Theaters under the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City must "share" facilities for performances.

(To Quoc) - Managing 12 theaters but only 2 theaters can perform, theaters must share resources and facilities to ensure venues for organizing art programs serving politics and serving the entertainment needs of the people, is the reality informed by the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City at a press conference on the socio-economic situation in the city on the afternoon of November 21.

Informing the press at a press conference on the socio-economic situation in Ho Chi Minh City on the afternoon of November 21, Chief of Office of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports Vo Ho Hoang Vu said that currently, most of the facilities under the Arts Sector have been assigned to receive and manage use since 1975 until now, so they have degraded despite being renovated and repaired every year, only temporarily serving as offices, training facilities, storage for props, costumes, and scenery. Units that regularly perform include the City Theater, Tran Huu Trang Opera House and the Circus at Gia Dinh Park of Phuong Nam Drama Theater.

Based on the above-mentioned infrastructure situation, the Department of Culture and Sports has directed the public service units under the Department to support, share resources, and coordinate the rearrangement of infrastructure to ensure venues for organizing art programs serving politics and the entertainment needs of the people, as well as solving common difficulties of the industry.

In addition, the Department of Culture and Sports has also coordinated and proposed the Department of Planning and Investment to arrange medium-term public investment capital for the period 2026-2030 and invest under the public-private partnership (PPP) method for projects in the fields of culture and sports.

Last October, the Department also held an investment promotion conference in the field of culture and sports to call for investors in this field to meet the increasing needs of the city's people, said the Department's Chief of Office.

City Theater

Previously, the press also raised the issue with the Department of Culture and Sports about a number of performing arts venues in Ho Chi Minh City such as: Saigon Drama, Hat Boi Art Theater, City Drama Theater (Cong Nhan Theater) which no longer organize performances and have been closed for many years. From there, the question raised with the Department is the cause of this situation and how many theaters and theaters (under the management of the Department) are currently closed, how to effectively exploit the premises with "prime" locations in Ho Chi Minh City.

Responding to the press, the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City said that the Saigon Drama venue (address 130 Cao Thang, District 3) is a private theater invested and operated by Artist Phuoc Sang; this real estate is not a facility managed and used by the Department of Culture and Sports. Currently, the Saigon Drama theater is no longer operating and has been dissolved.

Address No. 243 Ly Tu Trong, District 1 was previously assigned to the Hat Boi Art Theater for management and use; by 2017, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism had handed over address No. 243 Ly Tu Trong, District 1 to the Land Fund Development Center as directed (Official Dispatch No. 1608/UBND-TM dated March 13, 2008 on approving the Overall Plan for Handling of Houses and Land of the Department of Culture and Information (now the Department of Culture and Sports) according to Decision No. 09/2007/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister).

Regarding the Workers' Theater at 30 Tran Hung Dao, District 1, managed and used by the City Drama Theater, it is currently not meeting performance conditions and is temporarily suspending stage performances due to repairs following the fire and explosion incident; however, the Drama Theater still maintains administrative activities here.

In order to ensure adequate conditions for performing activities, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is researching and proposing to the Department of Planning and Investment to arrange medium-term public investment capital for the 2026-2030 period for the project "Repair and renovation of Workers' Theater, phase 2".

The Department also said that currently, the facilities serving the cultural and sports sector managed by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism have 12 theaters that have been taken over since 1975. The Department has increased the efficiency of using the existing premises but has not been developed or expanded; currently, only 2/12 theaters are qualified to perform to serve the entertainment needs of the people: City Theater, Tran Huu Trang Opera House; in addition, in Ho Chi Minh City, there are Hoa Binh Theater and Ben Thanh Theater, which are cultural works and institutions in operation and are highlights of Ho Chi Minh City.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/cac-rap-hat-thuoc-so-vhtt-tphcm-phai-cung-nhau-chia-se-co-so-vat-chat-de-bieu-dien-20241121220446567.htm