The talkshow was co-chaired by Dr. Do Dinh Hong, Member of the Municipal Party Committee, Director of Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, and Assoc.Prof.Dr. Do Van Tru, Chairman of the Cultural Heritage Association of Vietnam, with the participation of Mr. Ngo Anh Tuan, Director of Hanoi Department of Justice; Ms. Tran Thi Van Anh and Ms. Pham Thi My Hoa, Deputy Directors of the Board of Directors of Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports; experts and scientists including Assoc.Prof.Dr. Dang Van Bai, Deputy President of the National Council for Cultural Heritage; Prof.Dr. Nguyen Quang Ngoc, Vice Chairman of Vietnam Association of Historical Sciences; Prof. Dr. Luu Tran Tieu, Chairman of the National Council for Cultural Heritage, Prof. Dr. Le Hong Ly, Chairman of the Association of Vietnamese Folklorists; Dr. Le Thi Minh Ly, Vice President of Cultural Heritage Association of Vietnam; Dr. Luu Minh Tri, Chairman of Thang Long-Hanoi Cultural Heritage Association; Dr. Pham Cao Quy, representative of the Office for Intangible Cultural Management, Department of Cultural Heritage; representatives of other departments and agencies, assisting groups of the City to advise on the preparation and amendment of the Capital’s Law; advisory group and expert group of the Ministry of Justice supporting the City and representing a group of artisans who directly practice intangible cultural heritage.
Introductory speech at the talkshow of Dr. Do Dinh Hong, Director of Hanoi Department of Culture
In his introductory speech, Dr. Do Dinh Hong, Director of Hanoi Department of Culture, said that since the Law on the Capital was issued in 2012, along with Resolution 11 of the Politburo on development directions and tasks for the capital in the period 2011- 2020, and Hanoi Capital Construction Master Plan to 2030 with a vision to 2050, approved by the Prime Minister under Decision No.1259/QD-TTg, Hanoi has upheld its advantages of the Capital. A number of mechanisms and policies have excelled thanks to their dynamism and initiative, while a few mechanisms and policies have revealed deficiencies since then. Therefore, the leaders of the City have got advice from Hanoi to continue proceeding with the endorsements of the Law on the Captial to respond to the new situation.
With a new human-relevant approach as well as the existing potentials of the Capital, and development direction for the cultural industry, Hanoi needs to pay attention to the preparation of the amended Law on the Captial. Mr. Hong expected researchers and scientists to provide their opinions on the new issues with a view to the enhancement of the management, investment and promotion, creating a breakthrough and development to help culture become an endogenous resource for the defense of the Fatherland.
In his speech at the talkshow, Dr. Nguyen Van Cuong, Director of the Institute of Legal Science, Ministry of Justice, said that over the past time, the Standing Committee of Ha Noi Municipal Party Committee delivered Plan No.29-KH/TU dated May 28, 2021, on summary 10-year implementation period of Resolution No. 11-NQ/TW dated January 6, 2012, by the Politburo (tenure XI) on the directions and tasks for the development of the Capital for period 2011-2020. The review has been performed to evaluate the situation and results of leadership, providing directions on the implementation and achieved results, pointing out the advantages, deficiencies, causes, and draw lessons learned after nearly 10 years of implementing Resolution No. 11-NQ/TW dated January 6, 2012, by the Politburo (tenure XI) in combination with assessing the results of implementing of the Law on the Captial issued in 2012. In the past time, besides the achieved results, the cultural development has not been commensurate with the role and status of the Capital. Cultural conservation copes with many difficulties and challenges, the exploitation and promotion of the value of cultural institutions are not commensurate with the potential, the State’s investment resources for the preservation and development of the Capital’s culture have been still scattered, failing to attract the participation of investors and people in the conservation. No appropriate mechanism to encourage incentives has been set up to ensure the interests of investors. The intangible cultural values have been inadequately preserved and improperly honored. It is necessary to document, collect information, organize festivals and heritage performance spaces for domestic and foreign tourists to preserve and promote the value of community heritages. The endorsements of the Law on the Capital will provide more particular solutions on the basis of inheriting the reasonable provisions of the Law on the Capital, and at the same time, add four more policies, including increased focused state investment in combination with mobilization and efficient use of social resources, especially conservation, renovation, embellishment and promotion of the value of intangible cultural heritage that is at risk of loss, ancient buildings and villages in the Capital, ensuring the harmony in economic development and local tourism; For enterprises operating in the cultural industry, they will enjoy incentives in terms of land allocation, land lease, reduction of land use fees, and support for business procedures; The city will stipulate policies to support, treat and honor intangible cultural heritage artisans; support artisans in opening classes to train the next generation; The Fund for Cultural Preservation and Development in the Capital have also been established.
The talkshow was opened with the participation of scientists and researchers in the field of cultural conservation and development
According to Prof. Dr. Le Hong Ly, Chairman of the Association of Vietnamese Folklorists, top priority should be given to Atrticle 11 of the Law on the Capital for review. Hanoi is now on the way to development, leading to the breaking of many cultural values. Hanoi needs solutions to preservation and protection of cultural heritages such as ancient houses and villages, historical, cultural and architectural relics for gradual repair and restoration, contributing to the preservation of cultural features of Hanoi. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to formulating policies for folk artisans.
Assoc.Prof.Dr. Dang Van Bai, Deputy President of the National Council for Cultural Heritage, said that the Law is one of the important tools to effectively implement state management in general and cultural heritage in particular. The management practice of Hanoi reveals the need for amendment of the Law on the Capital to be compatible with the new situation. To deserve its noble title of a Heroic Capital, a City of Civilisation, Heroism, Peace, Friendship and Creation given by the Party, State and people as well as the international community, Hanoi needs to boldly innovate thinking or have breakthrough thinking to create different and unique products only available in the Capital with the brand Hanoi in every aspect, at the same time contribute to creating a national brand. Hanoi needs to have specific mechanisms that are concretized under articles and clauses in the Law on Capital to promote outstanding strengths that other provinces and cities cannot have, first in terms of human resources, then a treasure trove of the cultural heritage of the country. The revised Law on the Capital needs to point out planning ideas, feasible programs or projects to become cultural and tourism products that contribute to promoting a spearhead economic sector in the cultural industry of the Capital.
According to Prof.Dr. Nguyen Quang Ngoc, Vice Chairman of Vietnam Association of Historical Sciences, we need to promote research and prepare basic investments for consultation on conservation and development. The Law on the Capital had a few shortcomings when newly promulgated in 2012. The amendment of the applicable Law on the Capital has many advantages with a number of innovations in the viewpoint of law-making and changes of the historical and cultural context compared to before; The State policy is to increase investment in cultural development. Culture is the decisive resource for the development of the Capital. The implementation of policy on cultural industry development needs to be integrated in heritage conservation. It is an opportunity for the Great Awakening of the cultural industry.
Dr. Le Thi Minh Ly, Vice President of Cultural Heritage Association of Vietnam, proposed the establishment of the Fund for Cultural Preservation and Development in the Capital. The Fund is invested by the State and is entitled to receive funding sources from other organizations and individuals in accordance with the Fund’s operational and functional criteria. Hanoi can set up a common Cultural Fund covering various fields or set up a fund for each field of culture such as Fund for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, Fund for the Development of Grassroots Cultural, Fund for the Development of Art.
Dr. Pham Cao Quy, representative of the Department of Cultural Heritage, suggested that the Article 11 of the Law on the Capital should be amended in the way of revealing the protection and promotion of the value of cultural heritage and the development of the Capital’s culture in the right way. It is necessary to develop policies for artisans who practice intangible cultural heritage in order to best promote what they are doing to contribute to the cultural, economic and social development of the community, the locality and the City. The content about artisans is prepared as a section on protection and promotion of cultural heritage values in the Article, and at the same time adds the missions of the Municipal People’s Council, that is, to issue policies for artisans and communities who practice intangible cultural heritage.
Elite Artisan Nguyen Thuy Hoa, representing artisans of Hanoi’s intangible culture, Chairman of Thai Ha – Hanoi Ca Tru Club, said that Hanoi is the place where many famous artists start and develop their career. They have intensive knowledge, master and professionally practice folk rituals and performances, they also provide training and preserve the quintessence and identity of national culture for present and future generations. Their responsibility, talent, enthusiasm and dedication make them become the treasures, alive museums, the souls of the intangible cultural heritage of society. She wished Hanoi will have a mechanism to pay more attention to artisans, especially Ca Tru artisans, and proposed the establishment of a Fund for Cultural Preservation and Development in the Capital so that the expectations of the artisans become true, contributing to the goal of developing Hanoi’s culture and people and international integration.
In his speech at the talkshow, Dr. Do Dinh Hong, Director of Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, expressed his sincere thanks for the valuable comments of scientists and researchers on the goals, solutions and policy impacts on the legal system. He affirmed that the Law on the Capital covers various fields that are all related to the culture. We need to make reasonable changes to the Law on the Capital to increase efficiency in cultural management and services, develop the role of the Capital, and promote new cultural types to develop the Capital in particular and the country in general. He emphasized that we need to expand the cultural industry based on the existing platforms and values to be in harmony with the global culture. It is the time we leverage the culture and cultural products; take care of, develop and create an environment for cultural development; fulfill its commitments to UNESCO on building a creative city to preserve and promote cultural values, contributing to the development of the cultural industry of the Capital.
Thanh Mai