Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra has called for people-centred activities for the inaugural Vietnam Culture Day in 2026, underscoring culture’s role in driving fast and sustainable national development.
Addressing a national hybrid conference on October 12 to review preparations for the event in conjunction with the Great National Solidarity Festival 2026, Tra noted that this year marks the first implementation of the Political Bureau’s Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW on Vietnamese cultural development and the first observance of Vietnam Culture Day (November 24) under the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 1111/QD-TTg and Directive No. 35/CT-TTg.
She requested activities must leave strong impact right from the first year of implementation so that November 24 becomes an annual occasion that people eagerly anticipate and actively participate in.
She stressed that culture should truly serve as a source of spiritual strength, an internal resource, and a driver of fast and sustainable national development.
Linking Vietnam Culture Day with the Great National Solidarity Festival (November 18) and Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day (November 23) to form a series of activities from November 18 to 24 carries special significance as culture nurtures national identity while solidarity helps preserve and promote cultural values.
Tra noted that preparations by some central agencies and localities remain inadequate and misaligned with the objectives. With just over a month to go, she called for people to be placed at the centre of activities as both creators, custodians and beneficiaries of cultural values.
Activities should reach grassroots communities, encourage direct engagement and hands-on experiences, and strengthen solidarity among ethnic groups and religious communities, she said.
She urged localities to open cultural spaces to the maximum by mobilising museums, libraries, theatres, heritage sites, cultural and sports facilities, and tourist attractions, extending opening hours and offering appropriate fee exemptions or discounts, especially on November 24.
Tra called for society-wide participation, with authorities providing direction, the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) encouraging the public to take the initiative, and businesses offering practical incentives.
The Deputy PM instructed ministries, sectors and localities to follow the “six clear” principle: clear tasks, lead agencies, coordinating units, deadlines, resources and expected deliverables.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism must finalise a guiding framework for the week’s activities before October 15, review national event schedules to avoid overlaps, and coordinate with the VFF Central Committee on arrangements for Party and State leaders and National Assembly deputies to join community activities. The ministry should also organise a Vietnamese film week and cultural, artistic, exhibition and heritage events while maximising public access to its facilities.
Localities must standardise the first batch of data for the Digital Map of Vietnamese Culture before October 15, ahead of its launch nationwide on November 1, and send information about the platform to the public.
The Hanoi People’s Committee was tasked with working with the ministry to organise a special national-scale artistic programme at My Dinh National Stadium for an estimated 60,000 70,000 spectators.
Meanwhile, the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Publicity needs to finalise standardised communication slogans before October 15 and intensify communications through mass media, digital platforms and VneID, the Deputy PM added./.
