Developing cultural industry: "Growing people" right now...

Most opinions say that to develop human resources and preserve Vietnamese cultural identity in the development of cultural industry in general and in Ho Chi Minh City in particular, a comprehensive strategy is needed and the foundation is mainly the young generation.

At the seminar "Human resources and identity in cultural industry development in Ho Chi Minh City" organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper on June 10, the issue of human resources and preserving Vietnamese cultural identity in cultural products were affirmed by delegates as two very important factors in the cultural industry development strategy.

Inspirational, passionate

The Copyright Office has just completed the draft of the project "Developing the entertainment industry" and submitted it to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to report to the Prime Minister. In harmony with the State management agency, the 3rd seminar continuing to discuss solutions for developing the entertainment industry organized by the Lao Dong Newspaper this time is considered very meaningful, with the participation of the representative of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism - Mr. Le Minh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Copyright Office; along with many delegates, guests representing departments, branches, sectors of Ho Chi Minh City, researchers, producers, artists, singers...

In his opening speech, journalist To Dinh Tuan - Party Secretary, Editor-in-Chief of Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper - said that this is the time to look back, evaluate and plan strategic steps in promoting the soft power of national culture, making the cultural industry a pillar of the creative economy and a driving force for sustainable development of Ho Chi Minh City and the whole country. This third seminar focused on discussing the two fundamental pillars of the cultural industry - human resources, including the creative arts force, cultural management, training and content production and cultural identity - the factor that identifies the core values that make the difference, helping Vietnamese cultural products reach the hearts of domestic and international audiences.

Mr. Le Minh Tuan acknowledged: "Human resource development is not only a matter for the cultural industry but all industries need high-quality human resources. This should start with children. The young generation will help form the next production force for the cultural industry in the future."

Director andeducator Kathy Uyen believes that in order to develop human resources in the arts, it is necessary to create more opportunities for young people to confidently realize their aspirations. "The important thing is to inspire young people to be confident and courageous in entering the profession and nurturing their passion," said Kathy Uyen.

For the third time, the Lao Dong Newspaper organized a seminar on promoting the development of Vietnam's cultural industry, with the theme "Human resources and identity in the development of cultural industry in Ho Chi Minh City", gathering many managers, experts, producers, artists...

Give means, create output

Director Aaron Toronto (British, working in Ho Chi Minh City) commented: "To develop the arts industry, we need to focus on means and output. Experience in Korea shows that they have the "means" of the film council, have funds for the arts, and streamline administrative procedures. They have the output of the Busan International Film Festival, along with many other awards to help Korean cinema develop."

He hopes that Vietnam will also have the means and outlets like that to soon have playgrounds for professionals to freely create. When art flourishes and creative works develop, they will naturally create commercial success.

Dr. Do Tien believes that human resources need to be properly trained so that the quintessence of national culture is deeply imbued into the young generation. "The career of cultivating people is not just 5 years, 10 years but a long journey. Preserving national culture is not only preserving symbolic images but also the spirit and character of the Vietnamese spirit" - he suggested, at the same time emphasizing: There should be more in-depth discussions for young people, especially in the school environment to orient them on the path of national culture, especially in the era of explosive media.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi My Liem, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Music Association, analyzed: "Identity is an element that we can bring out to compete with the world. However, it is not enough to preserve national culture by simply bringing traditional music performances or performances of traditional music genres such as Cheo, Hau Van, Chau Van, Xam, Xoan, etc. on stage, but also need to be creative in the way of expression."

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Diem, Deputy Head of the Department of Science, Culture and Arts, Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, said that the delegates attending the discussion had given valuable opinions. "To compete with countries in the region and the world in culture and information technology, we need to be more determined and systematic in terms of policies, resources and development thinking," Ms. Diem added.

Culture is the soul of the nation, developing the cultural industry is associated with promoting and disseminating the good and unique values of culture and national traditions, aiming to create cultural works that spread widely among the public. To form a systematic cultural industry, according to the opinions of the event organizing companies attending the discussion, we must have a synchronous and professional connection between creative elements, exploiting the cultural values of the nation, combined with the use of advanced technology and business skills.

Concluding the discussion, Editor-in-Chief To Dinh Tuan emphasized: "The topic of human resources and identity in the development of cultural industry is not new, but it is very attractive in the current context. For cultural industry to develop, it is necessary to have the cooperation of many units, agencies, departments, and sectors, from culture, tourism to economy, education...

The delegates' opinions are very close to life and the profession, summarizing many issues, contributing to gathering proposals to send to the authorities to build policies, helping Vietnamese culture and arts develop even more strongly."

The performance "Thuận nước phát luận cầu" (the song won the 2024 Mai Vàng Award - Most Favorite Song category) performed by singer ST Sơn Thạch and the dance group opened the discussion. (Photo: HOÀNG TRIỀU)

"Cultural products are popular, artists need to create so that the majority of the public can understand the message that the product brings. We have been integrating identity into cultural products. However, we still do not have a creative way to highlight Vietnamese identity" - Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi My Liem worries.

Mr. LE TRUONG HIEN HOA, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism:

Culture and arts are closely linked to tourism.

The tourism industry has been enjoying the fruits of cultural development. Reality shows that tourism is the method and path that many countries are investing in, exploiting the economic factors of cultural values, to promote the soft power of the nation and people. The value of cultural industry is also the resource for tourism development.

The trend of tourists gathering in one place to learn more about culture and history is popular. Specifically, 56% of international visitors choose to visit history and culture in Ho Chi Minh City. The city is a leading destination, so through existing policies and guidelines, departments can quickly implement and take advantage of the space to effectively carry out international cooperation, aiming to further develop the cultural industry.

To make Ho Chi Minh City a leading center of culture and tourism, we need to take practical actions, together write stories introducing the capabilities and potential of culture and tourism in Ho Chi Minh City, and orient tourism so that the city becomes one of the leading tourist destinations in Asia.

Mr. NGUYEN TAN KIET - Head of Art Management Department, Department of Culture - Sports of Ho Chi Minh City:

Create all conditions for the development of culture and arts

Building a culture industry requires real "industrial" people. Ho Chi Minh City has been attracting and encouraging the training of human resources for the development of culture industry.

The city's human resources are currently abundant, such as children participating in cultural and artistic activities, or talented artists living and working in the city... That force is always innovating so that the cultural and artistic industry can develop more and more.

In the coming time, when Ho Chi Minh City merges with Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Binh Duong provinces, it will be more favorable in terms of ecological environment, geographical location, etc. We will continue to coordinate with agencies, departments and branches to review the content of the city's cultural and artistic planning, from which to propose appropriate cultural and artistic development plans to competent authorities.

Kim Ngan recorded