HCM CITY — Across Việt Nam, a series of cultural initiatives held over the past week has highlighted the role of heritage, the arts and knowledge in strengthening national unity, fostering creativity and driving the development of cultural industries in a new era.

Recently, the Party Committee for Mass Mobilisation, the Motherland Front and Central Mass Organisations, in coordination with the Standing Agency of the Central Committee of the Việt Nam Motherland Front, held a seminar in Hà Nội on harnessing culture to strengthen national unity and implementing the Party's Resolution 80 on cultural development in the new era.

Affirming that culture and national unity go hand in hand, Lê Hồng Lý, chairman of the Việt Nam Association of Folk Arts and Literature, said that unity built through culture was natural and enduring, rather than imposed or coerced. 

With its subtle and gentle influence, culture had become deeply ingrained in people's lives, binding ethnic communities together as naturally as the food they eat and the water they drink every day. 

The key challenge today, he said, was to make effective use of cultural values to strengthen national unity as the country enters a new phase of development.

Journalist Tạ Bích Loan, former head of the Culture and Entertainment Department of Việt Nam Television's VTV3 channel and a lecturer at the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam, highlighted the urgent need to renew communication practices.

She said a comprehensive shift was needed from information dissemination to communication that would foster connection and dialogue, helping bridge generational and regional divides. 

Cultural communication should serve as a bridge that inspires national pride, compassion and a spirit of dedication, thereby transforming culture into a powerful source of spiritual strength, reinforcing national unity and helping the country advance towards prosperity and happiness.

Efforts to preserve historical sites and promote cultural heritage through education also continued. 

Recently, the Đồng Nai Provincial Party Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held two scientific seminars highlighting the historical significance of the site where the Indochinese Communist Party cell was established in Phú Riềng and the Phước Long Victory.

The seminars provided a sound scientific basis for completing the dossier to upgrade the Phú Riềng historic site to the status of a Special National Heritage. 

They also proposed planning and linking historical sites in Phước Long into a national heritage complex. 

The events reaffirmed the foundational role of historical heritage in educating people about revolutionary traditions, nurturing national pride and making practical contributions to local cultural and social development in the new period.

Artistic exchange

On October 20, the opening ceremony and awards presentation for the 2026 Việt Nam Art Photography Contest and Exhibition took place at the beachfront park in Nha Trang, Khánh Hòa Province. 

The competition attracted more than 9,200 entries from over 1,260 photographers nationwide. 

The organising committee selected 200 outstanding works, distinguished by their aesthetic and humanistic value, for exhibition.

Assessing the quality of the entries, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tạ Quang Đông noted that photographers were increasingly proactive in renewing their creative approaches and exploring fresh perspectives. 

Their works demonstrated artistic merit and substantive content, helping promote the image of Việt Nam and its people.

Held every two years since 2000, the competition has established itself as a respected professional platform for discovering and honouring photographic talent while encouraging artistic innovation. 

The authentic moments captured by photographers not only preserve images of the country and inspire artistic creativity, but also enrich people's spiritual lives and affirm photography's role in cultural and artistic life and the development of Việt Nam's cultural industries.

Meanwhile, the 2026 HCM City International Traditional Music Festival opened on the evening of October 21 under the theme Melodies of the Orient, creating a distinctive space for international cultural exchange.

Bringing together more than 70 artists from Việt Nam, Thailand, the Philippines and South Korea, the festival offered a rich and diverse musical experience.

According to Meritorious Artist Đỗ Quốc Hưng, director of the HCM City Conservatory of Music, traditional music embodies the history, soul, intellect and cultural identity of each community. 

Through instrumental melodies, songs and rhythms passed down through generations, music preserves cultural memories, spiritual life, customs and human aspirations.

Today, preservation means more than safeguarding existing values. It also requires creating the conditions for heritage to remain relevant in contemporary life, enabling younger generations to understand, appreciate, practise and carry it forward. 

Developing traditional music requires appropriate creative approaches that allow it to adapt to modern times without losing its cultural essence.

Heritage and reading

As part of the 2026 Huế Festival, the first Việt Nam Calligraphy Festival, themed The Vietnamese Spirit in Every Brushstroke, took place from October 22 to 26 at the Cơ Mật Viện historical site in the former imperial capital of Huế. 

The event brought together master artisans from across the country, showcasing works that harmoniously combined traditional Hán-Nôm scripts with modern Vietnamese writing.

By celebrating calligraphy and traditional cultural values, the festival offered the public, particularly younger generations, an opportunity to explore the beauty of each brushstroke and appreciate the cultural and spiritual significance embedded in the works.

The event not only demonstrated the enduring vitality of calligraphy in contemporary life but also helped promote Vietnamese cultural identity and advance heritage preservation alongside the development of cultural industries.

Amid rapid digital transformation, the opening ceremony of the Đà Nẵng Book and Technology Week and Reading Culture Festival 2026 took place at Đà Nẵng Library on October 22 under the theme Spreading Knowledge – Connecting Technology.

Promoting reading culture is an ongoing effort closely linked to building a learning society and improving the quality of human resources. 

The application of technology helps modernise information resource management, expand access to knowledge and equip younger generations with digital skills.

Through hands-on activities, the festival encouraged young people to develop regular reading habits while promoting cooperation among libraries, schools and businesses to build a modern learning environment.

The combination of traditional values and a spirit of innovation demonstrated by the past week's events reflects the enduring vitality of Vietnamese culture. 

Unlocking the potential of heritage, the arts and knowledge provides a solid foundation for localities to implement activities in the spirit of Resolution 80. — VNS