The two-year implementation of the PM’s Decision on the National Objective Programme on Culture in 2006-2010 has made a great contribution to promoting socio-economic development in ethnic-minority-inhabited and rural, mountainous areas.

These projects have helped to preserve outstanding the tangible culture heritages of ethnic minority groups, such as traditional houses with unique and specific architecture, farming and production tools of ethnic minority groups and various traditional handicrafts; helped preserve the intangible culture heritage of ethnic minority groups, including their folklore knowledge, music, songs, folklore festivals and traditional musical instruments; preserved the environmental scenery associated with the cultural values of ethnic minority groups to create a viable eco-tourism potential; built and preserved the community cultural houses of ethnic minority villages so that they can display the traditional cultural products and reflect the folklore religion of their specific ethnic minority group..

18 traditional festivals of 16 ethnic minority groups, which were in danger of being lost and going extinct were reinstated in 2006 and 2007, while 9 festivals were reinstated in 2008. Each festival is supported by the either central or provincial authorities with VND 90,000,000 each

In 2007, 175,997 books, 732,984 cultural productions, 22,820 CDs and 311,610 DVDs were published and provided for ethnic minority people. In 2008, 189,634 books, 737,650 cultural productions, 11,610 CDs and 16,650 DVDs were also published and distributed.

In 2007, VND 300,000,000 was spent on holding three training courses for 183 cultural workers in most the inaccessible and socio-economical poor communes in the three provinces of Phu Yen, Hoa Binh and Ninh Thuan. In 2008, with an investment of VND 300,000,000 three additional training courses were also held for 200 cultural workers in most inaccessible and socio-economical poor communes in the four provinces of Bac Giang, Tuyen Quang, Kien Giang and Thai Nguyen.

Thanks to these training courses, the newly trained cultural workers were provided with knowledge about how to spread grassroots information and promote culture work. The training courses also improved their management and professional skills, and increased their ability to organize cultural activities to gradually improve the spiritual life of local people in their localities.

The training courses also helped created the right conditions for the cultural workers to have cultural exchanges and share experiences and provide the party and state with data needed to set social and economic polices, as well as other information needed to contribute to poverty alleviation in ethnic-minority-inhabited areas.

Based on the results of the implementation of the National Objective Programme on Culture in mountainous localities and ethnic-minority-inhabited areas, the Ethnic Minority Culture Department also gave several new proposals for further programmes.

The Department said that additional work is necessary to preserve and promote the traditional culture of ethnic minority groups, such as their villages, festivals, traditional handicrafts, clothes, languages and alphabets.

That they needed to be provided with suitable equipment to be able to hold cultural activities in their localities and that more training courses for cultural workers need to be organized and run. Suitable cultural products need to be provided to help improve local ethnic minority people’s enjoyment of their cultural products. And additional cultural centres in ethnic-minority-inhabited areas need to be approved and funded by the Ministry.

VietNamNet/CPV