Vietnam rises on the wings of soft power

(To Quoc) - In order to implement and concretize the Party and State's policy on cultural development, as the highest management and advisory agency, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has developed the National Target Program on Cultural Development for the period 2025-2035. After a long period of consultation and seeking opinions from ministries, sectors, localities, experts, scientists , etc., the Program has been officially submitted to the Government; and reported to the 15th National Assembly in its 7th and 8th sessions. This is expected to be a "bright path," a strategy for cultural development, building long-term, synchronized and comprehensive soft power to create a solid spiritual foundation and driving force.

Việt Nam vươn lên trên đôi cánh sức mạnh mềm - Bài 4: Kỳ vọng vào

The Party's 13th National Congress documents clearly outlined specific goals for national development in the coming years: By 2025, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the complete liberation of the South and the reunification of Vietnam, the country aims to be a developing nation with a modern industrial sector, surpassing the lower-middle income level (GDP per capita estimated at 4,700-5,000 USD/year). By 2030, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party, the country strives to be a developing nation with a modern industrial sector and a high-middle income level (GDP per capita estimated at approximately 7,500 USD/year). By 2045, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the country aims to become a developed nation with a high income (GDP per capita must exceed 12,535 USD/year).

In his concluding speech at the 2021 National Cultural Conference, the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong also affirmed: We must continue to build, preserve, revitalize, and develop our culture, so that culture truly becomes the "spiritual foundation," the "driving force for development," and "guides the nation's path."

To realize these directives and fulfill the tasks assigned by the Party, the National Assembly, and the Government, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has developed the National Target Program on Cultural Development for the 11-year period (2025-2035). After numerous consultations and consultations on the program's content with ministries, sectors, localities, experts, and scientists, and based on proposals and feedback from 63 provinces and cities, relevant ministries, sectors, and socio -political organizations, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is currently submitting the program to the National Assembly for approval during the 8th session of the 15th National Assembly. The program sets out fundamental and general objectives, as well as specific and practical solutions to put the Party and State's policies into practice. This is expected to be the key to unlocking the door for culture to enter a new era of integration with renewed momentum, while simultaneously removing bottlenecks, unlocking resources, and creating a smooth environment for culture to develop to a level commensurate with the economy, politics, and society... This is a strategy, a bright path that will lead culture to make remarkable and breakthrough advancements in the coming years.

The program focuses on building an advanced Vietnamese culture rich in national identity. According to the presentation by Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung at the 7th Session of the 15th National Assembly, the program has 7 general objectives and 9 specific target groups by 2030; and 9 specific target groups by 2035. The program is designed with 10 component contents, 153 detailed indicators, 42 specific tasks, and 186 detailed activities, in accordance with the directives of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the 2021 National Culture Conference.

Thus, it can be seen that this is a very comprehensive, specific, and detailed cultural development strategy, reflecting the dedication and wisdom not only of the cultural sector but also of the entire Party and the entire nation. The program is also well-structured and scientifically designed.

The program has set out fundamental and overarching goals, as well as basic solutions, especially offering a long-term perspective commensurate with its status as a national program. At the same time, it aims to create a fundamental and significant transformation in the development of Vietnamese culture and human development; to create momentum to awaken and promote Vietnamese cultural values and human strength, contributing to increased investment resources to meet the urgent needs of comprehensive human development and the building of an advanced Vietnamese culture rich in national identity.

Having been revised numerous times and scheduled for the 8th session of the 15th National Assembly in October 2024, it is hoped that with its practical value, the Program will be approved by delegates and implemented immediately in 2025. This will be a tool and strategy to support the achievement of the goals set by the Party, while ensuring consistency and linkage between cultural programs and projects nationwide. The Program will also serve as a guiding principle to ensure comprehensive and harmonious investment and development across all cultural sectors. Furthermore, the Program will be a prerequisite and a key to unlocking Vietnam's integration with the world in the new era…

Most recently, at the 38th session of the Standing Committee of the 15th National Assembly, after hearing the Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Education, Nguyen Dac Vinh, present his review of the National Target Program for Cultural Development 2025-2035, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly highly appreciated the content and preparation process of the Program. National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man affirmed: With their dedication to culture, experts have offered many solutions so that this large-scale national program on culture, once approved, will truly be a "bright path" opening up many hopes and expectations for the breakthrough development of the country's culture, especially meeting the expectations and aspirations of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. Could this be the solution, addressing the long-standing cultural shortcomings, while simultaneously focusing on "successfully building an advanced Vietnamese culture, rich in national identity, further glorifying the nation and race, creating unparalleled strength to build our country into an increasingly prosperous nation, making our people increasingly happy, and our country increasingly thriving, worthy of the thousand-year tradition of civilization and heroism of a heroic nation, standing shoulder to shoulder with the world's leading powers," as the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed?

According to the roadmap, if the 8th session of the 15th National Assembly approves it with the consensus of the delegates, the National Target Program on Cultural Development for the period 2025-2035 will be put into practice. However, for the Program to truly reflect the unified "will of the Party and the aspirations of the people," the leading role, guidance, and supervision of the Government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism are crucial. In particular, the allocation of investment budget for activities in localities must be accurate and targeted, encouraging and motivating all levels, sectors, localities, and the people to work together to successfully accomplish this especially important political task.

At the 7th session (May 2024), authorized by the Government, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung presented a report on the Cultural Target Program for the period 2025-2035, proposing an estimated budget of 256,250 billion VND to implement this "major project". Of this amount, over 122,000 billion VND will be allocated from the state budget for cultural development during the 2025-2030 period, and over 135,000 billion VND during the 2030-2035 period.

It can be said that this is the largest resource the Government plans to invest in a National Target Program, higher than the investment in the three National Target Programs currently being implemented and many times higher than the National Target Program on Culture implemented in previous phases. The planned allocation of such a large investment demonstrates the Government's strong determination to realize the goals, targets, tasks, and solutions for cultural development set forth by the Party and State in Resolution XIII.

At its 38th session, the National Assembly Standing Committee also gave its opinion on the investment policy for the National Target Program on Cultural Development for the period 2025-2035. Presenting its review opinion at the session, the Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Education, Nguyen Dac Vinh, stated that the Committee on Culture and Education agrees with the necessity of investing in the Program and believes that its development at this time fully meets the political, legal, scientific, and practical criteria. The Program's dossier has met the requirements as stipulated by law. Regarding the funding for the Program, the Committee on Culture and Education basically agrees with the projected total investment and funding sources. It also emphasized that allocating adequate resources is necessary to fully and effectively concretize the Party's views and policies on cultural development.

Evaluating the entire Cultural Development Target Program from 2025-2035, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man also affirmed: This is a very large and elaborate program designed through several adjustments. The program, reported at the 8th session of the 15th National Assembly, is more complete, reasonable, and logical, and no longer overlaps with programs and projects that have been approved or are being implemented.

With 7 general objectives, 9 specific target groups by 2030; 9 specific target groups by 2035, 10 component contents, 153 detailed indicators, 42 specific tasks, and 186 detailed activities closely following the 6 task groups and 4 solutions put forward by the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the 2021 National Cultural Conference, the Cultural Development Target Program from 2025-2035 has fundamentally addressed the requirements in overcoming limitations and embarking on cultural revitalization in the new era through specific, detailed, and comprehensive tasks, solutions, and activities…

Regarding the timeline for implementing the Program, the Government proposes that the National Assembly allow the Program to be implemented during the period 2025-2035. In 2025, the focus will be solely on developing policy mechanisms, establishing a system of guiding documents and materials for implementing the Program's tasks, developing a system for monitoring and evaluating the Program's implementation, training and enhancing the capacity of Program management staff, preparing for investment in tasks, and other management aspects…

Phase 1, covering the medium term from 2026 to 2030, will focus on addressing the limitations and challenges encountered in the past; Phase 2, covering the medium term from 2031 to 2035, will continue to develop culture as an intrinsic strength of the Vietnamese economy.

Throughout history, the Party and State have always paid attention to and cared for cultural development. The Party and State have also made many decisions to build and develop an advanced Vietnamese culture rich in national identity. However, perhaps very few programs have been developed and implemented in such a specific, detailed, comprehensive, and synchronized manner as the National Target Program on Cultural Development for the period 2025-2035.

For the National Target Program on Cultural Development to be more than just beautiful ideas on paper, empty slogans, or stories of movements... but to truly become a program reflecting "the will of the Party and the aspirations of the people," as Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen The Ky - Chairman of the Central Council for the Promotion of Culture and Arts - affirmed: To implement the National Target Program on Cultural Development for the period 2025-2035, the entire political system must be involved. Building culture and developing human resources must be considered building a better future for the nation. If we do not have an advanced culture rich in national identity, and if we do not have Vietnamese people who meet the requirements of national development in the new era, then it will be very difficult for us to move the country forward. All citizens, officials, Party members, people from lowlands and mountainous areas, ethnic groups, religions... must understand the purpose, meaning, and content of the Cultural Development Goals program so that they can all work together and be determined to successfully implement this revolution.

"Every beginning is difficult," and there is no path to success that is "paved with roses," especially the path to contributing to the revitalization, construction, and development of culture, the soft power of the nation. However, we believe and hope that, with the synchronized, decisive involvement and active participation of all levels, sectors, and society as a whole, the National Target Program on Cultural Development for the period 2025-2035 will soon be implemented and put into practice, yielding the desired results; creating a combined strength for the entire nation to overcome all challenges and successfully achieve the goal of making our country increasingly prosperous and thriving.

>> Lesson 1: Positioning "Vietnamese Brands"

>> Lesson 2: Creating momentum to propel the country into a new era

>> Lesson 3: Removing bottlenecks, increasing soft power through investment

>> Article 5: For a Vietnam that "takes off"

Source: https://toquoc.vn/viet-nam-vuon-len-tren-doi-canh-suc-manh-mem-bai-4-ky-vong-vao-con-duong-sang-20241105105719737.htm