Protecting and promoting heritage values is not only about preserving them in their original state, it also requires approaches that are suitable to new contexts.

In many Party documents on building and developing the Vietnamese culture and people, the task of preserving and promoting traditional artistic values has always been identified as a consistent, long-term requirement. Cultural heritage, including traditional arts, is not only “memory” but an important internal resource that helps nurture identity and create national soft power.

November 24 is set to be officially recognised as Viet Nam Culture Day and designated a fully paid public holiday under a draft resolution aimed at boosting the country’s cultural development and widening public access to arts and heritage.

When heritage is viewed not only as a memory of the past but also as a resource for development, the key issue is no longer simply how to exploit it effectively, but how to govern it so that its original value is not eroded in the process of generating benefits. Heritage can generate revenue, attract investment, and spur tourism and services. Yet without long-term vision and scientific control mechanisms, those immediate gains may end up undermining the very foundations of its appeal.

In the new development context, as the demand for green, sustainable growth driven by internal strength becomes increasingly clear, heritage is no longer viewed simply as a “memory of the past” to be preserved in its original state. It is gradually being established as a strategic resource for both the present and the future.

The Ha Noi Tourism Festival 2026, highlighting green tourism and digital experiences wrapped up on March 15 at Thong Nhat Park after three days of activities.

Launched at the beginning of 2026, the Space for Introducing Viet Nam’s World Documentary Heritage and Outstanding National Archival Documents under the State Records and Archives Department in Ha Noi is becoming a vivid visual classroom, contributing to bringing Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW of the Politburo on the development of Vietnamese culture into life through concrete experiences for the younger generation.

In mid-January, Bac Ninh comes alive with the festive season. The Lim Festival in the Year of the Horse 2026 has continued to attract large numbers of local residents and visitors from across the country, while also leaving its mark through increasingly civilised and modern organisation, particularly the effective use of digital media to promote and disseminate the values of quan ho heritage.

Recently, in the heart of Ha Noi’s Old Quarter, many historic sites, traditional craft spaces, ancient houses, and cultural centres have gradually shifted from static displays to becoming spaces that tell stories of heritage. Here, craft memories, artisanal excellence, and lifestyle are re-enacted through the language of experience, creativity, and cultural economy.

An exhibition entitled “Vietnamese cultural heritage – vitality from tradition to modernity” opened on December 25 in Ho Chi Minh.

After more than a year of research and implementation, four distinctive heritage tourism tours have officially been launched in Ha Noi, linking 28 representative heritage sites through journeys that integrate experiential activities and technology.

Director and producer Van Nguyen is among the artists deeply devoted to preserving and promoting Vietnamese cultural identity. He was recently honoured as the “Director for the Mission of Preserving UNESCO Cultural Values 2025” in Tokyo (Japan). For him, the way to “reach” young audiences is to blend heritage and tradition with modern technology.

Digital transformation is creating a strong shift in the methods of preserving and spreading heritages. From the national archives to the museum and relic system, management agencies are proactively applying technology to preserve cultural and historical values ​​and bring them closer to the modern public.

An exhibition on Vietnamese cultural heritage, landscapes and traditional handicrafts 2025 will take place from November 21 to 24 at the Hai Phong City Centre for Culture, Cinema and Exhibition in celebration of Viet Nam Cultural Heritage Day (November 23).

Deputy Director of the Ha Noi Department of Tourism Nguyen Tran Quang emphasised that the four-day festival served a dual mission, honouring and preserving the intangible cultural heritage of the Ao Dai while boosting tourism and raising public awareness, particularly among the youth, about the importance of national cultural identity.

To make Viet Nam a regional and global destination for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions tourism (MICE tourism), heritage and technology have been identified as the two key driving forces. These are also considered the two strategic “weapons” in helping the country’s MICE tourism to “take off”.

With more than 4,000 years of civilisation, Viet Nam possesses a rich treasury of heritage, from historical sites to intangible cultural values. These are invaluable assets of Vietnamese ethnic minority communities, part of the cultural heritage of humanity, which contribute to positioning Viet Nam’s cultural identity and brand on the international stage.

As Viet Nam operates a two-tier local government model and is accelerating digital transformation, the preservation and utilisation of heritage must aim towards building a comprehensive, inclusive and harmonious ecosystem.

After 30 years since 1993, when the Complex of Hue Monuments, the first World Heritage Site of Vietnam, was recognised by UNESCO, Vietnam has had 32 honoured heritages, including two natural heritages, one mixed heritage and 29 cultural heritages. They are invaluable assets contributing to enriching the cultural heritage treasure of mankind.

Mo Muong is a heritage containing the values of many types of folklore including literature, performance, music, dance, theatre, rituals, and folk knowledge. In particular, the words of “Mo” (a type of folk rite practised at funerals or rituals) are literary works with a huge capacity, containing human, cultural and historical values as well as the outlook on life and cosmology of the Muong ethnic people. However, Mo Muong is facing many challenges in preservation and promotion of its values.