On December 27, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) held a Conference to summarize the work in 2025, term 2021-2025 and deploy key tasks for 2026.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended and directed the Conference.
Speaking at the Conference, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said: It can be said that in 2025 and the 2021-2025 term, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the entire sector always receive comprehensive and regular leadership from the Central Executive Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, headed by the General Secretary; of the Government, the Prime Minister; of the National Assembly; close coordination of central ministries and branches; the companionship of provinces/cities; the joint efforts of federations, associations, the business community and the positive response of the people in the work of developing culture, information, sports and tourism; thereby achieving many important results.
According to the report, in 2025, the Culture, Sports and Tourism sector (VHTTDL) continued to synchronously implement key tasks according to the direction of the Party and State, achieving many important results in the fields of culture, sports, tourism, press - media and international cooperation, making practical contributions to socio-economic development and international integration of the country.
In the field of culture, the system of grassroots cultural and sports institutions continues to be consolidated and expanded. By mid-2025, the whole country had 97.7% of districts and towns with cultural and sports centers; 77.4% of communes and wards had cultural and sports centers; more than 76% of villages and hamlets had cultural houses.
The library system is developing widely with nearly 22,000 grassroots libraries, more than 27,000 school libraries and public document capital reaching over 28 million copies of books. Reading activities and reading culture development continue to be maintained, gradually adapting to the digital environment.
The work of preserving and promoting the value of cultural heritage has been strengthened. Many relics have been restored and embellished in accordance with legal regulations; the work of preparing dossiers, inventorying, and digitizing heritage has been focused on.
Vietnam continues to coordinate with UNESCO in preserving and promoting recognized heritage titles, and at the same time prepares dossiers for nominating new heritages. Activities to protect and promote intangible heritage associated with the community are implemented in a sustainable direction, limiting commercialization.
The cultural industry has made positive progress, contributing an average of 6.5-7.5% of GDP per year. The film, performing arts, fine arts, photography, electronic games, creative design and cultural tourism industries are attracting investment.
In 2025, Vietnamese cinema recorded many films achieving high revenue, with some works approaching the 800 billion VND mark. Many professional art programs and festivals are organized on a large scale, contributing to promoting Vietnamese cultural image and promoting the domestic creative market.
In the field of sports, the mass physical exercise movement is maintained and developed widely. Physical training programs following Uncle Ho's example, school sports, and sports for everyone are implemented synchronously.
Training young athletes is focused on, gradually improving the quality of resources for high-performance sports.
In 2025, Vietnamese sports participated in many major tournaments such as SEA Games 33, Asian Youth Games, World Games and achieved positive results, affirming its position in the region and gradually reaching out to the continent.
The tourism sector continues to be a bright spot, playing an important role in economic growth. In 2025, the number of international visitors to Vietnam is estimated at about 21.5 million, an increase of 21% compared to 2024; domestic tourists reached about 135 million, an increase of 22.7%.
Total revenue from tourists is estimated at about 1 million billion VND. In the period 2021-2025, tourism contributed stably from 6–8% of GDP. Vietnam's tourism competitiveness has improved significantly, increasing 28 places according to the ranking of the World Economic Forum.
Tourism promotion and advertising work has been promoted on a digital platform; tourism products are more diverse, focusing on green tourism, community tourism, and cultural tourism.
In the field of journalism and media, the implementation of the National Press Development and Management Plan continues to be seriously implemented. By July 2025, the whole country will have 740 press agencies, a decrease of 110 agencies compared to 2019; the number of print newspapers has decreased by nearly 50%.
Key press agencies continue to affirm their role in orienting information and expanding operations in the digital environment. State management of the press is strengthened through inspection, examination, handling of violations, issuance and revocation of licenses in accordance with legal regulations.
Foreign cultural activities and international cooperation are effectively implemented. Vietnam actively participates in bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms on culture, sports and tourism.
In particular, the initiative "International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development" proposed by Vietnam has been approved by the UNESCO General Assembly, contributing to enhancing Vietnam's role and position in global cultural cooperation.
In 2025, the VHTTDL sector focuses on perfecting institutions with nearly 130 legal documents being promulgated, amended, and supplemented; promoting administrative reform, streamlining the organizational apparatus, and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of state management.
Stepping into 2026, the VHTTDL sector determines to continue to promote the achieved results, focusing on building a new development space, associated with digital transformation, international integration and sustainable development, contributing to the implementation of socio-economic development goals in the period 2026-2030.
