The HCM City Museum of Fine Arts is one of several cultural establishments that have received approval for an upgrade. Photo courtesy of the museum

HCM CITY -- The HCM City People’s Committee plans to build or upgrade cultural and sports construction projects and space across the city in 2020.

The committee has approved an investment in the Traditional Arts Theatre.

The 2.7 ha area is located at the former Phú Thọ Horse Racing Round in District 11. It will be built under a public investment model.

The committee asked the Department of Culture and Sports to list the relics that need to be repaired and upgraded in 2020, focusing on the Opera House, which is a national architectural relic.

The department will submit a project on the extension of the Hồ Chí Minh Museum - HCM City branch, and a plan on upgrading the HCM City Culture and Arts College to the HCM City Culture and Arts University.

The committee said a new multi-media area for storing and exhibiting artworks at the HCM City Fine Arts Museum will be built. 

Trịnh Xuân Yên, director of the Fine Arts Museum, said the museum had asked the city for permission to build a new three-storey multi-media building to store and preserve artefacts. “We are happy about receiving approval,” he said.

Yên said the museum was focusing on its inventory and digitising their collections.

Around 90 per cent of its inventory is now digitised, and includes information about sources and images of the artworks, among other data.

“The museum is also focusing on collecting more contemporary artworks like videos and installations,” he added.

The committee has developed another project on building a thematic gallery and an experiment room for students at the Việt Nam History Museum in HCM City.

It has asked the Department of Planning and Investment to seek investment under public private partnerships (PPP) for two projects at two museums.

In particular, the committee asked the Department of Culture and Sports to submit new preferential policies for the city’s artists who receive titles of People’s Artist, Meritorious Artist, People’s Artisan, and Meritorious Artisan, and who have made great contributions to the country’s culture and arts.

As for the sports sector, the committee approved upgrading the High School for the Gifted in Gymnastics and Sports to the Centre for Training Gifted in Sports under the management of the Hoa Lư Sports Gymnastics and Centre.

It decided to hand the Thống Nhất Stadium to a football club who will have all rights to invest, upgrade, and use the stadium.

The committee also asked the Culture and Sports Department to seek investment for an upgrade of district-level sports centres, as well as organise sports activities and competitions through a year.

According to the People’s Committee, the work will contribute to developing the city’s sports sector, as well as service and tourism sectors. -- VNS