Ho Chi Minh City removes bottlenecks in commissioning literary and artistic works.

The problem of mechanisms for supporting and commissioning literary and artistic creation is facing an urgent requirement: it must shift from policy expectations to practical effectiveness.

In Ho Chi Minh City – the dynamic center of cultural and artistic life in the country – this issue further reveals bottlenecks that need to be addressed in order to bring practical effectiveness to performing arts activities.

When policies fail to keep pace with the specifics of innovation.

In the panel discussion "Artists and the Stage" organized by Ho Chi Minh City Radio and Television (HTV) in early April 2026, People's Artist Phuong Loan clearly pointed out the bottleneck: "For many years, the mechanism of supporting and commissioning creative works from the State budget has been identified as an important tool to guide and encourage artists to create valuable works. Ho Chi Minh City still has many bottlenecks in the way it commissions creative works for socialized art units. Specifically, outlines are implemented but there is no in-depth evaluation council, so it is difficult to allocate funds according to the schedule."

A scene from the Cai Luong play "The Song of the Hau River" - a traditional revolutionary performance that attracts large audiences at the Tran Huu Trang Theater.

According to experts, the policy of commissioning creative works from both public and private art organizations in Ho Chi Minh City will encourage these organizations to be creative and find their own path to produce high-quality artistic products.

People's Artist Tran Minh Ngoc pointed out: "Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW has been concretized through a resolution of the Vietnamese National Assembly passed on April 24, 2026, aiming to create all favorable conditions for artistic products to be upgraded in quality. Ho Chi Minh City, as a major cultural center of the country, urgently needs a proper roadmap to create conditions for literary and artistic products to take off."

However, he also emphasized that practical implementation shows that the gap between policy and creative life remains large: "The current mechanism is still heavily focused on administrative management, while artistic creation requires freedom and time for accumulation. If procedures are lengthy and funding is slow to disburse, it will be difficult for artists to fully dedicate themselves to their works," said People's Artist Tran Minh Ngoc.

From a professional perspective, Meritorious Artist Nguyen Cong Ninh believes the biggest bottleneck lies in "incompatibility": "It's impossible to apply the mindset of production quotas to artistic creation. A good script or a valuable role cannot be measured by the number of pages or rehearsals. When the mechanism doesn't properly understand the nature of creative work, the effectiveness of commissioned work will be very limited."

Persistent bottlenecks

In reality, Ho Chi Minh City shows that most creative activities still operate through indirect support mechanisms, via professional associations. Genuine commissioning with clear objectives, sufficient funding, and flexible processes remains rare.

Associate Professor Phan Bich Ha (Van Lang University) commented: "The current mechanism lacks uniformity. Each locality understands and applies it differently, leading to fragmentation in implementation. This reduces the effectiveness of a policy that is strategically significant. It is known that in the near future, each professional association will only be allowed to select 1 to 2 scripts or works for investment, thus the creative workshops will fall into the trend of following trends. Meanwhile, the associations desperately need commissioned works from the State through these workshops to ensure that the works are on the right theme and ideology, and to guarantee ticket sales when they are commercially released."

Another issue is the disbursement schedule. According to People's Artist Kim Xuan, this delay directly impacts professional life: "Many creative programs and projects are pushed back to the end of the year or have to be adjusted because funding arrives late. This affects both the quality and the morale of those working in the profession."

Furthermore, establishing economic and technical standards for creative work remains a difficult challenge. Given the unique nature of art, value lies not in quantity but in intellectual depth and social impact. Without a suitable approach, budgeting and acceptance processes will remain largely superficial.

Empowering creativity to unleash innovation.

Based on this experience, many opinions suggest that a strong shift in management thinking is needed. Dr. Mai My Duyen proposed: "We need to shift from detailed control to performance-based management. The State should set output targets, while empowering specialized organizations to manage the implementation process. With clear accountability mechanisms, empowering organizations will not reduce transparency."

From a professional organizational perspective, the Ho Chi Minh City Theatre Association is considered one of the intermediary institutions that needs increased autonomy. This would allow associations to be more proactive in selecting themes, organizing creative work, and discovering talent.

People's Artist Hong Van observed: "If we continue with the 'request-and-grant' mechanism, it will be very difficult to create breakthroughs. Art needs trust. When given authority, professionals will be responsible with their reputation and their work."

Expand resources, create new vitality.

This is a direction that many experts agree on: promoting public-private cooperation in the field of literature and art.

Architect Nguyen Truong Luu, Chairman of the Union of Literature and Arts Associations of Ho Chi Minh City, observed: "State budget should be considered as 'seed' capital, combined with social resources to create large-scale projects with the potential for widespread impact. In that case, artworks in Ho Chi Minh City will not only possess spiritual value but also participate in the value chain of the cultural industry."

This orientation is consistent with the spirit of the Resolution on the Development of Vietnamese Culture 2026, which allows for the piloting of a lump-sum expenditure mechanism and the formation of cultural funds based on a public-private partnership model.

Improving the mechanisms for supporting and commissioning creative works is not just a matter for the cultural sector alone, but is also directly related to the strategy for developing the cultural industry – a field in which Ho Chi Minh City aims to become a new growth engine.

As People's Artist Thanh Ngoan once emphasized: "Correct policies are a necessary condition, but the way they are implemented is the sufficient condition. If we can remove the current bottlenecks, we will have a generation of works worthy of the new stage of the country's development."

Director Ca Le Hong said: "With the detailed regulations about to be issued in Ho Chi Minh City, professionals in the industry expect a more flexible and substantive legal framework. This will be an important step to ensure that the support and commissioning mechanisms do not remain just policies, but become a real driving force for creativity."

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tp-hcm-go-nut-that-dat-hang-sang-tac-van-hoc-nghe-thuat-196260505192225773.htm