HCM City – A major project on developing an arts industry in HCM City by 2020, with a vision to 2030, has been submitted to the city People’s Committee.

The project, initiated by the Department of Culture and Sports, focuses on film, performing arts, fine arts, photography, exhibitions, advertising and cultural tourism.

Revenue from a local arts industry would make up 7 per cent of the city’s GDP in 2020 and 15 per cent in 2030, the project has targeted.

The city aims to have revenue from the city’s film industry to make up to 35 per cent of the country’s total film industry earnings by 2020, with the average visit per person to cinemas 0.8 times per year.

The city plans to build a modern studio with an area of more than 100 ha and a centre for pre-production and post-production for film-making.

It also targets increasing the number of Vietnamese feature films and animations in cinemas, and will organise local film festivals to attract quality films from local and foreign filmmakers.

The city will build priority policies to attract more individual filmmakers and foreign film investors.

For the performing arts, the city plans to reach revenue of 30 per cent out of total revenue of the country, and to promote traditional theatrical arts like cải lương (reformed opera), hát bội (classical drama), theatrical drama, and other contemporary performing arts. 

It focuses on developing cultural projects including the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) in the Thủ Thiêm New Urban Area, Phú Thọ multi-functional circus and theatre in District 11, and a centre for traditional theatrical arts.

The HBSO theatre is expected to be built the 2019-2020 period with a total cost of VNĐ1.5 trillion (US$64.6 million), while the circus, which began in 2017, will be completed in 2022 with a total investment of VNĐ1.5 trillion. 

The city also plans to establish a centre to examine and auction fine art works, and include more exhibition spaces to introduce different kinds of arts.

As for cultural tourism, the city targets revenue of 10-15 per cent of the city’s tourism sector, with a total of VNĐ17-25.5 trillion ($732 million – 1.1 billion) each year.  

Nguyễn Thành Phong, chairman of the People’s Committee, asked the department and agencies to complete plans soon on the project, which he said would be one of the most important tasks in 2019.

Phong asked deputy chairman Lê Thanh Liêm to be in charge of the project.

The department is continuing to collect ideas from the city’s departments, associations and agencies so that necessary documents can be completed by the fourth quarter. 

The city now has seven state-owned arts agencies and a centre for performing arts and film, over 700 private performing arts organisers, and hundreds of organisations and individuals working in the film sector. – VNS