Đào Hồng Tuyển, chairman of Tuần Châu Group's Management Board (first right) hands the funding certificate to Bùi Hoài Sơm, director of the Việt Nam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies. — Photo hanoimoi.com.vn

HÀ NỘI — Tuần Châu Group on December 18 presented VNĐ20 billion (US$862,000) to the Việt Nam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies to support the institute’s tasks in folk culture preservation.

Đào Hồng Tuyển, chairman of the group’s Management Board, handed VNĐ15 billion to the institute’s director Bùi Hoài Sơn to facilitate folk culture preservation activities of the institute.

The rest will be given to researcher Nguyễn Hải Liên to restore culture heritages of Chăm and Raglai ethnic minority groups.

The act is a response to Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc’s call for society to support preserving folk heritage. On November 23, the Day of Vietnamese Culture Heritage, PM Phúc stressed the role of private enterprises in preserving ancestors' heritages.

“As a businessman, I understand cultural heritages are priceless values, which have existed for thousands of years through historical upheavals,” Tuyển said. “Tuần Châu Group has a great honour to go along with the Government, culture sector and local authorities in preserving and developing values of national cultural heritages.”

At the donation ceremony on December 18, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyễn Ngọc Thiện said the tasks of preserving traditional values have always faced struggles, especially digitalising data, which requires great care by the researchers and lots of expense.

"We highly appreciate joining hands with enterprises in the tasks," he said. "I believe the institute will effectively use the private funding like this to do their job well."

The group and the institute will then use the fund effectively for projects including digitalising data of the institute.

The group and the institute also plan to further advertise Vietnamese cultural heritages around the world. — VNS