Trần Thế Thuận, Director of HCM City Department of Culture and Sports. — VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hương

HCM CITY — Director of HCM City Department of Culture and Sports Trần Thế Thuận has outlined a comprehensive strategy to implement Politburo Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW on the development of Vietnamese culture, aiming to transform culture into the soft power of the creative city and develop the city as a cultural exchange hub for Southeast Asia.

According to the director, the cultural and sports sector has defined five key tasks in the implementation of Resolution No 80, with the first being making a breakthrough in institutions and development thinking, identifying culture as a foundational pillar for the city’s development plan to 2030, with a vision to 2050.

He said the city has shifted from “managing cultural activities” to “creating a cultural marketplace”; considers investment in culture as a long-term growth and sustainable development; and will identify development orientation for cultural and sports institutions following a model of operational autonomy, procurement and public-private partnerships to turn them into centres for content production, talent incubation, and cultural tourism destinations, not just venues for performances only.

He cited that the second task is forming a cultural industry ecosystem imbued with the city's distinctive identity.

As the country’s most populous market with a dynamic creative community and a network of universities and technology companies, the city focuses on connecting cinema, music, design, digital advertising, gaming, fashion and cuisine with nighttime economy and tourism, Thuận said, adding that it has organised a value chain with notable cultural events such as the HCM City International Film Festival, the Hozo International Music Festival, the Áo Dài (Vietnamese traditional dress) Festival, and activities at popular spaces such as Nguyễn Văn Bình Book Street, museums, historical sites and pedestrian streets that form a “creative economy” to promote the city’s image and generate revenue and jobs, contributing to the city’s GRDP growth.

The director pointed out the third task of enhancing the adoption of science and technology and digital transformation in the cultural sector, associated with the building of a smart city.

He said that the city is working on a digital cultural map featuring heritage sites, museums, libraries, and theaters; building online platforms for ticket sales, distribution, and copyright; applying virtual reality technology in museum display and digital performing arts linking with smart tourism; and cooperating with technology companies, high-tech parks, and Thủ Đức creative urban area to develop HCM City into a hub for the gaming industry, eSports, animation, and multimedia and digital content production to join the global value chain.

Human resources and financial mechanisms for the creativity sector are another breakthrough in fulfilling the mission, Thuận said, adding that the city plans to raise public investment and promote social mobilisation to develop cultural and film industries; support and nurture young talents; promote international scholarship programmes in film production, music and design; offer training in organising international projects to cultural officers, curators, producers and event planners; as well as adjust the art commission mechanism and supporting policies.       

Finally, linking the preservation and promotion of heritage values with community livelihood helps heritage truly “live” in contemporary society, Thuận emphasised.

He said the preservation and promotion of traditional crafts and art forms such as cải lương (reformed opera) and đờn ca tài tử should be linked to economic and tourism development.

The department’s director stressed that the city prioritises cultural diplomacy and expands cooperation with cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network to bring the city's arts to the world and attract major production companies to Việt Nam, gradually developing HCM City as a “capital for cultural events in Southeast Asia.”

According to Thuận, in the process of implementing Resolution No 80, the city has confronted changes, shifting from an administrative management mindset to strategic cultural management, considering culture not only a specific industry but also an endogenous resource and growth driver for this special urban area.

He said that in recent years, the city has focused on removing bottlenecks and investing in building a modern cultural and sports system to lay the infrastructure foundation for creative activities and the people’s cultural enjoyment.

The opening of Phú Thọ Circus Complex serving contemporary art forms, and the ongoing construction of Rạch Chiếc Sports Complex for high-performance sports and regional open-air cultural events, showed the city’s long-term vision of linking culture with urban development, he said, adding that the city has launched international events such as HCM City Film Festival, Hozo International Music Festival, and HCM City International Martial Arts Festival.

Through these efforts, the city is forming a market for the cultural industry to attract artists, producers and creative businesses worldwide and make culture a key economic sector that reflects its new perspective of linking cultural development to creative economy, tourism, services, and digital transformation, while providing an open space for the community to create and enjoy intercultural dialogue, Thuận emphasised.

Apart from “hardware” (infrastructure), the city concentrates on “software” (concepts) – building the HCM City Cultural Space, preserving and promoting Sài Gòn – Chợ Lớn’s heritage, developing community cultural centres and building digital libraries and museums to narrow the gap in cultural access between regions, he said, adding that the annual budget allocated to culture is maintained at 2-3 per cent of the city's budget expenditure.

The department’s director affirmed that these efforts have contributed to making HCM City a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network with positive changes in urban cultural appearance.

He also emphasised that with the proposed approach, culture will gradually shift from being a sector primarily receiving budget allocation to a new growth engine that helps to improve the quality of residents’ life and strengthen the city's identity and appeal. And HCM City not only maintains its role as an economic leader but also affirms its position as a regional centre for creativity and cultural exchange. — VNS