International conferences

Since the enforcement of the Convention, the international conference on The Values and Diversity of Asian Folklores in Global Integration was organized in Ha Noi in September 2005. The conference focused on the following issues: characteristics of Asian folklores, diversity of folklore, cultural policies, cultural integration, traditional festivals and changes, traditional poems, traditional stories, games in festivals, traditional gastronomy, traditional beliefs and changes, traditional handicraft villages and changes, and traditional performances. This provided a very good opportunity for scientists and cultural managers to share opinions in order to diminish the clash between civilizations, creating a harmonious international environment. Under the circumstances of emerging trade liberalization, as well as the rapid speed and wider scope of globalization, the world has become more “open,” with closer engagement, thanks to the robust development of telecommunications and information technology, leading to the fact that the protection of cultural diversity is not only a necessary condition but also an enormous opportunity to build a world of peace and stability.

In 2008, under the framework of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), a conference entitled Preserving and Promoting the Diversity of Cultural Expressions: Sharing Asian and European Experiences was organized in Ha Noi, with the participation of delegates from 19 European and Asian countries, representatives of international organizations in Viet Nam and other Vietnamese delegates. This was an open forum for high-ranking officials, decision-makers and representatives of civil society organizations working actively in the field of culture in the Asia-Europe region to discuss three main groups of issues related to the diversity of cultural expressions, namely: public policies on cultural diversity; Asian and European experiences; balance of cultural exchange in Europe and between Asia and Europe; and the influence of trade on culture and joint activities of the two continents to develop cultural diversity.

In 2012, UNESCO, in collaboration with Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and other central and local agencies, for the first time organized a Culture and Development Week in Viet Nam, held in Ha Noi from 5th-9th March 2012, featuring a series of events comprising policy dialogues, seminars, roundtable discussions with media, guidelines launching. During the course of this event, the multi-faceted relationship between culture and development was discussed and illustrated using clear examples, research results and appraisal by management authorities at different levels and by policymakers, international donors, civil society, the media and enterprises.

Current global discussions on culture and development are very useful for the formulation of a Vietnamese legal framework and for confirming the role of culture as “the spiritual foundation for society, the goal and the driving force for socio-economic development.” This will be even more important in future when Viet Nam becomes a middle income country. By recognizing and increasing the investment for culture, which is regarded as a spiritual manufacturing sector (heritage and cultural assets) or a process (development policies and action programmes suitable for the relationship between culture and development), the country can identify the ever-changing needs in society, and especially the capabilities in coping with challenges related to human development, such as the increase of unfairness.