Minister Nguyen Van Hung explained the investment policy for the National Target Program on Cultural Development for the period 2025-2035.

He mentioned that when the National Assembly discusses this content on June 20, a book by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on building and developing an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity will be launched. This book summarizes theoretical aspects, clarifies issues related to Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh's thought, and the Party's cultural guidelines, as well as the tasks and solutions for cultural development.

The Minister acknowledged the suggestions from National Assembly deputies regarding the need for specific project lists in the program. He assured that he would work with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to clarify this content.

Addressing concerns about overlapping content with other national target programs, Minister Nguyen Van Hung affirmed that a review of the three national target programs revealed no overlap.

The program proposes a total investment of more than VND 256,000 billion for three phases until 2035. Minister Hung stated that this figure is based on data from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and calculated with a specific roadmap.

Regarding investments in cultural centers abroad, Minister Nguyen Van Hung noted the successful operation of cultural centers previously established in France and Laos, with investments of VND 252 billion and VND 190 billion, respectively. These centers serve as places to teach Vietnamese, offer a common home for overseas Vietnamese, and promote cultural expression.

Future cultural centers will be built only in locations with large Vietnamese communities, with specific projects reported to the National Assembly.

On the topic of decentralized budget, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism proposed an average contribution rate of 24.6% from local budgets, ensuring that disadvantaged localities are not equalized with well-off localities.

Minister Hung highlighted that many provinces and cities have already used their own local funds for cultural investments, supplemented by additional units. For instance, Hanoi has decided to spend VND 15,900 billion over the past two years on upgrading and restoring relics.

Minister Hung emphasized that the 24% contribution rate will be adjusted and calculated specifically to cater to the needs of different localities without equalizing their contributions.

Tran Thuong