Vietnam’s contribution in fostering cultural cooperation within ASEAN Community

ASEAN mobilizes various resources, including the resources of businesses and international organizations, to work with the ASEAN Cultural Fund to maintain and enrich important cultural activities.

Over the past time, ASEAN cultural cooperation has been effectively implemented in various multilateral cooperation mechanisms, such as the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in charge of Culture and Arts (AMCA), the Summit of Senior Officials in charge of ASEAN arts and culture (SOMCA), ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (COCI), ASEAN Sub-Committee on Culture (SCC), etc  and many cultural cooperation projects with the effective participation of all 10 member countries.

Together, countries strive to build a cohesive Socio-Cultural Community, a destination attracting investment, trade and tourism, which is the foundation and engine of sustainable socio-economic development for area.

In addition to intra-regional cooperation, cooperation between ASEAN and its dialogue countries is an indispensable need and is highly regarded. Cultural cooperation activities contribute to maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, consolidating and strengthening the friendship and cooperation relations between ASEAN countries and ASEAN countries and dialogue countries.

The most outstanding achievements of the important cultural cooperation pillar

ASEAN is known as a region with diverse and rich cultures in the world. The outstanding value of ASEAN after 55 years of formation and efforts is the community spirit that makes up the identity of “Unity in diversity”.

More than half a century of companionship has really brought ASEAN member countries together, the initial differences gradually gave way to dialogue, cooperation, understanding and sharing. The results of cultural cooperation contribute to building the ASEAN Community to become the spiritual support of the 10 member countries.

ASEAN is a family, a common roof, where members put their trust. With the establishment of the ASEAN Community in 2015, the 10 member countries have determined to move forward together towards further goals, building together for the common ASEAN home as defined in the ASEAN Community Vision. 2025: Let's go forward together firmly.

Cultural cooperation of ASEAN countries has always been strengthened, with many exciting activities taking place in a substantive, effective and focused direction.

ASEAN cultural cooperation has helped connect people to people. Along with the activities of related fields, ASEAN cultural cooperation has contributed to the development of the ASEAN Community, which is increasingly substantive, closely adhering to the priorities of the international, regional and the nations through the through the initiatives implemented in the Prevention Culture Master Plan, the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework or the Unified Strategy for the 4^th Industrial Revolution.

Over the past years, ASEAN has gained many achievements in cultural cooperation through the implementation of large cultural projects, such as the ASEAN Art Festival project, the translation project of ASEAN literary works, the number ASEAN Heritage, ASEAN Picture Book project introduces the diversity of ASEAN culture.

In cooperation with dialogue countries, ASEAN has achieved many important achievements in cooperation with China, Korea, and Japan, including typical projects such as the project to digitize the Hue Monuments, the Commission ASEAN-Korea Music Committee, Asian Traditional Orchestra (ASEAN and Korea have been operating continuously since 2009), ASEAN-Japan Art and Culture School Cooperation Network project, project to save ASEAN and Korea. As a digital archive for cultural heritage in ASEAN-Japan cooperation, the ASEAN-China exhibition CAEXPO has the mission of strengthening the friendly relationship between China and ASEAN, accelerating cooperation between the two sides in many fields. field...

Vietnam's contribution to the common achievement of ASEAN cultural cooperation

In ASEAN cultural cooperation, Vietnam not only  shows the responsibility of an active member, contributing to the common growth and success, but also promote initiatives, actively host many cultural-artistic activities in Vietnam, regional and international sports.

Typically, in 2017, on the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of ASEAN's founding, Vietnam organized the ASEAN Art Festival, ASEAN Art and Culture Exhibition and founded the ASEAN Film Awards. The ASEAN Music Festival held periodically in Vietnam also attracts the attention and active participation of ASEAN art troupes.In 2020, despite taking on the role of ASEAN Chair in the context of difficulties and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam successfully organized the ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020 with cultural imprints. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism chaired the ASEAN 2020 Propaganda and Culture Sub-Committee, built and organized art programs, such as the art program at the kick-off ceremony of the ASEAN Year 2020, programs Art presentations at the 36^th ASEAN Summit and the 37^th ASEAN Summit, ASEAN Film Week, ASEAN Traditional Costume Exhibition, ASEAN Graphic Painting Exhibition, etc.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with agencies in charge of ASEAN countries, submitted to the leaders of ASEAN countries to adopt the ASEAN Identity Report and together with other countries are actively implementing it to further promote the image of ASEAN countries. ASEAN, helping people have a higher awareness of ASEAN identity.

Vietnam has initiated and coordinated with ASEAN member countries to organize many ASEAN cultural and art activities, ASEAN Day at EXPO 2020 Dubai, etc., contributing to expressing the spirit and identity of ASEAN, solidarity and friendship of ASEAN countries. ASEAN countries with international friends.

In 2022, together with the ASEAN Cultural Colors Exhibition, the Ministry will continue to host the ASEAN Music Festival in December to create a playground for artists from member countries to meet after a long time of COVID, to presenting new works to the public.

In particular, Vietnam will be the chair of the 57^th  meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (ASEAN-COCI) scheduled to be held in November in Quang Nam province - the host country of the 2022 National Tourism Year.

In addition, Vietnam constantly strengthens the role and responsibility of the host country to coordinate the relationship between ASEAN and the dialogue countries. With experience in coordinating the ASEAN-India cultural cooperation mechanism in the period 2015-2018 and ASEAN-Japan in the 2018-2021 period, Vietnam continues to promote its initiative in the role of national coordinator of cultural relations. ASEAN-Korea for the 2021-2024 period, promoting strong cooperation between ASEAN's film and music industries and Korea.

Limits and potentials in cultural cooperation among countries in the region

In addition to the remarkable achievements, cultural cooperation in ASEAN still has certain limitations, especially the challenge of how to maintain the substantive, attractive and cohesive effectiveness of the people of ASEAN countries.

In fact, the number of ASEAN art programs and cultural products promoted countries to the world  is still small and has not yet received attention and appropriate investment.

ASEAN's cultural industry is still young, small-scaled. Cultural enterprises have not yet created products that are attractive to the public of the ASEAN region itself and are competitive in the international market. economic.

What solutions can promote ASEAN cultural cooperation in the future

In order to promote ASEAN cultural cooperation to develop effectively, ASEAN member states need to make efforts and join hands to coordinate and implement synchronously and effectively a number of solutions:

Firstly, it is necessary to raise awareness of the need to promote ASEAN cultural cooperation - the glue that binds, preserves and spreads the sense of community identity in ASEAN, and harmoniously integrates into efforts to joint deputy at the national and regional level for ASEAN's sustainable development;

Secondly, establishing and orienting the development of digital culture in the context of digital society and digital economy is important to promote the role and effectiveness of new media, continue to apply digital transformation in the field of culture and information in order to create opportunities for ASEAN to develop in a bigger scale;

Thirdly, forming and connecting a network of creative spaces in big cities, spreading positive messages of culture in the region;

Finally, focusing on developing a number of key cultural industries in which ASEAN member countries have strengths such as cinema, design, cuisine, handicrafts, cultural tourism, etc. in order to form strength for each country, creating advantages for socio-economic development for the whole ASEAN region./.

Pic Courtsey-VNA news Agency

(The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)