Mo Mường social practices and beliefs of the Mường ethnic people in Nho Quan District, Ninh Bình Province are a national intangible cultural heritage. VNA/VNS Photo Thùy Dung

HÀ NỘI - The Government has issued a new decree stipulating measures to manage, protect and promote the value of intangible cultural heritage in the list of national items and of UNESCO.

The new decree, No 39/2024/NĐ-CP, includes four chapters and 24 articles comprehensively regulating principles and responsibilities for agencies, organisations, communities and individuals in their works of management, protection and promotion of intangible cultural heritage nationwide.

It was issued last Tuesday in response to a request of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST), Nguyễn Văn Hùng.

The decree was issued in pursuance to the Law on Government Organisation dated June 19, 2015, a law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Government Organisation and the Law on Local Authority Organisation dated November 22, 2019; the Law on Cultural Heritage dated June 29, 2001 and the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Cultural Heritage dated June 18, 2009.

According to the decree, principles in managing, protecting and promoting the value of intangible cultural heritage are to ensure intangible cultural heritage and guide people and communities to realise their value and participate in preserving their identities for a comprehensive and safe social development and environmental protection.

A heritage product of an embroidery craft village in Ninh Hải Commune, Hoa Lư District, Ninh Bình Province. VNA/VNS Photo Thùy Dung

The principles also ensure the cultural diversity of heritage will be respected along with the respect of the features of regional and local ethnic communities.

"Cultural heritage assets of different communities are equally respected," the decree says.

Việt Nam will prioritise the protection of intangible cultural heritage at risk of fading away or being lost, and those of ethnic communities living in far-flung mountainous, remote, border and island areas, according to one of the articles in the new decree.

The decree also focuses on prioritising the decision-making rights of the host communities for the long-term and continuous existence and practice of the heritage, in accordance with Việt Nam's laws on cultural heritage and international documents to which the country is a member.

For heritage inventory, those on UNESCO’s Representative List will be checked every six years, every four years for those in need of urgent safeguarding, and every three years for those in the national list.

Heritage inventory should be carried out for seven types of heritage such as language, folk literature, traditional performance, social customs and beliefs, traditional handicrafts, festivals and intellectuals.

'Đờn ca tài tử Nam Bộ' (Southern folk music) is recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Photo baochinhphu.vn

Regulating the introduction of intangible cultural heritage and festival organising activities, the MoCST is assigned to decide if a festival is held by two or more provinces. The ministry will also decide if it is organised at a national and international level in Việt Nam.

Chairpersons of the People's Committees of the provinces or centrally run cities will have the authority to decide if a festival is held in local area, according to an article in the decree. VNS