In the context of global competition, building local brands is an urgent requirement. Therefore, Ninh Binh province has coordinated with the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences to organize a scientific workshop on "Defining Ninh Binh identity associated with building local brands". To better understand the purpose and significance of the workshop, Ninh Binh Newspaper respectfully invited Dr. Phan Chi Hieu, President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Co-Chairman of the Workshop Organizing Committee to discuss this content.
Reporter (PV): Dear comrade, from the perspective of a scientist and head of Vietnam's leading social sciences and humanities research agency, how do you evaluate the role and position of promoting identity and branding strategy in the development process of each locality?
Dr. Phan Chi Hieu: Local identity is the core values, outstanding and unique characteristics of the locality that can be clearly felt, helping to distinguish one place from another. Local identity is the characteristics to identify one locality compared to other localities. The identity of each locality is formed from different origins, partly from the natural environment, and mostly created by the people there during their lives. The identity of each locality includes many constituent contents such as: historical and cultural traditions, in which cultural factors play an important role.
In the current context, the position of the country and the cultural values, the brand value of a country and each locality have become important resources and driving forces for rapid and sustainable development and promoting international integration of the country and locality. Strength, cultural resources and along with that, the cultural factor in the economy is one of the three pillars of the country's development. Culture is considered "the soul of the nation, expressing the identity of the nation", and at the same time "Soft power", contributing to consolidating the country's position and enhancing national capacity.
In the current industrialization and international integration strategy, building a brand based on the identity values of the nation and locality has been affirmed in the world community, in the goals of building a prosperous country. Thanks to the achievements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution with the explosion of artificial intelligence, digital technology, digital transformation..., a country's resources, the country's economic potential; the cultural identity of a nation have become more important than ever. Economic strength, local brand and along with that, the cultural creativity and knowledge system of a nation are the basis for defining the role and position of a locality in the overall nation and region.
Building a national/local brand (including local marketing and promotion) encompasses national branding, regional branding and city/urban branding. It is the process of building and communicating a local image to target market areas. A brand - clear, attractive and unique - is the foundation for turning a locality into an investment attraction, a tourist destination and a livable place. In the process of integration, globalization and networking of the world, each locality has to compete with other localities, because we all have to compete to attract customers, tourists, businesses, investment capital and industry.
Currently, in the world, there are more than 3,000 large cities and 455 metropolitan areas participating in the process of building globally competitive local brands. Currently, in many countries around the world, local brands are popular and bring superior and more sustainable competitive advantages compared to other localities and countries. Local brands not only create positive effects on investment efficiency and the market from the outside, but also stimulate internal forces within the locality. Local brands are an integral part of the general local development strategy and are made up of groups of factors that have mutual impacts including: history, culture and tradition; national values (natural conditions, population, economy, politics, culture, society, international relations, etc.), people and the management capacity of local governments.
However, a local brand does not come naturally, but must be built, developed, promoted, affirmed and recognized. Therefore, it is necessary to have a systematic strategy to build and develop a local brand, in which the objectives, content, methods, tasks and implementation solutions are clearly defined, with the participation of the entire political system, especially the participation of all classes of people.
PV: According to you, what are the unique, outstanding and special values of Ninh Binh province?
Dr. Phan Chi Hieu: Through studying published documents, research and personal feelings, it can be seen that Ninh Binh province has many unique, outstanding and special advantages as follows:
Firstly , the characteristics of positional resources and geo-political position: Hoa Lu - Truong Yen in the past, Ninh Binh today has the convergence of all 3 spaces: High mountain economic and cultural space, Delta economic and cultural space and Marine economic and cultural space. It is the convergence of a complex of ecosystems, creating many strengths in natural resources and positional resources. According to the spatial approach and in the comparative vision between spaces, Ninh Binh is both the southernmost region of the North and the land associated with Thanh - Nghe region, at the same time has natural and human characteristics close to the Northwest region. Ninh Binh has both the advantage of regional connectivity along the North - South axis and the strength of East - West connectivity. That special geopolitical and geo-economic position creates open spaces for this land. Ninh Binh has the conditions to enhance economic, social and cultural exchanges not only with provinces and cities in the Red River Delta, the Northern Coastal region, and the Northern key economic region, but also with provinces and cities in the Hanoi Capital region, the Northwest mountainous region, and the North Central region.
Second , Ninh Binh is a land with a long-standing historical and cultural tradition: It was the capital of Vietnam in the 10th century, and is a land associated with the careers of 6 kings of the three dynasties Dinh - Tien Le - Ly with many historical marks.
Third , Ninh Binh has a massive system of relics spread across many localities and administrative units. Ninh Binh currently has 395 ranked relics, including 1 World Cultural and Natural Heritage (Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex), 81 ranked national relics (including 3 special national relics: Hoa Lu Ancient Capital; Trang An - Tam Coc - Bich Dong Scenic Landscape and Non Nuoc Mountain Relic) and 314 ranked provincial relics. Ninh Binh has 5 artifacts recognized as National Treasures (Buddhist Sutra Pillar of Nhat Tru Pagoda, Long Bed in front of Nghi Mon Ngoai and Long Bed in front of Bai Duong Temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang; Set of Phu Viet Temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang; Set of Phu Viet Temple of King Le Dai Hanh).
Fourth , Ninh Binh has many unique advantages in terms of natural values, natural resources and ecosystems. Ninh Binh province has many favorable natural conditions, very diverse terrain, with many different ecological-social regions and landscapes such as: mountains, midlands, plains and sea space; many beautiful landscapes combining forests - sea - plains, many famous landscapes, historical and cultural relics, attracting visitors are conditions for Ninh Binh to develop industries, agriculture and tourism, comprehensive services. The province's natural heritages such as: Trang An Complex is a World Cultural and Natural Heritage recognized by UNESCO since 2014, Cuc Phuong National Forest, limestone mountain ecosystem mixed with Van Long wetland, Kim Son coastal wetland annually expanding its area to the sea with high biodiversity. Therefore, Ninh Binh has many great advantages in socio-economic development associated with the development of urban systems, service tourism and industry of the Northern coastal region.
Fifth , the people of Ninh Binh are gentle, hospitable, kind and loyal, brave in fighting to protect their homeland and country, diligent and hard-working, and determined to build a rich and beautiful homeland. This is also a great advantage of Ninh Binh province.
Reporter: Could you please share more clearly about the purpose and significance of the scientific workshop "Defining Ninh Binh identity associated with building local brands" that the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences in coordination with Ninh Binh province is preparing to organize soon?
Dr. Phan Chi Hieu: I highly appreciate the initiative to organize the scientific workshop "Defining Ninh Binh identity associated with building local brands" and sincerely thank the provincial leaders for inviting the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) to participate.
The workshop is a forum for researchers, managers, and business people to exchange and discuss to fully and accurately identify the unique, outstanding, and unique identity values and absolute comparative advantages of Ninh Binh province, thereby proposing solutions to build the province's brand. At the same time, analyze the shortcomings, limitations, bottlenecks, and bottlenecks in mechanisms, policies, and management organizations that need to be removed in heritage conservation; correctly identify the root causes of the problems that are hindering development. On that basis, propose solutions to harmonize the interests between conservation and promotion of local heritage for sustainable tourism development, bringing benefits to the community and contributing to the socio-economic development of the province. More importantly, in determining the goals, orientations and aspirations for development in the coming time, Ninh Binh province needs to prepare for the transformation period to liberate all local identity values to become resources and capital for socio-economic development and take advantage of the opportunistic factors brought about by the new context. Ninh Binh needs to have unique and outstanding mechanisms and policies to undertake the great mission of preserving and conserving cultural values and human heritage; at the same time, creating motivation for the province to have more opportunities to promote internal strength and mobilize resources for rapid and sustainable development, worthy of being a special urban area in terms of heritage values.
For the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, this is an opportunity for the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences to participate more deeply, directly and specifically in policy consulting, providing scientific and practical arguments for policy making and solutions for the development of the country and each locality.
Reporter: The development of Ninh Binh province in the present and future is taking place in the context of rapid changes in the international and regional context, with many factors of the times and if taken advantage of, Ninh Binh province can develop very quickly to become a fairly developed province in the Red River Delta region. According to you, to take advantage of the opportunity and not miss the development beat, what should Ninh Binh do?
Dr. Phan Chi Hieu: In my opinion, to take advantage of opportunities and turn identity and heritage values into resources for development, Ninh Binh province needs to pay attention to doing the following:
Firstly , it is necessary to clearly identify the core values, unique characteristics and competitive advantages of Ninh Binh to promote more strongly in the coming time. Besides, it is also necessary to frankly acknowledge the limitations to be determined to overcome and change in order to create the appearance, image and attractiveness of Ninh Binh province in the new context.
Second , it is necessary to research and build Ninh Binh's brand, focusing on local marketing strategies, associated with historical traditions, cultural values, and promoting the advantages of Ninh Binh people.
Third , continue to strongly improve the investment, business and living environment, determined to build Ninh Binh into a place worth living and investing in to attract and retain investors, talented people and tourists.
Fourth , pay attention to research and develop strategies for the Cultural Industry - an economic sector related to the production, reproduction, storage and distribution of cultural products and services on a commercial basis. The world's economic powers are all cultural powers, and their soft power based on cultural capital has contributed significantly to maintaining the high competitiveness of these economies. For some countries that developed later, the cultural industry has become a key force in the country's development strategy, with a very clear and vivid example being South Korea. Right in our Southeast Asian region, Singapore and Thailand also rely heavily on their cultural capital to develop and compete successfully on a global scale. The Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Complex, with its dense concentration of historical and cultural relics and landscape spaces convenient for community cultural and artistic activities, can create ideal conditions for the development of cultural industries.
Reporter: Currently, many provinces and cities have been allowed by the Central Government to pilot a special mechanism for local socio-economic development. Could you please share more about whether Ninh Binh province has all the elements to be eligible for this special mechanism?
Dr. Phan Chi Hieu: The National Assembly has issued a Resolution on piloting specific mechanisms for many localities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Thua Thien Hue, Khanh Hoa, Can Tho City, Buon Ma Thuot City, Dak Lak Province. Ninh Binh is also a locality with many advantages for socio-economic development as mentioned above. The province is also the only locality in Vietnam and also one of the few in the region to possess a dual heritage title: Trang An World Cultural and Natural Heritage. To fulfill the mission of preserving and conserving cultural values and world heritage, and at the same time, to make heritage a resource and driving force for local socio-economic development, Ninh Binh needs to be allowed by the Central Government to pilot specific mechanisms and policies to maximize its potential for socio-economic development and heritage conservation. In my opinion, the specific mechanisms focus on the following key groups:
Group 1: Develop specific mechanisms and policies to maximize resource mobilization for the goal of preserving and promoting cultural and natural heritage values.
Group 2: Specific mechanisms and policies to create motivation and attract strategic investors as leverage to promote the province's socio-economic development in a fast and sustainable direction.
Group 3: Allows piloting of financial mechanisms to implement measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through carbon credit exchange and offset mechanisms and biosphere labels.
Group 4: There needs to be specific mechanisms and policies in classifying urban areas and heritages to ensure that urban areas and heritages recognized by UNESCO are not swept away by the "compressed urban and heritage" model to both promote urbanization and modernization while still being suitable for the function of heritage urban areas, while preserving and conserving the core values recognized by UNESCO; specific mechanisms and policies to ensure sustainable livelihood transformation for people in heritage areas.
PV: Thank you very much, comrade!
Nguyen Thom (Implementation)
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