Vietnam: Protection and promotion of the value of intangible cultural heritage

Vietnam: Protection and promotion of the value of intangible cultural heritage (Image from the internet)

Regarding this matter, LawNet answers as follows:

On April 16, 2024, the Government of Vietnam issued Decree 39/2024/ND-CP stipulating measures to manage, protect, and promote the value of intangible cultural heritage in UNESCO's Lists and the national list of intangible cultural heritage.

Protection and promotion of the value of intangible cultural heritage in Vietnam

The management, protection, and promotion of the heritage value must be established into Schemes and tasks to be submitted to the competent authorities according to regulations.

- Types of schemes include:

+ Scheme for managing, protecting, and promoting the value of one or more intangible cultural heritages in UNESCO's Lists;

+ Scheme for managing, protecting, and promoting the value of one or more intangible cultural heritages in the national List;

+ Scheme for protecting intangible cultural heritage at risk of being forgotten, lost, and in need of urgent protection.

- The basic content of the scheme includes:

+ The necessity of building the scheme;

+ Domestic and international legal regulations related to the management, protection, and promotion of heritage value;

+ Description of one or more heritages within the scope, object of the scheme; individuals, community heritage subjects; value of the heritage;

+ Current status of practice, management, protection, and promotion of heritage value;

+ Issues, factors, risks affecting the practice, management, protection, and promotion of heritage value;

+ Analysis, assessment of the scheme's impact on the current state of intangible cultural heritage practice;

+ Main content, tasks, implementation activities;

+ Implementation roadmap, time;

+ Implementation costs; names, contents of component projects (if any);

+ Responsibilities (of agencies, organizations, individuals) for organization and implementation;

+ Proposals for management, protection, and promotion measures.

- The Scheme is developed every 05 (five) years with a vision of 10 (ten) years.

- The Scheme is adjusted, supplemented during the implementation process according to the deployment roadmap or promptly adjusted, supplemented according to the current state of the heritage to ensure appropriateness and feasibility.

(Article 14 Decree 39/2024/ND-CP)

Organization of festivals and introduction of intangible cultural heritage in UNESCO's Lists and the National List in Vietnam

According to Article 8 Decree 39/2024/ND-CP, the organization of festivals and introduction of intangible cultural heritage in UNESCO's Lists and the National List is regulated as follows:

- Intangible cultural heritage festivals (hereinafter referred to as Festivals) are heritage protection activities committed in the dossier submitted to UNESCO, including the organization of practice, performances by the heritage community; display, exhibition, introduction, promotion, raising awareness and community capacity, education, and promotion of intangible cultural heritage.

- Authority to organize festivals:

+ The Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism decides on organizing Festivals on a scale of 02 or more provincial administrative divisions, national, and international scale in Vietnam;

+ The Chairman of the People's Committee of the province or municipality decides on organizing Festivals within their locality.

- Festivals are organized according to scale and periodicity as follows:

+ Festivals of all types of intangible cultural heritage organized by cultural heritage management authorities under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism on a national, international scale in Vietnam every 03 years;

+ Festivals for each type of intangible cultural heritage on a national scale domestically organized by cultural heritage management authorities under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism annually;

+ Festivals of intangible cultural heritage spanning 02 or more provinces, cities organized by the Chairman of the People's Committees of the relevant provinces, cities proposing to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism for consideration and decision when there is consensus from the remaining central government provinces, cities to be held alternately every 02 years;

+ Festivals of one or more intangible cultural heritage within 01 (one) province or city organized by cultural heritage authorities under the People's Committee of the province or municipality.

- The display and introduction of intangible cultural heritage are organized as follows:

+ Long-term and short-term displays and introductions about heritage at museums; organizing introductions about intangible cultural heritage associated with information, documents, artifacts, and museum display content within the museum's scope by provinces, municipalities, ministries, and central authorities, political-social organizations;

+ Displays and introductions, mobile exhibitions domestically and internationally on a national, international scale; organizing introductions about intangible cultural heritage associated with information, documents, artifacts, and museum display content on a national scale domestically and internationally by cultural heritage management authorities under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism or by the Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in Vietnam deciding for the directly under the central government province, municipality where the heritage is located based on the proposal of the Chairman of the People's Committee of that province, municipality.

Nguyen Ngoc Que Anh

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