Transparency of donations
On October 7, answering Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam said that in recent years, the province has strictly implemented the management of donation money according to regulations.
The province currently has 458 ranked relics, including 4 special national relics, 64 national-level relics and 390 provincial-level relics.
In 2023, relics in the province collected 4.53 billion VND in donations and sponsorships. This figure does not include donations and sponsorships in kind (except gold, silver, precious metals, and gemstones), construction works, and donations and sponsorships for religious activities of religious organizations.
“For historical, cultural, and scenic sites with Relic Management Boards, the donation revenue is received, fully recorded, and submitted to the State budget by these Boards. Every year, the State budget will allocate this revenue for the facilities to spend on festival activities, maintenance, and attracting visitors," said Mr. Hong.
For example, in 2023, the total amount of donation money spent in the province was 3.43 billion VND. Of which, 1.41 billion VND was spent on festival activities, 810 million VND was spent on relic restoration, and 702 million VND was spent on management activities...
According to Mr. Hong, the locality only manages donations for relics, while for other religious establishments (not relics), it follows the separate regulations of each worship establishment.
Encourage the installation of surveillance cameras
Recently, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province has issued an official dispatch requesting the Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, functional agencies and localities to implement Official Dispatch No. 77/CD-TTg in 2024 of the Prime Minister on strengthening state management of donations and sponsorship money at historical and cultural relics.
Notably, Quang Nam requires the preservation of solemn and pure places of worship to serve religious activities and tourists. It encourages the installation of surveillance cameras at points of receiving and counting donations and sponsorships.
The representative or the Management Board of relics in the province opens a book to record all revenues and expenditures to ensure publicity and transparency; organizes regular and periodic counting of sponsorship and donation money.
Closely manage received money, including money in donation boxes; temporarily unused cash must be promptly deposited into the account to ensure safe management and limit loss due to theft.
According to the leader of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam, these moves aim to clarify the source of donations, create social consensus; consider donations and sponsorship for the restoration and embellishment of relics and festival activities as cultural beauty.
In 2023, the relics in Quang Nam collected more than 250 billion VND in entrance fees, the largest contributor being Hoi An Ancient Town with more than 194 billion VND. This revenue is used to invest in, renovate and embellish the relics, creating attractiveness and attracting tourists.
