The Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO (UNESCO Vietnam) will
organise more cultural activities this year to further heighten
Vietnam’s position in the world arena.
The Commission’s plan will
get a lending hand from the Department of Culture, External Relations
and UNESCO of the Foreign Ministry.
UNESCO Vietnam’s
General Secretary Pham Cao Phong said the year 2013 will be a milestone
year to promote Vietnam ’s images to the world through a series of
Vietnamese week events.
“We will partner with
Vietnamese relevant agencies in Italy, Canada and Japan to
launch Vietnamese weeks there,” added Phong, who is also Head of the
Department of Culture, External Relations and UNESCO.
He underlined the important role played by cultural diplomacy in furthering the country’s relationship with other countries.
Phong
also talked about a plan to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the
2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
to be held in the northern province of Quang Ninh as an important
event of cultural diplomacy this year.
He stressed
the need to pay more attention to raising public awareness of cultural
diplomacy as a foundation for development.
Reviewing
the sector’s achievements in 2012, Phong mentioned a broad range of
activities, such as the inauguration of statues of President Ho Chi Minh
in Argentina, Laos and Thailand, and the organisation of
friendship year marking Vietnam’s relations with Laos, Cambodia
and the Republic of Korea.
Last year, Vietnam gained
UNESCO’s recognition for its two more heritages, including Buddhist
Sutras-printed woodblocks kept in Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in the northern
province of Bac Giang and the worship rituals dedicated to Hung Kings in
the central midland province of Phu Tho.-VNA