UNESCO exzpert supporting the development of visual arts policies in Viet Nam

UNESCO exzpert supporting the development of visual arts policies in Viet Nam Related image(s)

(CPV) – Tom Fleming, a leading creative economy expert, in cooperation with UNESCO Viet Nam conducted a technical mission in Ho Chi Minh, Hue and Ha Noi to perform a situational analysis of the visual arts sector in Viet Nam. The exercise is part of UNESCO’s greater support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) in concretizing the strategy for the development of cultural industries in Viet Nam. Despite making significant strides since national economic reform, the visual arts sector in Viet Nam has remained rather fragmented with the absence of a strong domestic market and adequate legal system. Hence, MoCST requested UNESCO to perform a situational analysis of the visual arts sector in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the sector, gaps in the market and legal framework and, more importantly, to provide the Ministry with concrete recommendations on developing the sector in a sustainable manner. UNESCO’s experts conducted an intensive series of meetings with relevant stakeholders including individual artists, gallery and art space managers, fine arts universities, museums and policy makers in culture and arts. The stakeholders were invited to share their experiences, different models of creative entrepreneurship and possible quick-wins and long-term plans for visual arts development. Emerging from the discussions with stakeholders are the issues of creative education, nurturing creative talents, developing an arts market and infrastructure, and fostering networking between stakeholders. The findings and policy recommendations will later be consolidated into a report for the Ministry, which will serve as the basis for future policy formulation and intervention in the sector by MoCST. In a wider context, the exercise are the first step to concretizing the cultural industries strategy which is driven by the vision that Viet Nam becomes the major center and market leader for cultural industries in the Southeast Asia region in 2020. Following the presentation of the first draft of the strategy at the ASEF’s Creative Economy meeting in Ha Noi in December 2013, the strategy is currently being reviewed by related Ministries before submitting to the Prime Minister for approval. In this process, UNESCO is committed to providing the Ministry with technical advice in policy formulation and supporting practitioners and arts institutions, and creating an enabling environment for dialogue between the policy makers and practioners./.