HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and local authorities have pledged to join forces to boost the management and organisation of cultural festivities across the country.

The aim is to prevent commercialisation and distortion of history. The pledge was made following an order of Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam to prevent all acts of commercialisation for profit-making in organising festivities, which destroys cultural, historical and spiritual values, according to a recent report of the ministry.

The report said the ministry’s inspectorate started intensifying the management of national festivals on Wednesday. These festivals attract a large number of people during and after the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday. The inspectorate will particularly focus on tourism hotspots, such as Hương Pagoda and Gióng Temple in suburban Hà Nội’s Chương Mỹ and Sóc Sơn districts, as well as the cướp phết festival in the northern province of Phú Thọ.

Deputy chief inspectorate of the ministry, Phạm Xuân Phúc, said from the cultural point of view, it was difficult to completely control or manage the organisation of festivals but if there were a problem, the authorities should take all measures to gradually solve it, following not only administrative rules but also by using local forces.

According to the report, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated during the 2018 festival season that the best solution to improve the management of cultural festivals should be to raise awareness on the cultural and historical values of such festivals, while assigning certain management responsibilities to officials.

Hà Nội is home to many of the country’s most celebrated festivals.

In just the first three months of the year, some 1,200 festivals will be held in the capital. Last year, rumors about robbery and violence spread at some festivals, including the one at Sóc Temple.

Director of Hà Nội’s Department of Culture and Sports, Tô Văn Đông, assured that no violence or robbery could take place due to strict monitoring and management by the authorities. — VNS