Proposal to allow religious organizations to establish a Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund

Most Venerable Thich Duc Thien, National Assembly delegate of Dien Bien province, gave his opinion on the draft Law on Cultural Heritage (amended).

According to Venerable Thich Duc Thien, the establishment of a Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund to support the above activities is very necessary. The country currently has more than 40,000 tangible relics of all kinds, 70,000 intangible cultural heritages, 15 cultural heritages recognized by UNESCO and 9 documentary heritages. This is both a source of national pride and a resource to promote economic , cultural and social development.

“In the process of national construction and renovation, our Party and State have always paid attention to and had policies on the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage values. Localities have also allocated resources for the restoration and embellishment of relics to preserve traditional culture and develop local tourism . However, the reality shows that the funding for the conservation, restoration and embellishment of relics is still very low compared to actual requirements,” said Venerable Thich Duc Thien.

As evidence for the above statement, Venerable Thich Duc Thien cited that currently there are many relics and heritages that are seriously degraded, being lost and being lost in some localities due to lack of funds for restoration and maintenance. Some relics are really "crying for help" such as the Dong Duong Buddhist Institute heritage in Quang Nam, which has historical origins from the 9th century and has been ranked as a special national relic. Not only Dong Duong Buddhist Institute, but currently there are many relics in such a state that need attention and resources to restore and embellish in order to promote historical values ​​and serve life.

From the reality of directly participating in the restoration of relics, Venerable Thich Duc Thien believes that if the Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund coordinates closely with the National Heritage Council, with experts and researchers in implementing the restoration and embellishment process to ensure maximum restoration of the original values ​​of the relics, facilitate the granting of construction permits for relic works... and the management, operation, use and distribution of the Fund are clear, public, transparent, detailed and specific, creating trust for sponsors, it will attract resources to support and contribute to the Fund. In addition, the Government needs to have specific mechanisms, appropriate policies, honor, reward and give incentives worthy of the enthusiasm and efforts involved in the restoration, embellishment and promotion of cultural heritages, only then can we mobilize socialized resources from organizations, businesses, individuals and philanthropists at home and abroad to contribute to the Fund. In some countries, tax and fee exemptions have been implemented for businesses and philanthropists who contribute to the restoration, embellishment and promotion of cultural heritages; purchase and bring back national relics, antiques and treasures from abroad in the strategy of repatriating antiques.

Regarding the authority to establish the Fund, the draft Law stipulates that the Central Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund shall be established by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; the Local Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund shall be established by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee. Most Venerable Thich Duc Thien proposed allowing religious organizations that have been recognized by the State to establish a Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund to contribute to creating diverse and effective resources to meet the practical needs of cultural heritage conservation.

Source: https://baodienbienphu.com.vn/tin-tuc/chinh-tri/219020/de-nghi-cho-phep-to-chuc-ton-giao-duoc-thanh-lap-quy-bao-ton-di-san-van-hoa