Việt Nam's Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trịnh Thị Thủy meets the UNESCO representative in Việt Nam, Michael Croft, on Tuesday, discussing cultural cooperation in 2020. — Photo toquoc.vn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will continue to focus on researching and completing the dossiers to seek UNESCO’s recognition for more of Việt Nam’s tangible and intangible cultural heritages, said deputy minister Trịnh Thị Thủy during a meeting with Michael Croft, the UNESCO representative in Việt Nam.

The meeting, which was held on Tuesday, aimed to discuss the co-operation between the ministry and UNESCO office in Hà Nội in 2020.

During the event, the deputy minister also expressed her hope that UNESCO would continue to have a specific roadmap and pay more concern to the preservation and promotion of Việt Nam’s intangible cultural heritages.

She also informed Croft about the preparation for receiving UNESCO’s titles granted to Then singing by the Tày, Nùng and Thái ethnic communities, which was recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the 14th meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage on December 12.

According to Thủy, the recognition ceremony will be held in September, which is expected to receive the support and participation of the UNESCO office in Hà Nội.

Regarding conservation, Thủy affirmed that Việt Nam always made great efforts to combine the conservation of heritage and cultural values with sustainable tourism development. Accordingly, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism was implementing specific plans and actions in cooperation with UNESCO to promote the original cultures of ethnic minorities in association with sustainable tourism development.

In terms of dealing with COVID-19, the deputy minister emphasised that Việt Nam was properly controlling the epidemic and remains a safe destination for tourists.

“Some localities across the country are preparing to declare the end of the epidemic. It has been over four days that Việt Nam has not detected new cases,” she stated.

In terms of sports, Việt Nam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism expected UNESCO to provide expert advice on the preservation of traditional sports. If the preservation is effective, Việt Nam hoped that those sports would be integrated into international competitions to promote the nation's traditional sports.

Applauding the recent achievements of the ministry, the UNESCO representative in Việt Nam praised Việt Nam’s efforts in preserving cultures according to UNESCO’s Cultural Conventions.

He affirmed that UNESCO and its office in Hà Nội would be willing to coordinate with Việt Nam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in carrying out tasks, particularly in promoting and preserving heritages according to the convention that Việt Nam followed; developing sustainable tourism in association with the national targets and developing creative and cultural industries.

Croft also stated that Việt Nam needed a companion in highlighting cultural programmes and therefore, the UNESCO office in Hà Nội was willing to take on such a role. — VNS