Project on developing cultural industry in Ho Chi Minh City to 2030: Creating a synchronous creative ecosystem

After the merger, Ho Chi Minh City opened up a large development space, creating conditions for stronger exploitation of socio-economic resources. In particular, the cultural industry was identified as a new driving force, both creating economic value and spreading urban identity and soft power. This is not only a strategic step but also the foundation for a long journey, making Ho Chi Minh City the leading cultural industry center of the country and the region.

Boosting sports economy

In 2023, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee issued a decision approving the Project on developing the cultural industry of Ho Chi Minh City to 2030 (abbreviated as the Cultural Industry Project). The city is one of the first localities in the country to implement this project. However, after the merger and in the new development context of the region and the world, at the discussion on the detailed outline to adjust and supplement the Cultural Industry Project to 2030 recently organized by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City, many delegates proposed to include the development of sports economy in the project content.

According to statistics at the Vietnam Sports Economic Forum 2024 (held in Hanoi at the end of 2024), the size of the Vietnamese sports economic market is estimated to be no less than 300 million USD/year. Notably, pickleball is the sport with the strongest growth rate in the third quarter of 2024, with 150,000 products traded on 5 e-commerce platforms, with a total value of more than 22.7 billion VND - a record number showing great potential.

An art program recently held in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: DUNG PHUONG

Mr. Ly Dai Nghia, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Sports Training and Competition Center, said: “We should not only look at sports through medals or competitions, but also see a large market with an increasing demand for training. Sports fashion, training equipment or new forms such as eSports (electronic sports) are all trends. According to the forecast of Statista (an online platform providing data and statistical information globally - PV), the revenue of the eSports market in Vietnam will reach 7.2 million USD this year and increase to 10.4 million USD in 2029. Therefore, including the sports economy in the Cultural Industry Project is a necessary step”.

Mr. Ly Dai Nghia also gave a specific example of the clear effect of the sports economy in Ho Chi Minh City. Accordingly, at regional sports forums, many experts said that the 2024 Teqball World Cup held in Ho Chi Minh City at the end of last year alone brought an estimated total value to the economy of nearly 1.4 billion USD. This is a practical basis for the city to boldly include the sports economy in the CNVH Project, in order to better utilize the development space.

Strategic vision

International experience shows that for the industrial sector to make a substantial contribution to GRDP, first of all, there needs to be a systematic industrial mechanism, accompanied by clear infrastructure, institutions and legal corridors.

Mr. Tran Viet Bao Hoang, CEO of Hoan Vu Saigon Joint Stock Company (UNICORP), shared: “When organizing an international beauty contest, there are many activities such as music performances, fashion shows, exhibitions, etc. Each activity requires a different type of license, sometimes going through 4-5 rounds of procedures, which is very time-consuming. I think that the city's CNVH Project should pay attention to simplifying legal procedures, so that businesses can boldly organize larger-scale cultural - artistic - entertainment events.”

In addition to procedures, the lack of cultural institutions is also a prominent problem. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City does not have many indoor spaces that meet the standards for large-scale events, especially beauty pageants, which require closed spaces to ensure weather, lighting and professional filming.

Agreeing with this view, Mr. Vo Thanh Trung, Director of Lune Production Company (the organizer of A O Show) said: “For sustainable development, the city needs to build a map of cultural institutions, clearly indicating existing locations, scale and functions. Thus, the organizing units will proactively plan and exploit more effectively.”

A grand traditional music show in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: DUNG PHUONG

Another problem is the difficulty in accessing capital. Currently, businesses cannot borrow capital with the copyright of a music program or beauty contest as collateral. Mr. Trung analyzed: "In the future direction, the CNVH Project should calculate the mechanism to support unsecured loans or special credit packages, so that businesses can boldly invest in the long term."

From the above facts, it can be seen that the adjustment and supplementation of the HCM City Cultural Industry Project until 2030 is not only aimed at removing immediate “bottlenecks”, but also positioning a long-term strategic vision. When the sports economy, performance types, festivals, fashion, art, etc. are linked in a synchronous ecosystem, the cultural industry will not only contribute to increasing GRDP, but also enrich the identity and soft power of the largest creative city in the country.

* Ms. NGUYEN THI THANH THAO , Head of Tourism Resource Development Planning Department, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism:

The CNVH Project includes cultural tourism, but in reality, the city does not have any outstanding night tourism products and does not have a location to regularly organize night live shows.

For tourism to be able to exploit long-term, programs and performances need to be stable in terms of time and location. From there, travel companies will have a basis for promotion, and tourists can follow the performance schedule from afar, to make specific plans to visit the city to experience and visit.

* Ms. PHAM KIM DUNG , General Director of Sen Vang Company:

In the current development trend in the world, sports bring a very significant contribution and there is still a lot of room for us to exploit. Therefore, when we have recognized and mentioned it, why don't we immediately include sports in the name such as "Project for developing the cultural and sports industry in Ho Chi Minh City until 2030" to make it easier to orient development.

In addition, from the perspective of a business operating in the cultural sector, I am very interested in the legal framework and mechanisms for private businesses to invest long-term in existing public cultural institutions in Ho Chi Minh City. Thus, we can take full advantage of private businesses and not waste existing institutions.

BLUE

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/de-an-phat-trien-cong-nghiep-van-hoa-tphcm-den-nam-2030-kien-tao-he-sinh-thai-sang-tao-dong-bo-post809872.html