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4 years old
A cafe’ in Da Lat
© Diem Nhi Nguyen on Unsplash
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Cultural funding
Cultural funding in Dalat follows the financial mechanism of the central government in which, most of the public run cultural and arts activities, programmes of the city will be funded by the provincial and city annual budget and central government’s budget (for large-scale programmes). This includes 137,550 million VND for 19 development projects for the local cultural industries – according to Report no. 147/ BC-SVHTTDL on Results on the implementation of Decision no. 1755/ QĐ-TTg and Decision no. 88/QĐ-TTg; Resolution no. 150/NQ-HĐND.
In some cases, public-private partnership or private funding are also available, especially with tourism-related programmes such as Festival of Flowers which benefits from private funding via Minh Hanh and the Vietnam Silk Limited Company, public investment from the Tourism Authority of Thai Lan, and external Korean investment.
Independent and community funding for culture and arts is more emergent, but is evident in contemporary arts events and projects such as No C ai Bum Contemporary Arts Week 2021 (artist and crowned funding), and Cau Dat Farm Art Installation Project 2021 (artists’ fund with venue support from Tra Co Factory-Cau Dat Farm).
–Hoang Anh, founder of MOIland(14)
Performance of Mây Lang Thang live music stage in 2021
Culture, environment and sustainability
Lam Dong province is piloting a “green urban village” model in Dalat city to 2030, with a vision to 2050. It is expected to improve the quality of life for people, with a synchronised development of infrastructure, the presence of a new rural area in the city, combining with ecological tourism and homestay services. Dalat city and the surrounding area will develop following a chain of urban areas, linked by the beltway and the water landscape axis, with a system of green parks, connecting ecotourism areas, forest landscape areas, and the agricultural landscape. The aim is to nurture “a city in forests, forests in the city”.
At the 14th ASEAN Environment Ministers Meeting and the 15th ASEAN + 3 Environment Ministers Meeting held in Brunei Darussalam in September 2017, Dalat was honored to be the city representing Vietnam to receive the 4th ASEAN City award in environmental sustainability.
“About Doc Nha Lang 2019 - before when I passed by the village, it was quite a nasty, grungy place. After the renovation however, we can see the visual impact, and most of all those who support the project love their own living space. Previously, I wanted Pho Ben Doi philosophy to be art for all, but after the project, it was changed to art with all, because only by creating art with people, with the local government, and with artists are our works meaningful and impactful.”
– Hien Nguyen, founder of Pho Ben Doi(16)
– Doan Van Viet, Chairman of Lam Dong Province’s People Committee(15)
Cultural and environment case studies
Doc Nha Lang Art Project, 2019
Opened in 2019 in Dalat City as part of the PHO BEN DOI Into art hills 2019 project, hosted by Dalat City’s People Committee and Pho Ben Doi (currently is Pho Ben Doi Creative Studio).
Doc Nha Lang (Nguyen Bieu Street), used to be a grungy area of Dalat. This project kickstarted a process of culture-led regeneration. Today the district is like an open-air exhibition with over 30 wall-paintings curated from hundreds of artworks submitted via an open call.
Since the launch of the Project, Doc Nha Lang has become a hotspot attracting thousands of tourists, local people and art lovers. Meanwhile, the project has also helped to transform the physical area of Doc Nha Lang as well as the attitude of Doc Nha Lang’s dwellers toward their living environment.
MOIland chapter 1(17)
“MOIland chapter 1” co-organised by MOIland and The Married Beans. MOIland is a group of local artists who connect creative practice to environmental sustainability. This exhibition involved works created from waste such as water pipes and bottles, pieces of wood, dry leaves and roots, with a message that everything has its feeling and human beings should be more environmentally responsible.
(15)https://nhandan.com.vn/di-san/da-lat-va-lo-trinh-tien-toi-do-thi-di-san-615596/ Doc Nha Lang Art Project
Culture, minorities, gender equality, disability
Globalisation and international integration is providing opportunities as well as posing challenges to the cultural identities of various ethnicities in Lam Dong province and Dalat City. Addressing this reality, Lam Dong has been working on various solutions to preserve and promote the cultural identities of local ethnicities, propelling socio-economic development in the province. The implementation of ethnic policies has contributed to socio-economic development for minorities by implementing projects to develop production, diversify livelihoods and extend poverty reduction models. Policies on culture, health, education are also focused on improving the quality of life and sustainable poverty reduction in ethnic minority areas. Some specific activities include teaching Gong and Ching art for a young generation of minority groups, financial and technical support to revitalise the K’ho weaving craft in Lac Duong district (closed to Dalat city), creating communal space for ethnic minority communities to practice and introduce their traditional dance to the tourists in order to help them to diversify livelihoods and sustain their heritage.
In the area of social policies, Lam Dong province and Dalat city have implemented several national and provincial policies and initiatives to improve the wellbeing of people with disabilities, women and children, and marginalised people. The majority of people with disabilities in the province of Lam Dong have access to basic social services such as cultural learning, vocational training, job creation, and functional rehabilitation.
Culture and inclusivity case studies
Action Month of Gender Equality
The Action Month for Gender Equality 2020 is titled “Ending Violence Against Women and Children”. This took place from November 15, 2020 to December 15, 2020. This involved a programme of dialogue forums, seminars, and training; competitions on the topic of gender equality and gender-based violence, cultural exchange and an overall campaign to promote equality and prevent violence against women and children(18) .
Supporting People with Disabilities
This 10-year-old project covers areas such as cultural education, vocational training, job creation, medical examination, treatment and functional rehabilitation. From 2012 to now, the whole province has trained and introduced 1,325 people with disabilities to enterprises, of which 191 people have accessed loans to start their jobs and access legal and advisory support. The programme has a strong cultural component, with activities in visual arts, sports, music, and performing arts.
Culture and education
Dalat, which with French influence, was the cultural and educational centre of Indochina, continues to be an important city for learning and culture. Many famous Vietnamese artists chose Dalat as a place of inspiration and distribution of their artworks because of its strong position in education and training and thus its role as a cultural meeting point.
According to Decision no. 704/QĐ-TTg issued on 16th November 2011 by the Prime Minister on the Approval for the Adjustment of the General Planning of Dalat City and its vicinity by 2030, with a vision to 2050, educational and scientific institutions in the locality occupy a total area of 361 hectares. Institutions include Dalat University, Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture (Dalat Campus), Dalat Biological Research Institute, Institut Pasteur de Dalat, and Dalat Nuclear Research Institute. Together they provide the infrastructural fabric for a range of cultural and creative education activities.
– Hien Nguyen, founder of Pho Ben Doi Creative Studio(19)
Culture and education case studies
Campaign “Heritage and Students”, 2020
The National Archives Center II and the National Archives Center IV under the State Records, the Archives Department together with the Ministry of Home Affairs in coordination with Lam Dong Department of Education and Training, and Dalat City People’s Committee organised the mobile exhibition Woodblocks of the Nguyễn Dynasty for high schools and junior schools in the city in order to honor and raise awareness in the local community regarding UNESCO’s designated Woodblocks of the Nguyễn Dynasty. The event attracted more than 2,000 pupils and teachers to participate.(20)
“Conserve and develop cultural space of gongs of ethnic groups in Central Highlands Lam Dong” Project(21)
In Implementing the project “Conservation and development of cultural space of gongs in the Central Highlands of Lam Dong’s ethnic groups to 2020”, on October 27, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong province cooperated with Ethnic Minority high school organised classes to train ethnic pupils on gong playing.
The classes took place for 20 days in which pupils had opportunities to learn about the history and values of gong culture as well as how to play traditional gong. The local authorities also gave the school a set of gongs and chings for them to continue to practice and perform later, together with traditional ethnic costume.
Creative workshop as part of Cultural and Creative Hubs Viet Nam project, Dalat 2020
© Quang Nong
(20)https://mocban.vn/
