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Continuing the program of the First Session of the Sixteenth National Assembly, delegates heard the draft resolution and the appraisal report on developing Vietnamese culture on the morning of April 20. The proposals outline new mechanisms and policies aimed at mobilizing resources and unlocking investment in the sector.
Presenting the proposal, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lâm Thị Phương Thanh said the draft resolution includes ten major policy groups. On resources, the State will ensure annual cultural spending of at least 2% of total state budget expenditure, while encouraging the mobilization of social resources.
The draft also sets out investment-stimulating mechanisms, including facilitating access to land and offering tax and fee incentives to form cultural-creative clusters and parks. It further proposes assigning communities to manage and operate certain cultural and sports facilities.
Among the notable incentives, the draft proposes applying a 5% value-added tax to the production and distribution of films, performing arts, and sports. It also includes import duty exemptions to bring high-end artworks and national treasures from abroad for display without profit.
Other measures mentioned in the draft include piloting a heritage-city model, and prioritizing land for cultural and sports facilities at the local level.
The draft prescribes mechanisms to conserve the cultures of ethnic minorities, folk arts, and traditional arts. It also includes policies to reward and develop talent in culture and sports, a mechanism for commissioning high-value creative works, and support for promoting the image of the country and Vietnamese people abroad.
On digital transformation, the draft prioritizes building a national cultural database, digitizing heritage, and establishing cultural innovation centers. It also institutionalizes the policy that November 24 is annually observed as “Vietnam Culture Day,” with workers receiving paid leave.
In the appraisal, Nguyễn Đắc Vinh, Chairman of the Cultural and Social Committee, said the committee endorses the necessity of issuing the resolution to promptly implement Resolution 80-NQ/TW of the Politburo. The draft is considered compatible with the Constitution and international treaties Vietnam is a party to, while ensuring national defense, security, gender equality, and ethnic policy.
The committee broadly agrees with the ten policy groups and recommends clarifying certain aspects, including the concept of “heritage city,” criteria for selecting pilot localities, principles for applying land and fee incentives, and a deployment roadmap to avoid dispersion and ensure effectiveness and resource balance.
It also noted that some new policies—such as budgeting for creative activities, reimbursing costs for foreign organizations using settings in Vietnam, or piloting a Cultural and Arts Fund—require thorough review with strict criteria, conditions, and governance mechanisms to ensure feasibility, transparency, and investment efficiency.
Today, the National Assembly continues discussions on major institutional and socio-economic contents.
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