"We will make additional efforts to protect copyrights 

to lead the development of the cultural industry"
 

Lê Minh Tuấn, Deputy Director of the Copyright Bureau, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam

Q1. Hello Mr. Deputy Director, could you please provide me with a brief introduction about the Copyright Office of Vietnam (COV)?

The COV is an agency under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, and is responsible for enforcing laws on copyright and related rights protection. 

One of our main functions is to consult on the development of legal policies on copyrights and neighboring rights; to implement legal regulations on copyrights and neighboring rights in the implementation of intellectual property law and to participate in international cooperation activities; and to receive and register copyrights and neighboring rights from authors and owners and to manage and monitor the promotion of national cultural industry development.

Q2. We have heard that the cultural content industry in Vietnam is developing at a rapid pace. What do you think is the driving force behind this rapid development?

Vietnam's cultural content industry is developing rapidly in a variety of fields, including art, film, and more. Vietnam has many driving forces and plans to further develop its cultural industry.

The motivation for this development comes from the policies of the Vietnamese government, organizations, and individuals that have done much to promote the development of this sector. Currently, the development of digital technology platforms is also benefiting the cultural industry.

We believe that it is important to protect copyright and related rights to develop and maintain the cultural industry. COV conducts many awareness-raising activities to protect copyright and related rights, and provides copyright protection training to national organizations and management agencies.

Q3. You have set a goal to grow the cultural industry to 7% of the GDP by 2030. Could you explain your strategy to achieve this goal?

I think Vietnam's cultural industry is still in its early stages with plenty of potential for development. We have achieved so much so far, but I think we still need to do more. The Vietnamese government organized a large conference on the cultural industry in Hanoi in December of last year to develop the industry. The conference set a goal of growing the cultural industry to 7% of the total GDP and established numerous strategies to achieve this goal.

We have a strategic plan for the period from 2023 to 2035, and just as Korea has made considerable progress in music and movies, Vietnam will also select and develop industries to focus on. We are preparing legal support measures to develop cultural industries. In addition to amending laws, we are preparing tax exemption policies and loan support for content production companies and individual creators.

As you know, Vietnam is composed of many administrative regions divided by geographical features stretching from north to south, and it is home to more than 50 ethnic groups. As a result, each region has many unique products. Each region designates a representative product, comes up with a cultural industry development plan using the representative product, and submits it to the government. The government and COV then select it as a representative cultural product of Vietnam, and focus on developing it. Furthermore, we will learn to develop cultural industries in advanced countries, including Korea, to discover and harness new technologies.

While developing culture is incredibly important, connecting culture to industries also requires protecting creators. One important strategy is to strengthen copyright protection to preserve the rights of creators.

Q4. I'm curious about COV's initiatives to promote copyright awareness.

To make more people aware of copyright, we conduct copyright awareness programs every year. We hold seminars and forums on copyright policy for stakeholders, interview people about copyright awareness and issues through media outlets and broadcasters, and distribute books on copyright laws and enforcement.

To reach younger audiences, we also provide copyright information on our website, and on copyright-related occasions, such as World Intellectual Property Day, we organize events like competitions and game shows to engage and entertain university students through copyright-related quizzes and plays.

Q5. Lastly, what would you like to say about the development of the copyright culture industry in Vietnam?

Vietnam's copyright and cultural industries are in their developing stages. I believe that if copyright awareness increases, the cultural industry will also develop. The Vietnamese government is very interested and is making many preparations to raise copyright awareness. I believe that Vietnam's copyright and cultural industries will be expanding in the future, and we will strive to achieve those goals. Thank you.