From the lightstick in the Prime Minister's hand
On the evening of September 20, the image of Politburo member and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attending the "National Concert" V Fest - Vietnam Today was widely spread on social networks. In front of 20,000 spectators, the Prime Minister said: "By developing the cultural industry, we have contributed to internationalising the rich cultural identity of the nation to the world, and to naturalizing human civilization into our country, so that artists can live and devote themselves to art, for the enjoyment of the people and for the benefit of the nation and people".
The image of the Prime Minister holding a lightstick (light stick) and surrounding himself with the audience is not only symbolic of the participation and support of the country's leaders for cultural events but also clearly reflects the deep concern of the Party and State for the development of cultural industries in Vietnam. Events like "V Fest" are not just simple music performances but have become part of the cultural industry, contributing to promoting the creative economy, creating economic and spiritual values for society.
The image of the lightstick in the Prime Minister's hand carries a clear message that culture and cultural events will be one of the important pillars in the country's development strategy in the period of integration and development.
Recent music events have proven that music can become a powerful tool in connecting the community, especially in the context of building a national cultural foundation. Revolutionary songs resounding in programs such as "Fatherland in My Heart" or "Vietnam in Me" not only recreate the heroic history but also nurture national pride, creating motivation for the younger generation to continue preserving and promoting Vietnamese cultural values.
These performances themselves have not only conveyed cultural messages but also aroused a deep love for the homeland in the hearts of each citizen. From revolutionary songs to modern compositions, each melody carries the mission of nurturing the aspiration to build a bright future for the country. Events are not just music nights but also spiritual events, connecting history and the present, between the heroic past and the bright future.
The success of major music programs has proven the strong potential of Vietnam's cultural industry. With the remarkable development of art performance programs, the Vietnamese cultural industry has gradually affirmed its role not only in spiritual life but also in the national economy. Major concerts with the participation of a large audience have promoted tourism, services, promoted the image of the country, and especially created many direct and indirect job opportunities in the cultural industry.
Events such as V Fest - Vietnam Today attracting more than 20,000 audiences, Fatherland in the Heart with more than 50,000 attendees, are clear evidence that Vietnamese audiences are willing to spend money on quality cultural products, showing a new consumer trend, where the public values cultural values and is willing to invest in cultural and artistic products.
2025 is the first year that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam has implemented the National Target Program on Cultural Development for the period 2025 - 2035 with the goal of making the cultural industry contribute 7% of GDP by 2030. This is an ambitious goal but can be completely achieved with the right strategy and strong investment from the Government and businesses.
Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Hoai Son - full-time member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society - affirmed that if organized professionally and combined with other service sectors, "National Concerts" will become a driving force for sustainable development for the Vietnamese cultural industry. These art programs are not simply entertainment events but also valuable cultural products, meeting the spiritual needs of the public and promoting related economic sectors such as tourism, services and media.
In addition, the public-private partnership model in developing cultural events also needs to be promoted. The combination of public and private resources will reduce the burden of the State budget, while bringing dynamism and creativity in organization, helping art events achieve high quality and have strong influence.
Towards a cultural boost
At the online conference to summarize the work in 2024 and deploy key tasks in 2025 of the culture, sports and tourism sector with the theme: "Building an advanced culture with strong national identity - The driving force for national development in the new era - The era of the Vietnamese people's rise" at the end of 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh raised the issue "We have a National Target Program on Cultural Development, but if we only rely on State resources, it will be very difficult to develop. Developing the culture - sports, tourism, cultural industry, entertainment industry must mobilize public-private partnership resources, social resources, and business resources".
Two years ago, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism set out a figure of VND350,000 billion to implement the National Target Program on Cultural Development and People's Building of Vietnam for the period 2025 - 2035. At that time, this was a large amount of money. However, at this time, with the explosion of concerts and films with large revenues such as "Red Rain", "Death in the Air" ... it shows that there are bases to promote resources for cultural revival.
For National Concerts to truly become a spearhead of the Vietnamese cultural industry, this not only requires creativity and enthusiasm from artists, but also requires a long-term strategy, proper investment and a synchronous policy system. This will help the cultural industry develop strongly, stably and sustainably in the future.
Long-term strategy is a key factor for "National Concerts" to be maintained and developed. Major cultural events, especially national music concerts, need to have a clear roadmap to develop from year to year. This not only helps the event to be organized professionally but also creates a close connection between art programs, thereby contributing to enhancing Vietnam's position on the international cultural map.
Major music programs and art events cannot stop at a few times but need to be maintained and developed. A long-term strategy will ensure that National Concerts are not only a highlight event of the year but also an indispensable part of the countrys annual cultural calendar. To do this, it is necessary to have a systematic implementation plan from central to local levels, from event organization to communication and image promotion. At the same time, concerts also need to closely link with other cultural industries, creating value chains such as tourism, food services, fashion industry and handicraft products.
Investing in modern infrastructure and technology is an indispensable factor in developing "National Concerts" into a spearhead of the cultural industry. Large-scale events need modern stages, sound and lighting equipment, meeting international standards to ensure the quality of the program. Investing in facilities not only helps improve the quality of events but also creates a wonderful cultural experience space for the audience, thereby enhancing the value of the concert to the public and society.
In addition, technology also plays an important role in elevating these events. The application of technology in organizing concerts, such as lighting, sound, LED screens, or even 3D mapping technology, will create an impressive, attractive and unique performance space, making the audience feel that this is not just an ordinary performance but an artistic cultural experience.
Not only stopping at performance technology, the application of digital technology in distributing online tickets, managing number of guests, optimizing logistics, and releasing high-quality recordings and videos of concert programs will also help increase the value of cultural products. These applications will create new opportunities to promote the national image and Vietnamese cultural products to the world through online platforms.
At the National Conference on disseminating and implementing the 4 Resolutions of the Politburo held on September 16, 2025, General Secretary To Lam also informed that the Politburo is drafting to issue two other important Resolutions, the Resolution on the State economy and the Resolution on the cultural revival of Vietnam.
The new cultural resolution is expected to resolve current cultural bottlenecks, resolve tasks and solutions that have been set out for a long time but have not been implemented, and at the same time, have solutions to concretize the viewpoints and policies that have been raised in the past, so that culture can truly become a foundation, endogenous strength, and driving force for development.
The government and relevant agencies need to issue support, encouragement and facilitation policies for the development of the cultural industry, especially "National Concerts". These policies not only need financial support but also need to provide a favorable legal and administrative environment for organizations, businesses and individuals participating in this field.
One of the important policies is to reduce administrative procedures in licensing the organization of cultural events, especially large-scale music programs. Administrative procedures need to be simpler and more flexible, to facilitate organizations and individuals in implementing art programs without facing delays or legal barriers.
In addition, the State also needs to create financial support funds for cultural projects, especially programs with high creativity and contributing to promoting the national image. These funds can come from the State budget or private financial institutions. Mobilizing financial resources from these funds will help artists, cultural organizations and event producers to implement major cultural projects without financial difficulties.
At the same time, it is also necessary to focus on training and developing high-quality human resources in the cultural industry. Training professional event managers, stage directors, sound and lighting technicians, and media teams will help improve the quality of art programs, while creating capable, creative cultural industry workers who can develop this industry to new heights.
One of the effective ways to develop "National Concerts" is cooperation between the public and private sectors. Private enterprises can provide financial resources and resources to organize major events, while the public sector can play a role in guiding policies and ensuring connectivity between organizations, artists and the public.
Public-private partnership not only helps reduce the burden on the State budget but also creates innovation in organizing events. This model also helps optimize resources, reduce financial risks and create a healthy competitive environment among event organizers.
Private businesses, from event companies to music production companies, can play an important role in improving the quality of programs, from brand building, technology development, to optimizing communication and promotion activities.
For National Concerts to truly become a spearhead of the cultural industry, there needs to be a long-term strategy, proper investment and a synchronous policy system. This will help develop a strong cultural industry, both contributing to economic development and affirming Vietnam's position in the international community. At that time, the cultural industry will not only be a source of sustainable development momentum but also a symbol of the identity and aspirations of the Vietnamese people.
