The community libraries system in Ha Noi is recognised as a cultural institution impacting residents’ spiritual lives.

In recent years, Ha Noi has gradually completed support policies to enhance the effectiveness of rural cultural institutions during the process of building new rural areas.

Recently, Ha Noi has developed, implemented, and issued a system of guidelines and orientations for organising activities within the rural cultural institutional framework. Along with this, functional units have actively advised issuing mechanisms and policies to promote the socialization of culture and sports, encouraging organisations, individuals, and businesses to invest in building cultural and sports facilities. Thanks to the efforts of various levels and functional sectors, the local cultural institutional system has been increasingly improved and operates more effectively.

Nguyen Van Quyen, Head of Thanh Hue Dinh Village, Duc Hoa Commune (Soc Son District), shared that the Thanh Hue Dinh Village cultural center is always bustling with residents coming to read books and newspapers. Besides printed books and newspapers, the center also features an e-library with hundreds of publications. By scanning the OR code, residents can select their favourite books from various genres.

In 2023, Thanh Hue Dinh Hamlet was chosen as a pilot model for a smart village. Its cultural center has become a hub for promoting and practicing digital transformation benefits. The e-library and other meaningful activities have drawn more residents to the cultural center regularly.

Dang Van Mao, Secretary of the Party Cell and Head of Village 6, Van Phuc Commune (Phuc Tho District) mentioned that the village’s cultural center was built in 2015. Since then, it has served as a venue for village meetings, Party Cell meetings, associations, organizations, voter interactions, and many cultural and sports activities. Especially, he emphasised that daily operations involve assigning members of the cultural center’s management board, the Party Cell Secretary and the head of the village to be on duty, work, and handle tasks. Therefore, the cultural center is always open, providing space for residents to play, exercise and organise activities.

Ha Noi develops new rural areas while enhancing the effectiveness of rural cultural institutions.

Nguyen Thi Kim Hue, Vice Chairwoman of the People’s Committee of Song Phuong Commune (Dan Phuong District) noted that since 2013, linked with the rural development movements, every village in the commune has been provided with spacious cultural centers. In recent years, these centers have continued to receive upgrades and renovations. For instance, in Thong Nhat Village, the cultural center has been equipped with a children’s playground and mural paintings.

As of July 2024, Ha Noi has 2,339 village cultural centers, accounting for 99.3 per cent of villages and residential groups in suburban areas. Most of these centers are equipped with essential facilities such as audio systems, ceremonial equipment, tables, chairs, bookshelves, paintings, and photographs. Some centers, benefiting from broad campus and socialized investment, feature fitness and sports equipment like pull-up bars, dip bars, badminton courts, and football fields to meet residents’ exercise needs.

La Thach Village’s Cultural Center, Phuong Dinh Commune is one of the effective cultural centers in Dan Phuong District.

Nguyen Van Chi, Deputy Chief of the Standing Office of the Coordination Office for Ha Noi’s New Rural Development Programme, remarked those localities where Party committees and governments show greater interest tend to have better-invested and more effectively operated cultural centers. From the planning stage, localities proactively implement suitable mechanisms and policies to attract, mobilize, and efficiently utilise social resources, resulting in well-structured, modern cultural institutions.

By effectively deploying cultural institution activities, the spiritual life of Hanoi’s rural residents has seen significantly positive changes, contributing to building advanced and exemplary new rural areas in localities. VNS

*The article is published under the coordination of the Coordination Office of the New-Style Rural Development Programme in Ha Noi.