Rights, Obligations, and Responsibilities Regarding Cultural Heritage from July 1, 2025

Article 5 of the Cultural Heritage Law 2024 stipulates the rights, obligations, and responsibilities regarding cultural heritage as follows:

(1) Rights of agencies, organizations, units, communities, families, clans, legal entities, and individuals regarding cultural heritage include:

- Legal ownership of cultural heritage; recognition and protection of intellectual property rights;

- Visiting, researching, collecting, and documenting cultural heritage;

- Exploiting, using, and promoting the value of cultural heritage;

- Receiving state commendations as stipulated by law;

- Engaging in commerce, buying, selling, exchanging, gifting, inheriting, practicing, teaching cultural heritage, and other rights as stipulated by the Cultural Heritage Law 2024 and other related legal provisions.

(2) Obligations and responsibilities of agencies, organizations, units, communities, families, clans, legal entities, and individuals regarding cultural heritage include:

- Complying with laws on cultural heritage;

- Respecting, protecting, and promoting the value of cultural heritage;

- Preventing or recommending that competent state agencies prevent and promptly handle prohibited acts as defined in Article 9 of this Law and other legal violations;

- Promptly notifying the location of discovered artifacts, antiques, national treasures, documentary heritage, historical-cultural sites, and scenic spots; handing over discovered artifacts, antiques, national treasures, and documentary heritage to the nearest competent state agency;

- Other obligations and responsibilities as stipulated by law.

(3) Rights of the cultural heritage owner include:

- Enjoying benefits from the protection and promotion of cultural heritage value as stipulated by law;

- Receiving support and cooperation from competent cultural state agencies to identify and determine value, perform inventory procedures, and maintain information confidentiality upon request;

- Receiving support and cooperation in technical operations for preserving, safeguarding, documenting, and creating conditions for protecting and promoting the cultural heritage value by agreement;

- Receiving support and guidance from competent state agencies for activities to protect and promote cultural heritage values;

- Submitting intangible cultural heritage documents, artifacts, antiques, national treasures, and documentary heritage to public museums or competent state agencies and organizations, if unable to protect and promote their value;

- Other rights as stipulated by law.

(4) Responsibilities of the cultural heritage owner include:

- Providing favorable conditions for visiting, accessing, and researching cultural heritage as stipulated by law;

- Implementing measures to protect and promote the value of cultural heritage; promptly notifying competent state agencies if the cultural heritage is at risk of value distortion, destruction, or loss;

- Other responsibilities as stipulated by law.

(5) Rights of agencies, organizations, units, communities, families, clans, legal entities, and individuals managing cultural heritage include:

- Receiving consideration and financial support from the state to protect and promote cultural heritage value;

- Managing, exploiting, using, and promoting cultural heritage value while ensuring the original constituting elements and the integrity of the inherent values of cultural heritage are unaffected;

- Other rights as stipulated by law.

(6) Responsibilities of agencies, organizations, units, communities, families, clans, legal entities, and individuals managing cultural heritage include:

- Providing favorable conditions for visiting, accessing, and researching cultural heritage as stipulated by law;

- Protecting and preserving cultural heritage;

- Implementing measures to prevent and promptly stop acts that harm cultural heritage;

- Promptly notifying the owner or competent state agencies in the area when cultural heritage shows signs of value distortion, risk of destruction, or loss;

- Other responsibilities as stipulated by law.

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