultural industry, which has not been developed”, she said.

The concept of the cultural industry, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), is part of the creative industry, and is combined by creation, production and commercialisation of creative products and services, which are protected by the intellectual property rights.

PhD Nguyen Thi Quy Phuong believes that cultural tourism industry is mentioned a lot but it has not yet been fully developed. (Photo: VNA)

Phuong used the cinema industry as an example, stating that there should be coordination among creative makers like film directors, screenwriters, and actors. The films could be coordinated to promote the nation’s cultural values.

Advanced technologies need to be employed, and the capacity to develop a brand for the film is necessary as well, she added.

Meanwhile, Associate Professor, PhD Bui Hoai Son, member of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents and Children said cultural industry is made up of everything from cinema, fashion, and performing art, to broadcasting, advertisements, and architecture.

Within statistics announced by UNESCO in 2017, the cultural industry generated some 2.25 trillion USD in revenue, created 29.5 million jobs – compared to 25 million offered by the automobile sector of the EU, Japan and the US.

In the Asia-Pacific alone, the figures were 743 billion USD and 12.7 million jobs.

While in China, the cultural industry contributed 4.23 percent to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017.

In the meantime, the Hallyu (Korean wave) of the Republic of Korea contributed 10.8 billion USD to the nation’s GDP in 2019. As of August, 2020, the country set up 32 cultural centres in 28 countries across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and America to promote its Hallyu culture. Korea’s so called “soft power” was carried across the globe by promotion and guidance.

Since cultural industries are thought of as the “hen that lays golden eggs” in many countries, Vietnam should see this as a way to spearhead in its economic development under a defined and mobilized banner or brand.  

Strategic investment in need

Without serious investment, Vietnam’s cultural industry may not develop in a coordinated fashion towards a market-oriented economy, according to Bui Hoai Son.

Associate Professor, PhD Bui Hoai Son, member of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents and Children (Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

“Investment resources for the cultural sector are still limited. Vietnam targeted to spend 1.8 percent of its budget on culture in 2010, however, the figure was only 1.71 percent in 2019. During the 2021-2025 period, the country planned to invest 1.12 percent of the state budget, which is not enough to realise its goal of supporting its rich cultural industries”, Son stressed.

Key resources in the cultural sector, namely infrastructure, finance and human resources, fail to meet development demand, he added.

At the National Cultural Conference held in Hanoi in November last year, the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Popularisation and Education unveiled its report, highlighting the revenue from film screening worth 1.1 trillion VND (47.25 million USD), earning from art organisations managed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism was 5.3 billion VND.

However, the report failed to give details on the total number of tickets sold in the year, the number of private film makers, and achievements of the cultural sector such as index of the fashion industry development.

Cinema is among 12 segments that form Vietnam’s cultural industry. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

One key missing statistic is the new era of game and software design – a non-smoke segment which could generate billions of USD, Son added.

Vietnam was not listed in the United Nations’ Creative Economy Reports in 2018 which spotlighted the development of cultural – creative industry of 130 countries and territories.

Son suggested the National Assembly add the criteria on such cultural institutions as museums and theatres to the list of cultural statistic indicators to contribute to proper evaluation and guide measures to develop Vietnam’s culture./.