In 2023, the city's culture and sports sector issued a list of 90 key programs and tasks and achieved 90/90 targets, reaching a rate of 100 percent.
An important milestone last year is that the Department of Culture and Sports advised the HCMC People’s Committee to propose to the National Assembly the issuance of a special mechanism for the city to apply in the field of culture and sports. Accordingly, Resolution 98/2023/QH15 on the pilot implementation of specific mechanisms and policies for the development of HCMC was approved by the National Assembly (NA) on June 24, 2023. The resolution allows HCMC to apply PPP investment in the fields of sports and culture.
In 2023, the HCMC Department of Culture and Sports coordinated with relevant departments and units to organize more than 50 festivals, events, and special traditional art programs, up 160 percent compared to 2022, including activities marking ten years since Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo (Southern amateur music) recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, the third Ho Do International Music Festival 2023, first HCMC Short Film Festival 2023.
There was also a contest of art compositions marking the 50th anniversary of southern liberation and national reunification (April 30, 1975-2025) themed “HCMC- a pride of a 50-year epic” which aims to look for artworks covering the fields of music, cinema, architecture, dance, fine arts, photography, stage, and literature honoring the historical value of the struggle for national liberation, the construction and development of a civilized, modern and humane city.
The city’s culture and sports sector has invested in the construction project of Phu Tho Circus and multi-purpose performing center that was kicked off on April 25 with a total capital of VND1,390 billion (US$59.7 million); inaugurated the renovation project of Ton Duc Thang Museum; rebuilt a training center for gifted and talented in Sports, the unit 1 of the Women’s Cultural House, Youth’s Cultural House, Children’s Cultural Palace.
This year, the city will pay attention to the cultural industry developmentin accordance with the project approved by the HCMC People’s Committee. Accordingly, the production value of the city’s cultural industries is expected to reach VND53,200 billion (US$2.2 billion), contributing around 5.7 percent to the city's gross regional domestic product (GRDP) by 2025; and gain VND94,800 billion (US$3.9 billion), contributing around 7-8 percent to the city's gross regional domestic product (GRDP) by 2030.
Addressing the event, Vice Chairman of the HCMC People's Committee Duong Anh Duc highly appreciated the achievements of the city’s culture and sports in 2023.
He asked the sector to be interested in mobilizing social resources for investment in the form of public-private partnership (PPP), proposing specific mechanisms for preserving traditional arts with cultural values, developing cultural industry, planning advertising, strengthening the development of high-performance sports and mass sports, reaching achievements in implementing goals of developing the cultural and sports sector approved by the HCMC People’s Council.
