HÀ NỘI — Lawmakers on Tuesday called for targeted investment in cultural industries and sweeping administrative reforms in culture, sports and tourism, as the National Assembly (NA) debated a new cultural industry law and amendments to seven existing laws.

The discussions during the second session of the 16th NA focused on identifying priority sectors, mobilising private investment, protecting intellectual property and removing regulatory obstacles to business and cultural development.

Deputies backed the need for a legal framework to implement the Party's cultural development policies while urging the Government to ensure that new regulations are practical, consistent and free of unnecessary administrative burdens.

Deputy Vương Quốc Thắng of Đà Nẵng City said the draft Law on Cultural Industry Development marked a shift from a traditional focus on preserving cultural heritage towards turning cultural values into economic resources through creativity, innovation and commercialisation.

He highlighted the importance of digital transformation and intellectual property protection but called for stronger mechanisms to help creators and businesses commercialise their products, particularly in the digital environment.

Representing Gia Lai Province, Deputy Lê Hoàng Anh, noted that the draft covered 10 sectors without clearly identifying development priorities.

He stressed that prioritising all sectors effectively meant prioritising none, noting that none of the draft's 37 articles explicitly identified key industries.

He proposed choosing no more than three or four priority sectors every five years, with regular assessments to determine whether they should remain on the list.

Initial priorities should include video games and digital content, cinema and television, and music, performing arts and the events industry, he said.

Anh also questioned the effectiveness of the investment plan, saying that more than VNĐ9 trillion would be spent on infrastructure for cultural industry clusters and zones, with relatively little private investment expected in return.

 

He warned that overlapping tax and investment incentives, without adequate safeguards, could encourage property developers to disguise real estate projects as cultural developments.

He warned that inadequate safeguards could allow real estate projects to be presented as cultural developments, calling for stricter eligibility criteria and centralised assessment of tax incentives.

Deputy Trịnh Xuân An from Đồng Nai City said the target of having cultural industries contribute 7 per cent of GDP by 2030 required clearer definitions and more focused policies.

Traditional handicrafts, for example, could generate economic value through craftsmanship, design and cultural identity without necessarily relying on modern technology or formal intellectual property registration, he said.

He also urged the drafting agency to clarify the relationship between the proposed law and existing sector-specific legislation to avoid overlapping regulations.

Lawmakers also called for clearer responsibilities and simpler procedures in amendments to seven laws covering culture, sports, tourism, libraries, cinema, advertising and the press.

NA Deputy Nguyễn Đặng Ân of Lạng Sơn province said tourist area assessments should be based on their scale and complexity rather than the number of communes they cover.

He also called for clearer separation of heritage assessments and construction procedures to avoid duplication.

Representing HCM City, NA Deputy Võ Ngọc Thanh Trúc urged stronger legal protection and social insurance coverage for more than 49,000 tour guides, saying better working conditions would improve tourism quality.

From Tuyên Quang province, Deputy Lý Thị Lan proposed guaranteed State funding for films serving political tasks and allowing tour guides to renew their licences once they meet professional requirements, without a mandatory 12-month wait.

On cinema, Deputy Nguyễn Thị Kim Thoa of Vĩnh Long Province called for more films promoting Vietnamese culture, family values and children, as well as stricter age controls on content recommended by digital platforms.

Also from Vĩnh Long province, Deputy Nguyễn Thị Yến Nhi urged stronger school physical education and investment in sports facilities to address declining physical activity and rising obesity among students.

Meanwhile, Deputy Nguyễn Vũ Trung of HCM City proposed fully digitising advertising procedures and tightening safety rules for outdoor advertising structures and electronic screens.

Responding to the debates, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lâm Thị Phương Thanh said the cultural industry bill would establish a framework covering 10 sectors, with the Government selecting development priorities for each period.

Investment incentives would focus on competitive products with distinctive Vietnamese cultural identity, while free creative software and digital platforms would help expand access to creative tools and protect intellectual property, she said.

The amendments to seven laws aim to accelerate decentralisation, clarify responsibilities between central and local authorities, simplify administrative procedures and remove unnecessary business conditions, the minister added.

She said the Government would avoid introducing additional red tape, while broader reforms would be considered in future revisions of sector-specific laws. The Law on Tourism is scheduled for a comprehensive revision in 2027.

Concluding the session, NA Vice President Nguyễn Thị Thanh called for clearer provisions on decentralisation, digital transformation and administrative reform, urging lawmakers to avoid overlapping regulations, particularly in cinema, advertising and the press.

She added that urgent changes should be included in the current amendments, while broader reforms should be prepared for future legislative programmes, including in 2027. — VNS