Communist Review - Over the glorious 80-year journey alongside the nation under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), the cultural sector has achieved numerous major accomplishments, making important contributions to the cause of national defence, construction and development. 

At present, the sector continues to promote the spirit of innovation and creativity, striving through concrete action to ensure that culture truly becomes a driving force for socio-economic development, contributing to the building of a strong, prosperous, and happy country in the new era.

A noble historical mission

From as early as the 1940s, the Communist Party of Vietnam clearly recognised the position and role of culture, regarding it as one of the important tasks in preparation for the General Uprising to overthrow the fascist, colonial and feudal regimes and establish a democratic republic. 

The Outline of Vietnamese Culture, drafted by General Secretary Truong Chinh and adopted in 1943, met the urgent practical demands of that period, becoming a guiding light and ideological compass, shaping perception, orientation and principles for cultural activities for the entire Party and people in the struggle for national independence and freedom, and in the advance towards building a new regime and a new culture.

The Outline identified fundamental theoretical issues and provided sound orientation for ideological and cultural activities in the country. It set forth three principles of Vietnamese culture: nationalisation (opposing all enslaving and colonial influences; enabling Vietnamese culture to develop independently, freely and humanistically); popularisation (opposing all policies and actions that cause culture to run counter to or become detached from the interests of the broad masses; affirming that culture belongs to the masses and that the people are the creators of culture); and scientification (opposing all backward, anti-scientific and anti-progressive elements; defining the essence of the new Vietnamese culture).

In the autumn of 1945, immediately after the country gained independence, the cultural sector was born as an inevitable requirement, bearing a noble and sacred historical mission: to preserve the national spirit, foster the mettle and will of the Vietnamese people, and ignite spiritual strength on the journey of building a new ideological foundation for the nation, contributing to the revolutionary stages ahead. 

On August 18, 1945, the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, issued a Proclamation to the entire nation and the world announcing the establishment of a new Government, including the Ministry of Information and Communications, the predecessor of today’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Since then, August 28 each year has been designated as the Traditional Day of the culture, sports and tourism sector.

At the National Cultural Conference in November 1946, President Ho Chi Minh put forward the thesis: “Culture must illuminate the path for the nation.” This statement affirmed the significance, position and role of culture in social development, becoming a governing principle of fundamental and long-term significance, a “red thread” running throughout the development of Vietnamese culture in the cause of national construction and defence. 

From that point, cultural movements and activities were continuously implemented, from mass literacy classes to performing troupes bringing songs and artistic performances to revolutionary bases. Culture spread to every village and every battlefield trench, becoming an adhesive that bound the nation together, connecting millions of Vietnamese hearts into a great bloc of national unity, rising up together to fight, overcoming countless hardships and sacrifices to “cast off the mud and rise up radiant”, liberating the nation from all shackles and oppression.

During the protracted wars of resistance, newspapers such as Cuu Quoc (National Salvation), along with literary, artistic, musical and fine arts works, were continuously created by successive generations of writers, journalists and artists, “soldiers on the cultural front”, amid bombs and bullets. These works became sharp weapons against the enemy, while nurturing patriotism, awakening national pride and dignity, and fostering aspirations for independence, freedom and happiness, thereby forging an extraordinary fighting will in every Vietnamese citizen. 

Cultural and information activities were developed comprehensively, with clear, orientations, profound and systematic professional content and operational methods, as well as training of cultural cadres to strengthen forces serving the national revolutionary cause.

After national reunification, with the North and South reunited, under the leadership of the Party, culture continued to serve as the spiritual foundation of the nation, taking the lead in healing the wounds of war, promoting national unity and international solidarity; transmitting optimism; safeguarding and renewing core values; forming a thread connecting past, present and future; and anticipating and guiding responses to the shortcomings of the centrally planned, bureaucratic subsidy mechanism, thereby paving the way for the comprehensive renewal of the country.

Entering the period of renewal and international integration, the cultural sector has continued to play a particularly important role, guiding public opinion in support of socio-economic reforms, contributing to the building of a socialist rule-of-law state and a democratic, just and civilised society; developing an advanced culture imbued with national identity while continuously absorbing the quintessence of humanity in order to renew itself in the flow of the times.

July 31, 2007, marked a major turning point with the establishment of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which assumed multi-sectoral and multi-field state management functions and tasks on the basis of merging the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the National Sports Committee, while also receiving the state management functions concerning family affairs from the Committee for Population, Family and Children. 

From March 1, 2025, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism additionally assumed state management functions and responsibilities in the fields of press, publishing and communications from the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Under the light of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought, the Communist Party of Vietnam has developed an increasingly comprehensive and profound cultural policy line, consistently across all historical stages of the nation’s revolutionary cause, fulfilling the noble and sacred historical mission of building the spiritual foundation of society and turning culture into an endogenous strength, a resource and a driving force for the country’s sustainable development.

Glorious Milestones

Continuing the flow of the nation’s thousand-year tradition of civilisation and heroism, adhering closely to the Party’s viewpoints and imbued with the thought of President Ho Chi Minh, over the past 80 years, the culture, sports and tourism sector has consistently accompanied the nation’s glorious revolutionary cause, composing a resplendent epic that has contributed to the 80 great revolutionary autumns of the Vietnamese nation - where Vietnamese identity is converged, crystallised and radiantly expressed. 

With the working motto “Culture as the foundation - Information as the conduit - Sports as strength - Tourism as a bridge of connection”, the culture, sports and tourism sector has been striving for vigorous development, overcoming all difficulties and challenges.

With the emergence of the Outline of Vietnamese Culture (1943), the revolutionary cause of national culture entered a historical stage, becoming an organic component that both accompanied and directly served the revolutionary cause of national liberation and the struggle for independence and freedom. 

Under the leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, culture became a sharp weapon on the ideological front, inspiring and uniting the entire nation to rise up and achieve independence in 1945, thereby ushering in a new era of national independence and freedom.

The revolutionary spirit of those heroic years left deep imprints in the songs of composers such as Vietnamese National Anthem Tien Quan Ca (The Marching Song) by Van Cao, Vietnamese anti-fascist song Diet phat xit (Kill the Fascists) by Nguyen Dinh Thi, and Vietnamese patriotic revolutionary song Muoi chin thang Tam (Agust 19) by Xuan Oanh. 

Following the achievement of independence, propaganda and mobilisation efforts contributed to national reconstruction, the eradication of illiteracy, and the expansion of public knowledge. During the resistance war against French colonialists (1945-1954), under the motto “resistance culture, cultural resistance”, press, information and propaganda activities were vigorously advanced. Diverse forms of literature and art, such as revolutionary songs, poetry, spoken drama and others, flourished, powerfully fostering patriotism and strengthening the fighting spirit of both the army and the people.

Guided by President Ho Chi Minh’s teachings, cultural workers spared no hardship or sacrifice in spreading spiritual resilience, contributing to the nation’s overall victory, culminating in the Dien Bien Phu triumph that “resounded across the five continents and shook the globe”.

During the resistance war against US imperialists for national salvation (1954-1975), literary and artistic works reflected the lives of struggle, labour and production in the North and the indomitable will of the compatriots in the South. 

Many artists and journalists, “soldiers on the cultural and ideological front”, set out to support the southern battlefields with the spirit captured in poet To Huu’s verse:

“Across the Truong Son range we march to save the nation,
Our hearts aflame with the promise of the future.” They were ready to use “the pen as a sword” and “art as a weapon”, creating works of poetry, music, theatre, painting, cinema and journalism imbued with the breath of life and struggle, reflecting the people’s steadfast will, courage, and confidence in ultimate victory.

The movement “Songs louder than bombs” inspired both soldiers and civilians to persevere in the struggle and ultimately secure victory, liberating the South and reunifying the country with the Great Spring Victory of 1975. It can be affirmed that the cultural sector made a tremendous contribution, alongside the entire Party, people and armed forces, to composing the great epic of the Vietnamese nation in the 20^th century.

Following national reunification in 1975, the entire sector concentrated on developing cultural life at the grassroots level, expanding mass cultural movements, building cultural institutions from the central to local levels, and promulgating the Ordinance on the Protection and Use of Historical and Cultural Relics and Scenic Sites. 

Literature witnessed many new creative works; theatre, music and cinema developed with numerous outstanding productions; journalism and publishing were unified and expanded; and movements in physical training and sports, as well as activities in fine arts and poster art, actively served both political tasks and the daily lives of the people.

The comprehensive national renewal process launched in 1986 opened an important turning point in the development of Vietnamese culture. Alongside the transition of the economy from a centrally planned and subsidised mechanism to a market mechanism, cultural management also underwent many changes to adapt to the new context.

The Resolution of the Fifth Plenum of the Party Central Committee (eighth tenure) on “Building and Developing an Advanced Vietnamese Culture Rich in National Identity” (1998) was a thematic resolution of breakthrough significance in the development of Vietnamese culture during the period of accelerated industrialisation and modernisation. 

The resolution affirmed that culture is the spiritual foundation of society, both a goal and a driving force for socio-economic development; caring for culture means consolidating the spiritual foundation of society. 

It also clarified the close relationship between culture and socio-economic development: culture is both the outcome of economic development and a driving force for economic growth; cultural factors must be closely linked with social life and activities in all aspects—politics, socio-economics, law and social discipline—thereby becoming the most important endogenous resource for development.

After 15 years of implementing the Resolution of the Fifth Plenum (eighth tenure), in response to the requirement for sustainable development in the context of international integration, the Resolution of the Ninth Plenum of the 11^th Party Central Committee (2014) on “Building and Developing Vietnamese Culture and People to Meet the Requirements of Sustainable National Development” was issued. Its overall goal is to build a comprehensive Vietnamese culture and people oriented towards truth, goodness and beauty, imbued with the national spirit, humanism, democracy and science. 

Culture must becomes a firm spiritual foundation of society and an important endogenous strength ensuring sustainable development and the firm defence of the Fatherland for the goal of a prosperous people, a strong nation, democracy, equity and civilisation.

The 13^th National Party Congress further clarified the second strategic breakthrough as follows: “To comprehensively develop human resources, especially high-quality human resources… to awaken the aspiration for national development towards prosperity and happiness, to foster the will to rise, and to promote the value of culture and the strength of the Vietnamese people in the cause of national construction and defence.”(1)

The National Cultural Conference on the implementation of the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress, held on November 24, 2021, the first such conference held 75 years after President Ho Chi Minh presided over the first National Cultural Conference in 1946, created wide resonance and raised awareness of the position and role of culture in national development within the political system and among all strata of society: “Culture is the soul of the nation, expressing the identity of the nation. As long as culture remains, the nation remains.” (2)

Under the wise, close and timely leadership and direction of the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly and the Government, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has closely followed and synchronously and effectively implemented the Party’s guidelines and policies and the State’s laws and policies in the spirit of “Three Determinations, Four Proactivenesses and Five Efficiencies”.

At its eighth Session on November 27, 2024, the National Assembly adopted the National Target Programme on Cultural Development for the period 2025-2035, introducing numerous new policies to unlock resources and create favourable conditions for the rapid and sustainable development of culture, sports and tourism. 

At present, the culture, sports and tourism sector nationwide is united and creative, striving to fulfil the set goals and tasks. During the 2021-2026 tenure, the sector has achieved many important and outstanding results.

Regarding institutional improvement and the development and promulgation of guiding documents and legal normative documents: during the 2021-2026 period, the culture, sports and tourism sector has resolutely shifted its mindset from “doing culture” to “state management of culture” by law. 

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has proactively reviewed, researched and proposed to competent authorities the improvement of institutions and policies, addressing numerous “bottlenecks and legal gaps”, thereby promoting development in a direction that both ensures effective state management and encourages creativity while mobilising all resources for development.

As a result, the Ministry has assumed the main charge in drafting, promulgating, and submitting for promulgation by competent authorities a total of 124 legal normative documents, including five laws, 31 decrees, one prime ministerial decision, and 88 circulars and joint circulars. It has also carried out annual inspections and reviews of legal normative documents, helping resolve difficulties and obstacles faced by organisations and individuals and addressing loopholes, shortcomings and bottlenecks in the legal system within the Ministry’s management scope.

Regarding culture, the sector has achieved many major accomplishments. Numerous models for building the cultural environment associated with the movement “All People Unite to Build Cultural Life” within families, lineages, villages, residential communities, neighbourhood groups, press agencies, enterprises and entrepreneurs have been formed, developed and widely applied throughout society. A cultural ecosystem that is unified in diversity is gradually taking shape, converging and radiating the core humanistic values of the nation.

The protection and promotion of cultural heritage values have received increasing attention. Vietnam’s cultural heritage system has become widely known internationally. At present, the country has more than 40,000 relic sites and nearly 70,000 items of intangible cultural heritage inventoried, of which 36 heritage sites have been recognised or inscribed by UNESCO. 

In addition to strict compliance with legal provisions and UNESCO commitments, investment has been made in the restoration and preservation of relics while effectively linking heritage utilisation with tourism development, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of local communities.

Meanwhile, the system of grassroots cultural institutions has been operating with increasing effectiveness. State management of festivals has been strengthened, with enhanced inspection, examination and supervision before, during and after festival organisation. 

The building of Vietnamese ethics and lifestyles has been integrated with the development and implementation of the Code of Conduct in Families. Movements to build the “new-style Vietnamese people” with specific standards for each sector and locality have been implemented, concretising the five fundamental virtues of Vietnamese people into norms and characteristics appropriate to each sector and locality.

Efforts to preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of ethnic minority groups have been intensified. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has launched programmes such as “Preserving and Promoting the Value of Folk Songs, Folk Dances and Folk Music of Ethnic Minorities Associated with Tourism Development for the Period 2021–2030”, “Periodic Organisation of Cultural, Sports and Tourism Festivals of Ethnic Groups at Regional and National Levels until 2035”, and others. It has also implemented digital transformation projects aimed at preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups, facilitating cultural education, information access and tourism development.

Cultural industries, including cinema, performing arts, literature, fine arts, photography and exhibitions, have received greater attention and have developed and achieved many notable results. Cultural industries are becoming a major trend and are identified as an important contributor to national economic growth. 

The production value of Vietnam’s cultural industries contributes on average approximately 1.059 quadrillion VND (about 44 billion USD). 

The average growth rate in the number of economic establishments operating in cultural industries over the past five years has reached approximately 7.2% per year, while the workforce in cultural industries has increased by 7.4% per year. 

The entertainment industry, performing arts, cultural tourism, broadcasting and television, and video games have developed rapidly, contributing nearly 4.4% of GDP. 

The protection of copyright has been strengthened, gradually enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnamese cultural products and services in international markets.

External cultural relations and international integration have also achieved many notable results, shifting strongly from “exchange” to “genuine cooperation”, In the past five years alone, 54 treaties and international agreements have been signed, forming a basis for establishing and expanding cultural, sports and tourism cooperation with many countries, thereby creating an important premise for proactive breakthroughs in international integration and steady advancement into a new era.

Regarding physical training and sports: significant progress has been recorded, particularly in promoting sports development among different groups, especially pupils, students, armed forces, farmers and the elderly. 

The movement for regular physical exercise and sports has spread widely across the country in diverse forms, with increasing numbers of regular participants and growing numbers of sports clubs. 

The campaign “All People Practice Physical Exercise Following the Great Example of Uncle Ho” and the spirit of “Being Healthy to Build and Defend the Fatherland” continue to be vigorously promoted and widely disseminated, fostering a vibrant movement of physical training and sports among the population. 

High-performance sports have made further progress, with improved results in key sports where Vietnam has strengths at regional, continental and world competitions. 

These achievements have also served as a source of inspiration, fostering national pride and contributing to the successes of the country’s renewal process.

Regarding tourism, during the 2021-2024 period, Vietnam welcomed 33.7 million international visitors and saw 359.5 million domestic tourists, generating total tourism revenue of 2,193 trillion VND (83.4 billion USD). 

In 2025 alone, the tourism sector aims to attract 22-23 million international visitors and serve 120-130 million domestic tourists, with total tourism revenue projected at approximately 980-1,050 trillion VND (about 37-40 billion USD). 

Numerous new tourism products have been introduced, and electronic visas have been expanded. Vietnam’s tourism has become a bright spot in the national economic landscape after the COVID-19 pandemic, making substantive contributions to economic recovery and growth, accounting on average for 6-8% of GDP annually. 

For many years, Vietnam has been honoured as a top tourism destination in Asia and the world. 

Tourism today is not only a bridge that brings Vietnamese identity to the world but also a journey of receiving the quintessence of humanity, allowing Vietnamese culture to converge and shine within the global cultural flow.

Regarding journalism and communications, these fields continue to perform well their function as forums and voices of the Party, the State and the people; serving as the core and pioneering force on the ideological and cultural front; making significant contributions to socio-economic development, national defence, security and international integration; and safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation. They consistently play a pioneering role, “going ahead to pave the way, accompanying implementation, and following up to review practice,” while fulfilling a particularly important mission as a “conduit of knowledge and a bridge of trust” between the Party, the State and the people in the country’s new era. 

Journalism and publishing are becoming important components of the cultural industries, developing in an increasingly healthy, professional, humanistic and modern way.

With the outstanding achievements attained over the past 80 years, the cultural sector has been awarded many noble distinctions by the Party and the State, including the Gold Star Order and the Ho Chi Minh Order.

Towards new era

Culture today is not only a stream that flows from the past, carrying the soul and essence of the nation, but also a journey of constant creativity imbued with modern vitality in the digital age. Amid the country’s strong transformation across all fields at present, particularly in the revolution to streamline the organisational apparatus of the political system and to implement the two-tier local government model - the culture, sports and tourism sector, as well as society as a whole, need even greater determination, a stronger aspiration to contribute, creative efforts, and breakthroughs in implementing the following key tasks and solutions:

Regarding key tasks

First, to renew leadership and management thinking, raise awareness and strengthen actions to develop culture, sports and tourism. It is necessary to enhance the awareness and responsibility of Party committees and government authorities regarding the role of the culture, sports and tourism sector. The objectives and tasks for the sector’s development must be closely linked with the socio-economic development objectives and tasks of all levels, sectors, and localities.

Second, to organise the thorough dissemination, concretisation and effective implementation of the Party’s resolutions across the sector’s fields. It is necessary to review, supplement, adjust, systematise and synchronise the sector’s policies in tandem with the implementation of the Politburo’s resolutions, the “four pillars”: Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, dated December 22, 2024, on “Breakthrough development of science and technology, innovation and national digital transformation”; Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW, dated January 24, 2025, on “International integration in the new situation”; Resolution No. 66-NQ/TW, dated April 30, 2025, on “Reforming the development and implementation of law to meet the requirements of national development in the new era”; and Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW, dated May 4, 2025, on “Private sector development”.

Third, to implement tasks with a proactive, serious, determined and flexible spirit in accordance with the “six clarities” principle (clear people, clear tasks, clear responsibilities, clear timelines, clear delegation of authority, and clear results). It is necessary to improve the state management capacity of departments and agencies along with strict adherence to administrative discipline and order, while ensuring unity and stability within agencies and units in line with the Ministry’s motto at the beginning of the tenure: “Resolute action, aspiration for contribution”. Close monitoring is required to track new developments, remain closely aligned with realities, and respond to policy matters in a timely, accurate, decisive, flexible and effective manner.

Fourth, to focus on improving the legal system so that it becomes comprehensive, timely, coherent, unified and compatible with relevant legislation; transparent, stable, feasible and accessible; and capable of effectively regulating social relations. It is necessary to promptly identify “bottlenecks” and “barriers” hindering development, as well as legal gaps, in order to advise competent authorities on adjustments, additions, amendments and approvals towards “facilitating development”, “unlocking resources”, and “transforming cultural values into resources and drivers for development”. Determined efforts must be made to renew thinking on law-making. Institutional reform in the cultural sector should focus on adapting to its role in facilitating cultural development and human development, respecting the laws of the cultural market and its actors, and harnessing integrated strength through a cultural ecosystem and digital culture.

Fifth, to continue restructuring and consolidating the organisational apparatus towards being streamlined, compact, strong, efficient, effective and impactful. Decentralisation and delegation of authority should be strengthened; management should gradually shift towards governance, associated with the responsibility of heads of agencies. At the same time, it is necessary to build a contingent of officials, civil servants, public employees and workers in the culture, sports and tourism sector who possess integrity, capability and long-term vision, capable of meeting the requirements and tasks in the new context.

Regarding solutions

First, to continue thoroughly disseminating and raising awareness of, and strictly and effectively implementing, the provisions of law, resolutions and leadership and directives of the Party and the State concerning the activities of culture, sports and tourism. The roles and responsibilities of heads of agencies, departments, sectors, mass organisations and localities in developing culture, sports and tourism must be promoted. It is necessary to mobilise the combined strength of the entire political system and the people, together with the whole culture, sports and tourism sector, to strongly inspire and promote patriotism, autonomy, confidence, self-reliance, resilience, national pride, the aspiration for contribution, and the desire for creativity among the people, especially the youth. Activities must be closely connected with localities and grassroots levels, originate from vivid realities, place people at the centre, and take practical effectiveness as a measure of the sector’s activities.

Second, to promptly and comprehensively institutionalise the Party’s guidelines on culture, sports and tourism; strengthen decentralisation and delegation of authority; and promote the initiative and creativity of localities in order to unlock all resources for local development in the sector’s fields. Priority should be given to institutionalising cultural, sports and tourism activities in the digital environment, in relation to the development of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation. It is also necessary to review, institutionalise, synchronise and ensure compatibility between guidelines, policies and the legal system governing culture, sports and tourism and relevant laws, particularly master plans, strategies and major programmes of the culture, sports and tourism sector, with new thinking appropriate to practical realities. 

Specific mechanisms and policies should be introduced to identify, train and nurture cultural and artistic talents, in association with valuing and promoting talent in artistic creativity, and liberating cultural creativity within digital spaces, the digital environment, the digital economy and digital society.

Third, to complete the restructuring and streamlining of the organisational apparatus so as to ensure stable, smooth, efficient and effective operations. Training and capacity-building for human resources should be strengthened in a synchronised manner to meet task requirements, alongside enhancing the management and governance capacity of the culture, sports and tourism sector towards smart management, application of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation. 

Policies should be developed to attract artistic and sporting talents, as well as human resources for cultural and artistic creativity and media, to encourage innovation, while also implementing measures to deal with officials who evade responsibility or fear accountability.

Fourth, to focus on building infrastructure and promoting digital transformation as the foundation for breakthrough development in the new era. The National Target Programme on Cultural Development for the 2025-2035 period should be effectively implemented, together with planning for the system of cultural, sports and tourism institutions, as well as those related to journalism, broadcasting, television, electronic information and publishing. A synchronised infrastructure system for the sector should be formed from the central to local levels, particularly at the grassroots level and through nationally significant projects that leave the imprint of the new era. 

Priority should be given to the effective allocation, management and use of the budget with a spirit of thrift and concentrated investment in key priorities. Policies and laws should be developed to create a legal corridor and an enabling space aimed at facilitating and supporting digital content creation, developing and effectively utilising the cultural database system connected with the national database system; utilising and promoting distinctive cultural and digital cultural assets; and establishing digital content creation spaces and creative environments for the business community. 

These efforts will contribute to building and developing Vietnamese culture so that it truly becomes an endogenous strength and a driving force contributing to the building of a strong, prosperous, and happy country in the new era./.

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* Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Ministry, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism

(1) Documents of the 13^th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, Vol. I, p. 54.

(2) Nguyen Phu Trong: “Striving to build, preserve and promote the distinctive values of advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity”, Communist Review, No. 979, December 2021, p. 3.