The Hozo International Music Festival is one of HCM City’s significant cultural events of the year. — VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hương

HCM CITY — HCM City will focus on developing cultural and sports initiatives at the grassroots level in 2026.

The move aims to promote local cultural values and connect communities to develop HCM City into a modern city with a humanitarian spirit, and an innovation and integration hub.

Addressing the conference on the city’s cultural and sports development in 2025, Trần Thị Diệu Thúy, Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee, said that the Culture and Sports Department should concentrate on cultural tasks associated with two-tier local administration, which were identified in the resolutions of the city’s authorities for the 2025 - 2030 period.

Thúy said the department needed to develop cultural and sports facilities at the grassroots level, particularly in remote areas, to ensure the enjoyment and participation of the people in cultural and sports activities.

She asked the department to continue expanding the Hồ Chí Minh Cultural Space model and establish more community cultural and arts spaces, meeting the needs of the people.

She also emphasised strengthening international integration, organising regional and global cultural and sports events, linking the cultural industry with tourism, and developing the night-time economy.

In 2025, the city organised numerous cultural and sports activities to celebrate the country’s significant events, such as the 50th anniversary of Southern Liberation and National Reunification (April 30, 1975-2025).

The department hosted an art and literary contest, with the theme of Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh – 50 Năm Tự Hào Bản Anh Hùng Ca (HCM City – 50 Years of Patriotic Pride), and saw 83 winning works in music, fine arts, photography, and architecture.

All the works highlighted the historical values of the national liberation fight, and the building and development of modern HCM City to promote the quintessence of the progressive Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity.

The city was officially designated a UNESCO Creative City of Film, opening cooperation opportunities and promoting the city’s image on the worldwide scene.

The city now has 321 national and provincial-level relics, including four special national relics, 99 national relics, and 218 provincial-level relics, building a strong foundation for promoting education and tourism, and reflecting the city’s efforts in heritage preservation.

Nguyễn Văn Hùng, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that after the merger with Bình Dương and Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu Provinces, the city's cultural and sports sector not only reflected the expansion of its administrative boundaries but also was identified as a national-level creative cultural and sports hub.

He expected that the city would continue its leading role in the cultural and sports scene in the new period.— VNS