Cultural diplomacy helps enhance national status

Nguyen Thi Hien, Vice Director of the Viet Nam National Institute of Culture and Art. Photo: VGP

According to Nguyen Thi Hien, Vice Director of the Viet Nam National Institute of Culture and Art, cultural diplomacy has reaped successes, especially in the UNESCO as several Vietnamese experts have been elected to key committees of the organization.

At present, Tran Tan Van, Director of the Viet Nam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources is working as member of the Global Geo-parks Network’s Advisory Committee and Ms. Hien herself was nominated and elected to the Advisory Board of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Recently, Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, Head of Viet Nam’s Permanent Mission to the UN, the WTO and other international organizations in Geneva, was elected Chairman of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) General Assembly for tenure 2018-2019.

Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Sanh Chau who has 17-year experience with UNESCO activities was one of the nine candidates for the UNESCO General-Director post. 

The aforesaid achievements have brought great benefits and experience for Viet Nam when participating in international forums, said Hien. 

These have also raised Viet Nam’s status in the eyes of foreign friends and presented Viet Nam is on an equal footing with other countries.

Active introduction of culture to int’l community

Since the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was introduced in 2003, Viet Nam has submitted 11 dossiers (all have been approved) in a bid to actively popularize its culture to the wider world.

The country has also submitted two dossiers on Xoan singing and Bai Choi singing, which are expected to be considered for approval at the upcoming meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee in the Republic of Korea in December, 2017. 

Out of 175 signatories to the 2003 Convention, Viet Nam stands just behind Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, Spain, and France in terms of the number of approved dossiers, Hien added.

She stressed that though Viet Nam is a developing country, it can still be proud of its culture as it has helped raise the national status in the international arena./. 

By Kim Loan