Authorities to monitor festivals

New Year festival at Huong Pagoda. Source: VNA

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has created new regulations to improve the management and organisation of festivals in 2015.

Speaking at a press conference in the capital city on February 13, Deputy Minister Huynh Vinh Ai said the ministry would conduct more inspections of festival sites before, during and after festivals.

“For 2015, six visits are organised – two before Tet [which have already taken place] and four during and after Tet,” Ai said.

In addition, the Ministry’s Inspectorate, the Agency for Culture Heritage and the Agency for Foundation Culture will jointly conduct surprise inspections of localities at the onset of the festival season following Tet.

On February 12, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung sent a public telegram about strengthening the management and organisation of festivals.

The Secretariat of the Party also directed agencies nationwide to improve the Party’s ability to guide management and organisation of spring festivals.

Both the Party Secretariat and the Prime Minister urged localities to decrease the number and frequency of festivals and limit the use of the State budget, encouraging private organisations to fund them instead.

They also asked government agencies not to attend the festivals in the name of their agencies, unless they were assigned to do so by authorities.

They called on festival management boards to ensure the preservation of relics and keep social order; control fires; and ensure food safety, traffic safety and hygiene at the festivals.

In 2014, 15 million people attended festivals nationwide.-VNA

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