If transport infrastructure connects people and goods, digital infrastructure connects data and knowledge, then digital cultural infrastructure is specialized infrastructure connecting national identity with creativity, economy and national soft power.
The Decree details the development of digital cultural infrastructure, including 3 basic components: Digital infrastructure; Digital cultural data infrastructure; Digital platforms, digital systems, digital tools serving public interests. Not only limited to core areas, this infrastructure will be shared and linked to promote synchronous development of both tourism and sports.
The Decree includes 5 chapters and 20 articles, applicable to all agencies, organizations, and individuals at home and abroad participating in the digital cultural ecosystem in Vietnam. In particular, the document expresses the spirit of thorough reform when eliminating barriers, not generating any more cumbersome administrative procedures for people and businesses.
8 strategic shifts Instead of following the beaten path of scattered physical infrastructure investment, the Decree focuses on creating mechanisms to solve 8 core problems through a data-based governance model.
These are:
1. Preserving heritage in a context of rapid change: Many cultural values are facing the risk of fading due to time, natural disasters, urbanization and changes in social life. Digital cultural infrastructure helps: Digitize artifacts, relics, documents, performing arts; Long-term storage according to international standards; Restoration with AI, 3D, XR when artifacts are damaged; Creating a "Digital Twin" of heritage. Thanks to that, cultural values are not lost even when original artifacts are destroyed.
2. Expanding cultural access: Previously, people had to go to museums, libraries, and theaters. When there is digital cultural infrastructure, people can visit museums online; learn art on digital platforms; watch high-quality performances; look up heritage anywhere. Culture becomes a digital public service serving the whole people.
3. Creating raw materials for AI and the creative economy: In the AI era, data is raw material. AI needs to understand Vietnamese culture, it needs a database of Vietnamese language data; heritage data; art data; festival data; music data; costume data; fine arts data, etc. If there is no cultural data infrastructure, AI will mainly learn from foreign data and find it difficult to reflect Vietnamese identity.
4. Promoting the cultural industry: Movies, electronic games, animations, music, design, advertising, publishing... all need cultural data. A good digital cultural infrastructure will help businesses exploit legitimate data; reuse digital resources; reduce creative costs; develop many new products. Digital cultural infrastructure is therefore like a highway for the cultural industry.
5. Building a national brand: Today, national strength is not only in economy but also in cultural appeal. Successful countries all have digital ecosystems promoting culture: Korea with K-content; Japan with anime, manga; China with digital cultural and game platforms. Vietnam wants to build a digital cultural brand, it needs strong enough infrastructure to connect data, content and businesses. Digital cultural infrastructure is the platform to help develop Vietnamese digital cultural brands: VietCreative and VietGames.
6. Creating a transparent digital cultural market: Without infrastructure, it is difficult to determine copyright; difficult to trade digital assets; difficult to share revenue; difficult to protect artists and authors. Digital cultural infrastructure allows the formation of copyright databases; identification of works; digital cultural asset exchanges; payment and benefit sharing mechanisms. This is the foundation of the digital cultural economy.
7. Improve state management efficiency: Management agencies can monitor cultural activities in real time; statistics of the cultural industry; policy impact assessment; analysis of cultural consumption trends; market demand forecasting. Management shifts from "experience" to "data-based governance".
8. Ensuring cultural sovereignty in the digital space: The cyberspace is becoming a new cultural space. If Vietnam does not have its own infrastructure, cultural data is located on foreign platforms; Vietnamese content is difficult to prioritize; foreign algorithms determine user access; risk of data dependence and spread of foreign values.
Accompanying businesses and developing creative "incubators" To create a solid foundation, the Decree establishes a list of priority digital technology developments including: Cloud computing, frontier computing, AI, big data, digital copies, blockchain, VR/AR/XR, LiDAR, GIS, and BIM/HBIM.
Enterprises investing, researching, and developing digital technology, digital technology products as well as digital cultural products and services will fully enjoy preferential policies and support according to current laws on investment, science and technology, innovation, high technology, digital technology industry and digital transformation when meeting the corresponding criteria. In parallel, the State will support market development, investment promotion, trade promotion, connect businesses with cultural and artistic units, and support research and product development according to programs approved by competent authorities.
At the same time, the model of the Cultural Innovation Center is officially legally defined. These centers are implemented according to the cooperation method between the State-School-Enterprise; operating under the model of public non-business units, enterprises or other legal organizations without generating additional apparatus, legal procedures or separate preferential policies outside the current legal framework.
Flexibly located in clusters, cultural creative industrial parks, creative complexes, educational institutions or cultural institutions, the center will perform its core mission of supporting digital content creation, developing digital cultural products and services, and connecting creative communities with training institutions and businesses. This synergy promises to turn the precious cultural resources of our ancestors into a driving force for strong and sustainable creative economic development in the future.
