To help people get closer to cultural products
The cultural card model has been applied in some countries and has shown clear effectiveness in accessing and consuming cultural products.
Since 2021, France has issued cultural cards through a mobile application and all 18-year-old citizens receive 300 euros to spend on museum tickets, cinemas, theaters, concerts, books, musical instruments... By 2022, the program will be expanded to the age group from 15 and over.
In Germany, the Kulturpass cultural card worth 200 euros is issued to all 18-year-old citizens. The German government hopes that Kulturpass can encourage young people to experience culture directly and give up the habit of staying at home that was formed during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Kulturpass is also considered a financial support channel for art units. Cardholders can use it for 2 years in many forms, from watching performances at the theater, buying concert tickets to buying books... Kulturpass is managed through a phone application and a website directly connected to bookstores, theaters...
In Asia, Singapore introduced a policy from September 2025, each Singaporean citizen aged 18 and over will receive 100 Singapore dollars to spend on a variety of cultural activities, including performances, exhibitions, sightseeing and study activities, and seminars. This program is called SG Culture Pass. Last year, Korea issued a Youth Culture and Arts Card, through which 19-year-olds can participate in free performances and exhibitions with a maximum support of 150,000 won/person.
The common point of these policies is to use the State budget to stimulate the consumption of cultural products and both receive positive support from people as well as cultural producers and service providers.
More legal basis for Vietnam to have a "National Cultural Card
At the working session on the Draft Law on Cultural Industry Development organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on July 30, the proposal to implement the Program to promote the consumption of cultural products through the National Cultural Card received attention. According to the draft, the card is a tool to confirm the right to enjoy support, incentives and participate in the Program to promote the consumption of cultural products. The Government details the subjects, level of support, level of incentives, order of issuance, management, use of the National Cultural Card and the organization of the Program to promote the consumption of cultural products. Support through the card can only be used to buy and use Vietnamese cultural products and services at the card acceptance unit and cannot be converted into cash.
This is a new and necessary step forward to promote the cultural industry. Resolution 28/2026/QH16 on the development of Vietnamese culture of the 16th National Assembly, effective from April 24, 2026, has paved the way for the use of state budget for cultural activities. In particular, the resolution emphasizes the use of state budget to "support funding for the creation and dissemination of cultural, literary and artistic works and works of high ideological, content and artistic value".
The national cultural card not only supports people but also has a higher purpose of stimulating the consumption of cultural services and products, especially at major cultural events.
Referring to the organization of Vietnam Culture Day in the period 2026 - 2030, taking place on November 24th every year, director Viet Tu said that Culture Day must become a driving force to stimulate cultural consumption, contributing to the development of the cultural industry. "A festival or cultural day is also a product of the cultural industry. If people and tourists actively spend money to come, stay longer and spend more, then the event will be truly successful" - director Viet Tu said.
For events like Vietnam Culture Day, having a "National Cultural Card" will be a highlight to turn simple cultural events into revenue-generating places.
Producers and businesses themselves are also very much looking forward to this support. In the field of cinema alone, director - Meritorious Artist Phi Tien Son said: "Movie works produced with state funding do not yet have a "mechanism" to use budget in disseminating, promoting, and distributing films. This leads to difficulties for films invested by the State when released in theaters, affecting revenue. It is necessary to soon have a mechanism to combine the State and the private sector in film production, distribution, and dissemination when the film industry is on a development trajectory.
The national cultural card will be a solution to this problem, so that culture is no longer just a "expenditure" but becomes an "investment channel", both creating economic value and nurturing the identity and endogenous strength of the nation.
