Exhibition “Vietnamese cultural heritage – vitality from tradition to modernity”

Continuing activities marking Vietnamese Cultural Heritage Day – an occasion of particular importance in honouring the nation’s historical and traditional cultural values – and as a practical contribution to welcoming the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, on the morning of 23 December 2025, at the Central Area of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, the Department of Cultural Heritage took the lead, in coordination with the Thang Long – Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre and relevant units, in organising the exhibition “Vietnamese Cultural Heritage – Vitality from Tradition to Modernity”.

Attending the opening ceremony were Mr Hoang Dao Cuong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Ms Le Thi Thu Hien, Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage; experts and scholars; representatives of the leadership of participating and coordinating units; representatives of provincial Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Departments of Culture and Sports; museums within the national museum system of Vietnam; heritage site management boards from across the country; representatives of press and media agencies; and members of the public.

Featuring nearly 200 representative images and artefacts, the exhibition provides an overall introduction to Vietnamese cultural heritage and to the process of safeguarding and promoting heritage values in Vietnam. In addition to an introductory section, the exhibition is organised around four main themes:

• Theme 1: The legal and policy framework for the protection of cultural heritage.
• Theme 2: Vietnamese cultural heritage recognised and inscribed by UNESCO.
• Theme 3: Vietnamese cultural heritage – diverse and distinctive.
• Theme 4: Cultural heritage for sustainable development.

Through vivid and accessible presentation, the exhibition introduces the public to representative images of Vietnamese cultural heritage and to the efforts made over many years by the Party, the State and the people of Vietnam to safeguard and promote heritage values. It thereby offers an opportunity for successive generations of Vietnamese to take greater pride in a country rich in historical and cultural traditions. Over centuries of nation-building and national defence, generations of Vietnamese have created, preserved and developed an exceptionally rich, diverse and distinctive cultural heritage – from historical and cultural monuments, scenic landscapes, festivals and traditional crafts to performing arts, folk knowledge, beliefs and customs. This heritage is unique to Vietnam, while also forming a valuable part of the cultural heritage of humanity.

In his welcoming remarks at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong highly valued the significance of the exhibition and assigned “the Department of Cultural Heritage, in coordination with specialised units, to continue developing and promoting the exhibition in an effective, sustainable and long-term manner”. He emphasised key tasks including: “further exploiting, updating and refining exhibition content to ensure timely reflection of new achievements in heritage protection and value promotion, particularly newly recognised and inscribed heritage at both national and international levels; linking the exhibition with research, education, transmission of knowledge and the raising of public awareness, especially among younger generations; closely integrating heritage conservation with the development of cultural tourism and the creative economy, while ensuring respect for the original values of heritage, affirming the central role of communities, and orienting efforts towards sustainable development; and strengthening international cooperation to enhance capacity for the management, protection and promotion of Vietnamese cultural heritage in the context of deepening international integration”.

The exhibition is scheduled to remain open until 15 January 2026.

Department of Cultural Heritage