Top 10 cultural, educational, tourism and sports highlights of Vietnam in 2022

The major highlight of the year is the implementation of the National Cultural Conference, which turns culture into economic strength.

Other imprints went to the repatriation of a golden seal of the Nguyen Dynasty and the inscription of pottery-making art of the Cham ethnic minority in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong meets participants at National Culture Conference in 2021. Photo: Tuoi tre

Cultural development strategy for the period of 2023-2025

“Culture is the soul and backbone of the nation, and it embodies the identity of the nation. So long as culture remains, so will our nation,” state General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong.

Accordingly, many cultural events were successfully launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism during the year.

Issuance of the amended Cinema Law

On June 15, the National Assembly of Vietnam approved Cinema Law which will come into effect on January 1, 2023.

The Law stipulates the subjects entitled to disseminate films in cyberspace, including enterprises, non-business units, and organizations, and provides that the Law does not prohibit foreign enterprises from disseminating films in Vietnam on a cross-border basis.

In addition, the Law requires film broadcasters to empower the necessary technical measures for parents or guardians to protect young people from any harmful content of films in cyberspace. There must also be an adequate mechanism for users of the services to report content that infringes the law.

Approval of Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control (amended) 

Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative Vietnam, at a conference of the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence on November 14. Photo: UNFPA

On November 14, 2022, the National Assembly passed a revised Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence which will take effect from July 1, 2023.

The amended law contains many new features, such as the inclusion of more acts defined as domestic violence and the addition of rules to increase the law's applicability to foreigners residing in Vietnam.

In Vietnam, 62.9% of women still experience one or more forms of physical, sexual, emotional, and economic violence and controlling behaviors by their partners during their lifetime.

In addition, violence is very much hidden in Vietnam’s society, as 90.4% of gender-based violence survivors do not seek any help from authorities, and half of them never tell anyone about the violence. Yet, violence against women costs the country 1.81% of its GDP in 2018.

The pottery-making art of Cham ethnic inscribed on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage

A Cham ethnic artisan practiced the art of pottery making. Photo: Nong thon & Phat trien

On November 30, the pottery art of the Cham ethnic was inscribed on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage that needs urgent safeguarding.  

It is also Vietnam’s 15th intangible cultural heritage inscribed by UNESCO.

Cham pottery products are mainly household utensils, religious objects, and fine artworks usually made by Cham women.

The designation contributes to introducing international friends to the unique cultural heritages of Vietnam’s coastal central region and helps the ethnic groups and communities in Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan provinces to adopt practical and effective measures to preserve and promote the value of the unique art of pottery making.

Ngu Hanh Son Mountain’s Steles and Truong Luu Village’s handwritten Chinese and Nom documents listed on the Asia-Pacific documentary heritages

On November 26, at the 9th general meeting of the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific in Andong city, the Republic of Korea, the two heritages of Vietnam were announced to be part of documentary heritage in Asia and the Pacific.

Accordingly, 78 ma nhai steles on Ngu Hanh Son Mountain in central Da Nang City features writings of various genres by kings and mandarins of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 - 1945), monks, and scholars who used to set foot in the scenic landscape between the first half of the 17th century and the 1960s.

Meanwhile, the collection of handwritten Chinese and Nom documents in Truong Luu Village of central Ha Tinh Province consists of 26 title-conferring documents by kings of the Le and Nguyen dynasties, 19 diplomas, and three silk tapestries written in the Chinese and Nom, scripted between 1689 and 1943.

Vietnam now has nine inscribed on UNESCO’s documentary heritage lists, three on the world list, and six on the Asia-Pacific list.

Successful negotiation for the return of the imperial seal of the Nguyen dynasty

The Vietnamese golden imperial seal Hoang De Chi Bao. Photo: Millon Auction House

The golden imperial seal Hoang De Chi Bao, or Treasure of the Emperor, cast in 1823 under the reign of King Minh Mang, will be returned to Vietnam, its homeland, in the coming time.

The Paris-based auction house Millon, the current owner of the treasure, has agreed to return it after nearly a month of negotiation with Vietnam, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on November 14.

Earlier, on October 19, Millon announced its auction of 329 antiquities, including two dating back to the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 - 1945) – a golden seal made in 1823 under the reign of King Minh Mang (1820 - 1841) and a golden bowl made under the reign of King Khai Dinh (1917 - 1925).

6th Hanoi International Film Festival  

With the theme “Cinema-Humanism, Adaptation and Development”, the 6th Hanoi International Film Festival took place from November 8 to 12 in Hanoi, featuring 123 films from over 50 countries worldwide.

The biennial film festival is an excellent opportunity for Vietnamese filmmakers to integrate into the international film market, carry out the professional exchange, learn from experience and contribute to the development of Vietnamese, regional, and international cinema.

The opening ceremony of the 6th Hanoi International Film Festival. Photo: To quoc

Successful hosting and competition at SEA Games 31

The sports industry of Vietnam made its mark with the success of SEA Games 31 in 2022.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam pulled out all stops and optimized all possible resources to overcome an array of challenges and successfully held the 31st Southeast Asian Games in May, leaving an indelible impression on the hearts of international athletes and friends.

At the SEA Games 31, with a spirit of “solidarity, unity, safety, security, efficiency, and thrift,” and with a high sense of responsibility in line with the Games’ slogan “For a Stronger Southeast Asia,” Vietnam was crowned men's soccer champion on May 22, defeating Thailand 1-0.

It is the first time Vietnam has beaten Thailand after facing the War Elephants five times in the finals of the Southeast Asian Games.

Vietnam was crowned men's soccer champion at SEA Games 31, organized in Hanoi. Photo: VNA

Vietnam women's football team qualified for the 2023 World Cup for the first time

In addition to successfully defending the Gold Medal at the 31st SEA Games, the Vietnamese women’s soccer team also made a big splash when it won the official ticket to the 2023 World Cup Finals for the first time in history.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc extended his congratulations to the team for their victory, attributing the achievement to the team’s solidarity, effort, and determination to overcome challenges under the guidance of head coach Mai Duc Chung.

The final round of the women’s World Cup 2023 will take place from July 20 to August 20 in Australia and New Zealand.

Domestic tourism recovered strongly after the Covid-19 pandemic

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam announced it to open completely to tourism from March 15, 2022.

With this move, Vietnam is assessed by the World Tourism Organization as one of the countries most open to travel. The country is also among the first to lift its regional border restrictions.

In addition, domestic tourism has recovered strongly with over 100 million visitors in 2022.

Foreign visitors to Vietnam. Photo: Nadova Tours