On the occasion of the Vietnamese Ethnic Groups' Culture Day (April 19), President Phuc extended his best wishes and sincere sentiments to the delegates.
He affirmed that the work of caring for and improving the material and spiritual lives of ethnic minorities has received more and more attention and bettered, reflected through projects and policies on preserving and promoting cultural values of the groups, and the guideline of considering ethnic cultures as an integral part of Vietnamese culture.
Culture is the soul of a nation, President Phuc stressed, asking generations of Vietnamese people to unite, maintain and develop culture in association with stepping up socio-economic development and ensuring national defence-security.
Together with the conservation and promotion of cultural values, it is necessary to pay more attention to stepping up poverty reduction, improving the living standards of the ethnic minority groups, and bettering the learning encouragement to increase the literacy rate among them.
Hailing their great contributions, the State leader expressed his hope that the patriarchs, heads, prestigious persons of villages, and artisans would continue to act as role models for their relatives and communities, and conserve and promote the values of their ethnic groups’ cultural traditions and arts.
