ICHCAP

From 21 to 23 September 2017, the Annual Training Workshop for Cultural Heritage Managers in Vietnam 2017 was held by the Department of Cultural Heritage of Viet Nam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Hue City. Over 300 trainees attended the workshop. They are leaders of local museums, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam’s museums, World Heritage Sites, Historical Monuments Management Centers, Cultural Heritage Divisions, Cultural Activities Divisions in sixty-three provinces and cities of Vietnam.

The workshop was presented by the following experts in the field of cultural heritage: Ms. Misako Ohnuki, Deputy Director General of International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO, Mr. Bill Hart and Mr. Sherif El-Itriby of the Cultural Innovations Foundation; Mr. Michael Croft, Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The valuable knowledge imparted by the international lecturers at the workshop helped the attending cultural heritage managers to get timely perspectives in safeguarding and promoting Vietnamese cultural heritage.

During the workshop, two brochures in Vietnamese, “Intangible Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development” and “Intangible Cultural Heritage and Gender”, were introduced to the participants. The release of the two brochures is part of a joint effort between the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (ICHCAP), Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO, UNESCO Ha Noi Office and Department of Cultural Heritage in raising awareness and enhancing visibility of the UNESCO 2003 Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the country.

The annual organization of the workshop shows that professional training—a well-respected development-oriented activity—can really improve the quality of human resource in the Vietnamese heritage field. This year, it was an opportunity for the cultural heritage managers to learn new legal provisions on cultural heritage field; they were able to be updated regarding domestic and international systems of cultural heritage management and safeguarding. In addition, the workshop was also a place for the participants to share relevant experiences and make practical recommendations on issues related to current regulations. From there, solutions to improve the effectiveness of state management activities in the ICH field will be proposed. This is expected to foster a harmonious relationship between conservation and development in Vietnam.