The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will take a number of measures to promote national culture, sports and tourism activities in 2018 which is considered a year of decisive significance to the nation’s 2016-2020  socio-economic development plan.

A Xoan singing performance (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at a video conference in Ha Noi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien said the sector will continue to organise more cultural events at grassroots level, build a healthy cultural environment, and enhance the operation of the network of cultural establishments.

Last year, Bai Choi singing, a folk music genre practiced in Viet Nam’s central region, was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, while Xoan singing of the northern Phu Tho province was removed from UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, and added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, raising the total number of Vietnamese heritage elements to 26.

Regarding tourism, the goal is to welcome up to a total of 17 million international visitors in 2018, and earn 620 trillion VND (27.5 billion USD) in revenue.

In 2017, the tourism sector served more than 12.9 million overseas holidaymakers arrived in Viet Nam, up 29.1% against the previous year, and 73.2 million domestic tourists, earning over 510.9 trillion VND (23 billion USD) in revenue, a year-on-year rise of 27.5%.

In the field of sports, the ministry aims to further develop physical training movement nationwide, especially among youths and students, towards improving Vietnamese’s physical fitness and stature.

The country will prepare athletes and coaches for international sport competitions in 2018, such as the 2018 Asian Games and Asian Para Games in Indonesia, the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina, and other Asian and global sport tournaments.

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam urged the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to build on its achievements in 2017, and devise a roadmap to prevent moral degradation in society.

He suggested promoting arts and literature in order to preserving national traditional art forms

(Source: VNA/ DA NANG Today)