2016 is the first year when the Capital implements the Socio-Economic Development Plan for 2016-2020 period; the third year of implementing “Year of urban order and civilization”, the Hanoi Culture and Sports sector has made the steady progress, and achieved many important results. Hanoi Culture News discussed with Mr. To Van Dong, Member of the Board, Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports to find out the achievements of the sector in 2016.
Reporter: Dear sir, as the first locality in the country to complete the General Inventory of relics and intangible cultural heritage and promulgate Regulations on management, protection and promotion of historical-cultural value in the city. Can you assess some concrete results and values of the activity??
Mr. To Van Dong: Firstly, inventory and listing of relics are the first legal foundation for the management of relics and the foundation for all activities of management, protection and promotion of monuments. After the inventory list was approved by the City People’s Committee, the Department of Culture and Sports handed over the list of relics, the decision on approving the list of relics of the City People’s Committee to the People’s Committees of the districts and towns to implement the State management for relics in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage, and current regulations of the State and Hanoi City on conservation and promotion of the value of cultural heritage.
Secondly, the inventory results have provided managers with the premilinary information about seriously degraded relics, specially valuable relics, accordingly, collaborate with local authorities and relevant sectors and branches to select and propose investment portfolios to preserve and promote the value of typical relics in association with local tourist development (each district and town shall invest in one or two relics).
In the long term, the data and basic information on the characteristics, values and present status of the relic system in the area assist the managers in making plans and orienting activities in management, research, conservation, embellishment and promotion of heritage values.
In addition, inventory results are the basis for the development and implementation of information technology (digital) application plans for the management of documents and materials of the cultural and historical relics of the capital and professional activities such as the ranking, plans for renovating and promoting the value of relics; supplement of the dossiers on relic ranking; and building the documents on relics…
Reporter: Implementing the “Year of Urban Order and Civilization 2016”, Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports has advised the City People’s Committee to set up an inter-branch inspection team to concentrate on implementation and resolutely handle the violations in advertisement in the city. Can you tell us the specific results of this activity?
Mr. To Van Dong: Up to August 08, 2016, in the city there are 190 violated independent advertisement signboards and 149 illuminated signboards on the median strip that violate regulations and required to be handled thoroughly..
To deal with this situation, on August 11, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports held a press conference to announce Directive No. 16 / CT-UBND, dated August 3, 2016 of the City People’s Committee on enhancing the state management for advertisement in the city and the operation plan of the inter-branch inspection teams in conducting the inspection, check and handling of violations in advertising activities in the city. Prior to that, the Department has worked with the districts and towns and businesses arranging the violated signboards, and required them to dismantle. If any units did not dismantle by themselves, the functional forces conducted coercion.
After 4 months of implementation of Directive No. 16 of the City People’s Committee, by the end of November 2016, the districts and enterprises handled and dismantled 178/190 (accounting for 93.6%) and 149/149 (100%) of independent advertisement signboards and illuminated signboards, respectively, in the city. For the remaining signboards, the Head of inter-branch inspection team of the city requested in writing the district to handle thoroughly and reported to obtain the direction of the City People’s Committee
Reporter: Visual propaganda and street lighting decoration by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports are considered innovated. Can you tell us the effectiveness of this work and of the efforts in making Hanoi Capital green, clean and beautiful?
Mr. To Van Dong: 2016 is the first year when the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports launched the campaign of designing the propaganda methods for political tasks and City decoration. From the campaign, the Organization Board selected a number of new designs and symbolic models to use in some areas and central routes of Hanoi such as Trang Tien, Hang Bai, Ba Trieu, Ngo Quyen, Phan Dinh Phung, Dien Bien Phu, Square in front of the State Bank, ring in front of National Convention Center. In general, the lighting system is comprehensive and diverst on each street and harmonic with the landscape. The designs use modern and energy-saving lighting technology, improving the visibility of traffic participants and eco-friendly.…
Visual propaganda was promoted through the banners on existing pylons, installation of fixed panel clusters at the Capital’s gateways; 2-sided panel clusters at the dividers on the main streets. The following activities were carried out: decorating central and city offices, decorating the national flag and the Party flage on the pillars in front of Ly Thai To statue, the City People’s Committee, the State Bank, installing the system of bracket with the logo for hanging the national and Party Flags in the streets in the city center, transferring the units the decorative samples and maquette for the events and anniversaries to ensure synchronization and uniformity of propaganda time and content throughout the City. In addition, the Department also mobilized organizations and individuals with offices and houses in the Old Quarter area, restaurants and hotels throughout the city to carry out the lighting decoration in the new year to ensure the elegant and harmonious color and the beauty of the city.
Reporter: 08 Hanoi athletes (accounting for 34.78% of the total number of Vietnamese athletes) qualified to attend the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil is a proud result. So, which strength of Hanoi sports should be promoted to obtain the important results in the national and international sports arenas?
Mr. To Van Dong: The participation of eight athletes in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is the pride of the Capital’s Sports. Hanoi owns the highest number of athletes in the national team participating in the Olympics. It is the result of guidance and direction of the City’s leaders as well as non-stop efforts of many coaches and athletes in Hanoi for many years.
Hanoi is advantageous in the skilled coach team and athletes who are trained systematically. There are many Olympic sports which are focused on investing such as: Fencing, Weightlifting, Gymnastics, Tekwondo, Archery, Freestyle wrestling … Recently, Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports has built the Scheme for Training of coaches and athletes in Hanoi for 2016-2021 period to create new breakthroughs for Hanoi’s sports in the domestic and international arena in the next period. The scheme focuses on developing around 20 advantageous subjects of HN sports; centered and focused training, with the aim of winning the gold medals in the Asiad arena in the future.
In the coming years, the most elite athletes will attend the long-term training abroad and compete in international competitions to rapidly improve their performance and accumulat the top-class experience. In addition, it is necessary to continue to apply the advanced science and technology in training, invest in nutrition and medical care and rehabilitation therapy; at the same time, to step up the socialization work in some appropriate subjects in order to promote the strengths and put the Hanoi sports to new height
Reporter: Before the new year, will the Hanoi Culture and Sports sector organize activities to welcome the new year 2017 and the Lunar New Year of the Chicken?
Mr. To Van Dong: In order to create the joyful and exciting atmosphere for all people, on the occasion of the new year 2017, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports will organize many artistic and sports activities to welcome the Lunar New Year in districts and towns in the whole city.
Following the activities of welcoming the spring of 2017, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year and the 87th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam, on the New Year’s Eve (January 27), Hanoi art teams will collaborate with the central and local art teams to organize the art performances named “Happy Party, Happy Spring” in all districts and towns in the city. At the Museum of Hanoi, the Tet Vietnamese program will take place. On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, in the garden of the Ly Thai To statue, the program of cultural and sports performances will be organized. At the cinemas in the city and on the Hanoi Radio-Television Broadcasting, there will be the film week entitled “Happy Party, Happy Spring, Happy Renovated Country and Capital”.
On this occasion, the city also organizes the mobile performance shows to serve people in the city; art performance activities in central areas of districts and towns; exhibitions and showrooms…
Hopefully, many activities taking place in all districts and towns in the whole city will bring the warm atmosphere to the spring, open a new year with many new successes.
Sincerely thank you!
Thanh Mai (implementing)