Decision No. 124/2003/QD-TTg approves the Project on the Conservation and Development of the Culture of Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam

DECISION

Regarding the approval of the Project on the Conservation and Development of the Culture of Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam

ethnic minorities in Vietnam

_________________

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Law on Cultural Heritage dated June 29, 2001;

Pursuant to the Action Program of the Government implementing the Resolution of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (Term VIII) on "Building and Developing a Modern and Distinctly National Vietnamese Culture" (Document No. 1109/CP-VX dated September 17, 1998);

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Culture and Information (Circular No. 200 TTr-BVHTT dated December 24, 2002),

DECISION:

Article 1. Approves the Project "Conservation and Development of the Culture of Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam" with the following main contents:

1. Name of the Project: "Conservation and Development of the Culture of Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam".

2. Subject of the Project: Ministry of Culture and Information;

3. Main coordinating agencies: Commission for Ethnic Minority Affairs, Ministries of Planning and Investment, Finance, Education and Training, Defense (General Political Department, Border Guard Command), Posts and Telecommunications, National Center for Social Sciences and Humanities, Voice of Vietnam Radio, Vietnam Television, Association of Literature and Art of Ethnic Minorities, People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities related to the project.

4. Implementation period of the Project: From 2003 to 2010.

5. General objectives:

a) To conserve, selectively inherit, and promote the finest traditional cultural values, to build and develop new cultural and artistic values of ethnic minorities;

b) To discover and nurture a cadre of literary and artistic creators from ethnic minority groups;

c) To organize surveys, collect, research, and disseminate cultural and artistic values; to conserve and promote traditional handicrafts of ethnic minorities; to vigorously build and enhance the effectiveness of cultural and information institutions; to develop healthy cultural and artistic activities;

d) To establish civilized lifestyles and cultural families; to expand information networks in ethnic minority areas, contributing to raising public awareness, eradicating backward customs, and promoting tourism, poverty reduction, and hunger eradication.

6. Contents of conserving and promoting the value of traditional cultural heritage of ethnic minorities:

a) To conduct surveys, statistics, management, restoration of historical sites, revolutionary sites, cultural sites, scenic spots, special ecological zones, national parks in mountainous regions and ethnic minority areas;

b) To collect, preserve, research, and introduce architectural styles, costumes, musical instruments, tools, hand-woven fabrics, pottery and porcelain of ethnic minorities in museums, cultural centers, exhibitions, and daily life; to prevent the loss and damage of precious relics and antiques still hidden among ethnic communities;

c) To organize the collection, research, introduction, and preservation of various forms of folk literature and art of ethnic minorities; to create new values in literature and art based on inheriting and promoting the unique traditional characteristics of ethnic minorities; to organize and guide measures for managing, preserving, and promoting traditional cultural festival activities and healthy customs and traditions of ethnic minorities; to select some addresses (villages, hamlets, villages, plies, phuns, socs) rich and distinctive in traditional culture of each ethnic group for conservation and promotion;

d) To conduct surveys, classify, conserve, promote, and develop traditional handicrafts and culinary cultures of ethnic minorities;

đ) Along with the popularization of the Vietnamese language, it is necessary to widely use the languages and scripts of each ethnic group in cultural dissemination, economic, scientific and technological information, and legal matters within ethnic minority areas;

e) To develop cultural and information undertakings, improve the level of cultural enjoyment of the people: To consolidate and develop in quality and quantity film projection teams, mobile information teams, mass cultural performance teams, libraries combined with village post offices; to strengthen the delivery of culture and art to grassroots levels with appropriate content and programs; to strengthen comprehensive consolidation and development of the grassroots information system; to promote cultural and artistic exchanges between ethnic minority regions.

g) To build cultural families, villages, and hamlets:

- To establish models, standards, and customary regulations suitable for local conditions;

- To organize for cadres, party members, and the people to study and grasp the models, standards, and customary regulations and voluntarily register to implement them;

- To monitor, inspect, urge, and conduct mid-term and final reviews of the implementation of building cultural families, villages, and hamlets in local competition movements.

h) To train and nurture cadres:

To enhance the understanding of the Party's policies and state laws on ethnic culture and the professional capacity of core cadres, civil servants, and collaborators to provide advisory services to the Party committees and governments at all levels to meet the requirements set for cultural and information activities at the grassroots level.

The main target is cadres at the district, commune, agency, unit, and school levels, with particular emphasis on training cadres and civil servants who are ethnic minorities.

7. Areas for conserving and promoting traditional heritage of ethnic minorities:

a) Areas with high risk of losing traditional cultural products (precious relics, antiques, and intangible cultural products);

b) Ethnic groups with small populations, low educational levels, difficult living conditions, and no conditions to protect and promote their own ethnic cultural heritage (such as the Slila, La Hủ, Rục, Rắc Lai, Brâu ethnic groups, etc.);

c) Regions affected by negative influences where the distinctiveness of ethnic culture has been and is being erased, causing people not to truly value their ethnic cultural heritage;

d) Regions included in the planning of national projects for the construction of industrial, agricultural, transportation, and other infrastructure projects for socio-economic development, requiring relocation of villages and hamlets to new resettlement areas.

đ) Prioritize areas that are key regions with low cultural and information consumption levels among ethnic minorities, such as border areas, highlands, extremely difficult mountainous regions (Zone 3), areas within Safe Zones and War Zones during the revolution and resistance, and concentrated ethnic minority regions like the Central Highlands, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and highland areas. Focus on key regions where ethnic minorities have illegal religious activities and extremely difficult regions (135).

8. Implementation solutions:

BASED ON THE ACTUAL CONDITIONS OF LOCALITIES AT DIFFERENT TIMES, IMPLEMENT IN A SYNCHRONOUS AND EFFECTIVE MANNER THE FOLLOWING MEASURES:

a) Unify and enhance awareness and responsibility at all levels, sectors, and throughout the culture and information industry;

b) Strengthen state management at all levels, sectors, and localities;

c) PROMOTE ORGANIZATIONAL WORK AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT;

d) Enhance material infrastructure and equipment for cultural and information activities;

đ) Promote appropriate socialization forms in cultural and information activities in ethnic minority and mountainous regions to mobilize existing potential at the grassroots level of localities, sectors, forces, and people to improve the level of spiritual life enjoyment of the ethnic groups;

e) Vigorously promote information dissemination and introduce models, popularize experiences, and exemplary cases in cultural and information activities to encourage mutual learning;

9. Sources of funds:

a) State budget allocated to the Ministry of Culture and Information (for construction, operational activities, and funding for the National Target Program on Culture);

b) State budget allocated to localities, including the budget for cultural and information activities;

c) Budgets from other sectors allocated for cultural and information activities;

d) Contributions from the public;

đ) Contributions from political-social organizations;

e) Sponsorship from foreign organizations and individuals.

Article 2. Implementation organization:

1. The Ministry of Culture and Information shall take the lead, together with relevant agencies, to develop specific plans and direct the implementation of this project.

Ministries, agencies equivalent to ministries, government agencies, and related agencies shall organize the implementation of assigned contents according to their functions, tasks, and the division of labor of the project leader.

2. People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities shall base their actions on the content of the project and the guidance of the Ministry of Culture and Information, coordinating with relevant sectors to develop annual implementation plans and allocate funds.

3. The Ministry of Culture and Information shall take the lead, coordinating with relevant ministries and sectors to guide and integrate the implementation of this project with other cultural and social projects, and the "National Target Program on Culture until 2005" approved by the Government.

Article 3.

This decision shall take effect fifteen days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.

2. Ministers, Heads of agencies equivalent to ministries, heads of government agencies, and Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities are responsible for implementing this Decision./.