Mobilize all resources for literature and art to develop strongly and contribute more

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong looks at some photos displayed at the 75th Anniversary of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations. *Photo: VNA*

Also attending were Party Central Committee Secretaries: Head of the Party Central Committee's Propaganda Department Nguyen Trong Nghia, Chief of the Party Central Committee Office Le Minh Hung; Party Central Committee members: Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha; leaders and former leaders of the Party and State...

On this occasion, many leaders and former leaders of the Party, State and Vietnam Fatherland Front sent congratulatory flower baskets.

Attending the ceremony were delegates representing more than 40,000 artists working in 10 Central Professional Associations and 63 provincial and municipal Literature and Arts Associations nationwide, along with the Vietnam Literature and Arts Creation Support Fund.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and delegates at the ceremony. *Photo: VNA*

Proud of 75 years of glorious tradition

In his commemorative speech, Associate Professor, Doctor, musician Do Hong Quan, Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations, said that on July 25, 1948, the Vietnam Literature and Arts Association, the predecessor of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations, was officially established with the mission of gathering all artists and writers nationwide to unite in building a revolutionary literature and arts movement, contributing with the entire people to carry out the tasks of revolution and resistance, building and defending the Fatherland.

Previously, in June 1943, the Vietnam National Salvation Cultural Association was established not long after our Party announced the "Outline of Vietnamese Culture" (February 1943), this was an important milestone for the Vietnam Literature and Arts Association to be born 5 years later.

Since its inception, the Vietnam Literature and Arts Association has demonstrated the close connection between culture and literature, voluntarily becoming a member of the Vietnam Cultural Association, accompanying the nation through difficult historical stages.

Up to now, the Vietnamese literary and artistic organization has gone through 10 National Congresses, matured in terms of organizational scale and staff, gathering more than 40,000 artists of 5 generations in many fields (literature, theater, fine arts, music, photography, cinema, dance, folk arts, ethnic minority arts, architecture) working together in 10 Central specialized literary and artistic associations and 63 provincial and municipal literary and artistic associations, along with the Vietnam Literature and Art Creation Support Fund.

Over 75 years of construction and development, the Vietnamese literary and artistic community has been awarded noble prizes by the Party and State: First Class Independence Medal, First Ho Chi Minh Medal (1987), Second Ho Chi Minh Medal (2008) and Gold Star Medal (2018).

As of May 2023, 136 artists have been awarded and posthumously awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize for Literature and Arts, 665 artists have been awarded and posthumously awarded the State Prize for Literature and Arts; hundreds of artists have been awarded the titles of Hero of Labor, Hero of the Armed Forces and other noble medals; 452 artists have been awarded the title of People's Artist, 2,621 artists have been awarded the title of Meritorious Artist...

Speaking at the ceremony, artist delegates expressed their pride in the glorious tradition of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations over the past 75 years.

The passionate speeches of the representative artists comprehensively, fully and deeply mentioned the heroic history of formation and development, the precious and glorious traditions and the great and very important contributions of the former National Salvation Cultural Association, as well as the Union of Literature and Arts Associations today and the country's artists over the past 75 years.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong gives a directive speech. *Photo: Tran Hoang*

Build specific mechanisms and policies, encourage all exploration, and respect creative freedom.

Speaking at the ceremony, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed that in the thousands of years of development of the nation, Vietnamese culture, literature and art have forged a patriotic and humane culture, literature and art, closely linked to the people and the nation, becoming a great source of endogenous strength, contributing significantly to the cause of building, defending and developing the country.

Over the years of development of the country and the nation, the Vietnamese artists have continuously grown in all aspects. Successive generations of artists have created many valuable works in many fields, contributing greatly to the creation of cultural products, meeting the increasingly high enjoyment needs of the people, bringing culture deeper and deeper into all areas of social life; worthy of being the core force in creating cultural values, a team of artists and soldiers trusted by the Party, the State and the people.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong also highly appreciated the development of the Union of Literature and Arts Associations of the country.

“Literature and art continue to innovate, closely following the vibrant reality of the country, having a calm, subtle perspective, actively supporting social stability, strengthening faith, having a dialectical view of life, praising and affirming the good, encouraging new factors and new achievements, using light to push back the darkness. Literature and art are increasingly developing in a diverse, rich, fresh, and potential way; the trend of professionalization is increasingly promoted, national character is increasingly going into depth, with great achievements and long strides in the career”, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong assessed.

In addition to the results and achievements, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong also pointed out the limitations and weaknesses that need to be overcome. That is, there are still some people who have faded revolutionary goals and ideals, and take lightly their civic duties, so the works of these individuals are far from the practical life of the country and the people. Some works using books, newspapers, and social networks have unconstructive content, heavily emotional. The literary and artistic achievements we have achieved in recent years have aspects that are not commensurate with the innovation of the Party and the country; the quality is not in harmony with the quantity, there are not many works that have created attraction and wide public interest, and there are few outstanding works...

From the above limitations, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong suggested that artists and writers need to discuss and exchange frankly with a constructive spirit, high responsibility, self-reflection, and self-correction in order to overcome the limitations and weaknesses in the creation and theory of literary and artistic criticism as well as in the organization and operation of the Vietnam Union of Literary and Artistic Associations.

The General Secretary pointed out that Vietnamese society in the period of renovation and deep integration is taking place very dynamically, rapidly and with many new issues emerging, much different from before, during the war and the period of bureaucracy and subsidies. That requires each artist to renew himself, to have both courage and alertness; and to have new qualifications, vision, ways of thinking and methods of expression in artistic creation, in accordance with the practical requirements of development in Vietnam today.

The General Secretary affirmed that the Party and State always encourage all explorations, respect the creative freedom of artists, and build specific mechanisms and policies for literature, art and artists in line with the country's socio-economic development. The General Secretary hopes and expects that the artists will produce many works of high ideological and artistic value, reflecting the country's reality in a truthful, profound and comprehensive manner during the period of innovation, integration and development.

The Union of Literature and Arts Associations and Vietnamese literary and artistic intellectuals continue to strengthen their advice to the Party and the State; coordinate with Party committees, authorities, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and organizations to continue to thoroughly grasp and better implement the Party's policies and guidelines on building a contingent of intellectuals and artists, developing culture, and building Vietnamese people. The Union of Associations needs to have a plan to arrange and use intellectuals in a reasonable manner; have policies to discover, train and foster young talents; pay attention to the work of encouraging and honoring artists with outstanding achievements in literary and artistic creation activities...

In addition, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong requested that Party committees and authorities at all levels be more deeply aware of the important role and position of literature and art in the cause of innovation, construction and protection of the Fatherland; always encourage, promote and create the most favorable conditions for literary and artistic activities through mechanisms and policies such as financial support, opening creative camps, field trips, discovering, training and nurturing literary and artistic talents...; mobilize all resources, both material and spiritual, so that literature and art can develop strongly and contribute more in the coming years.

On this occasion, on behalf of the Presidium of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations, Associate Professor, Doctor, musician Do Hong Quan, President of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations, presented Professor-Doctor Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, with the "Commemorative Medal for the Cause of Vietnamese Literature and Arts".

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