Opening of the ASEAN Cultural Colors Exhibition at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in 2022. (Photo: NVCC)

With the goal of contributing to building a people-centered ASEAN Community and moving towards a common identity, what is your comment on the progress of ASEAN cultural cooperation in recent years?

Since its establishment, ASEAN has focused on enhancing cultural exchange activities and enhancing understanding of cultures within ASEAN and outside the region. ASEAN mobilizes various resources, including those of businesses and international organizations, and dialogue countries, to work with the ASEAN Cultural Fund to maintain and enrich important cultural activities.

In fact, ASEAN's cultural and artistic activities are very vibrant and diverse in multilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in charge of Culture and Arts (AMCA), the ASEAN Senior Officials in charge of Culture and Arts (SOMCA), the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (COCI), the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Culture (SCC), etc.

In recent years, ASEAN has achieved many achievements in cultural cooperation through many practical, effective, focused and key activities. Member countries have jointly implemented major cultural projects such as the ASEAN Arts Festival project, the ASEAN literary works translation project, the ASEAN heritage digitization project, the ASEAN Photo Book project, etc.

In addition to intra-bloc cooperation, cooperation between ASEAN and some dialogue countries is an inevitable need and is highly valued. Among them, there are typical projects such as the Hue Monuments Digitalization Project, the ASEAN-Korea Music Committee, the Asian Traditional Orchestra (ASEAN and Korea have been operating continuously since 2009), the ASEAN-Japan Cultural and Arts Training School Cooperation Network Project, the digital archiving project for cultural heritage in ASEAN-Japan cooperation, the ASEAN-China CAEXPO exhibition with the mission of strengthening the friendly relationship between China and ASEAN, etc.

It can be seen that the results of cultural cooperation contribute to building the ASEAN Community into a spiritual support for the 10 member countries, helping to connect people more closely, contributing to the development of the ASEAN Community which is increasingly substantive, closely following the priorities of the international community, the region and the countries.

According to you, what are the factors that create the success of this cooperation?

I believe that one of the factors that has a strong impact on ASEAN's cultural development is the source of the region's cultural identity.

ASEAN is known as a region with a rich and diverse culture in the world. Therefore, the outstanding value of ASEAN after 57 years of formation and efforts is the community spirit that creates the identity of "unity in diversity".

More than half a century of companionship has brought ASEAN member countries together, with initial differences gradually giving way to dialogue, cooperation, understanding and sharing.

Indeed, every time we go abroad, we feel more clearly the ASEAN cultural identity and community spirit. For example, within the framework of the World Expo 2020 Dubai, ASEAN member countries jointly organized ASEAN Day with a series of events including an opening ceremony and film screenings introducing the diversity of the region.

At multilateral conferences and forums, ASEAN people always seek each other because of their closeness and common voice. It is the mutual understanding, connection and regular sharing that contribute to creating real achievements in the field of cultural cooperation among ASEAN countries.

Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

In ASEAN cultural cooperation, how has Vietnam demonstrated its responsibility as an active member, contributing to the common success, Madam?

Over the past time, Vietnam has always promoted initiatives, proactively hosted and coordinated with ASEAN member countries to organize many ASEAN cultural and artistic activities, contributing to expressing the spirit, identity, solidarity and friendship of ASEAN countries to international friends.

Every year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism actively participates in ASEAN cultural conferences held on a rotational basis in ASEAN member countries, and seriously implements the Plan to implement the goals of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community by 2025 (Project 161).

Notably, in 2022, to celebrate the 55th anniversary of ASEAN's founding, cultural and artistic activities will be focused on organizing in Vietnam, including the ASEAN Cultural Colors Exhibition in Hanoi; ASEAN Music Festival 2022 in Hoi An, Quang Nam; ASEAN Film Week in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City; in coordination with the Hue Festival Organizing Committee, organizing the ASEAN Traditional Costume Exhibition.

In 2023, Vietnam will participate in the ASEAN Performing Arts Project (BoAPA) 2023, the Project to establish the ASEAN Heritage Expert Council and a special working group to study the Lists of ASEAN cultural heritages, the ASEAN-Korea Cultural Heritage Cooperation Conference; the Bronze Musical Instrument Performing Arts Project, etc.

Promoting the effectiveness of its role as coordinator of ASEAN-India cultural cooperation for the 2015-2018 period and ASEAN-Japan for the 2018-2021 period, Vietnam continues to be proactive in its role as the country coordinating ASEAN-Korea cultural relations for the 2021-2024 period, promoting strong cooperation between the ASEAN film and music industry and Korea, ASEAN-Korea cultural heritage cooperation; together with ASEAN countries, organizing many programs to introduce ASEAN culture and arts within the framework of the 10th China-ASEAN Drama Week.

In particular, during the implementation process, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has proactively and creatively combined and integrated ASEAN plans, programs and activities with Vietnam's action plans, taking full advantage of resource support from dialogue countries (China, Korea, Japan, etc.) and has saved implementation costs, achieving many goals in implementing cultural and artistic activities in ASEAN cooperation.

Cultural cooperation within ASEAN has more closely connected people in member countries. (Source: VNA)

What are the orientations of ASEAN countries in cultural cooperation to overcome the challenges in maintaining effectiveness, attractiveness and further connecting people in the region?

In the context of many changes in the world and the region, activities in ASCC need to continuously aim to carry out the task of raising people's awareness of ASEAN identity towards promoting a culture of tolerance, understanding and mutual respect.

ASEAN countries will continue to discuss with dialogue partners to take advantage of support and funding for ASEAN's cultural, artistic and sports activities.

On the Vietnamese side, we will continue to implement the Action Plan for the 2021-2025 period of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to implement the Project to implement the Plan to implement the goals of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community by 2025; the Action Plan to implement the Project to Propaganda and Promote ASEAN.

In the coming time, Vietnam will participate in conferences within the ASEAN cultural cooperation mechanism such as: ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in charge of Culture and Arts (AMCA) in 2024 in Malaysia, ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting in charge of Culture and Arts (SOMCA) in 2024 and 2025 in Malaysia, ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (COCI) in 2024 in Cambodia, in 2025 in Indonesia; ASEAN Sub-Committee on Culture (SCC) Meeting in 2024 in the Philippines, in 2025 in Singapore.

In addition, we will also actively participate in projects and programs in ASEAN cultural and artistic cooperation and between ASEAN and dialogue countries; continue to perform the role of coordinating ASEAN-Korea cultural cooperation for the 2021-2024 period; and implement the role of coordinating ASEAN-UK and ASEAN-New Zealand cooperation for the 2024-2027 period.

Thank you!