'Vietnam to work closely with ASEAN to improve cultural lives'

HANOI (Xinhua) - Vietnam, as one of the founders of the "ASEAN Culture-Arts Community" initiative, always endeavors to improve the cultural, spiritual and material lives of the people and will work closely with other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to build a sustainable ASEAN Community, said a senior Vietnamese official Saturday.

The remarks were made by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh at the opening ceremony of the 6th meeting of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and the Arts (AMCA) and related meetings in Hue city in Vietnam's central Thua Thien-Hue province on Saturday.

Through existing mechanisms, ASEAN cultural ministers have made many decisions and strategies on culture and arts which help preserve and honor ASEAN cultural heritage, thus increasing people 's understanding about the region's diverse and unique culture, Minh said.

It is necessary to take advantage of knowledge, science, technology and art forms in improving the material and spiritual lives of regional people, towards a community of mutual development and prosperity, he said.

It is also necessary to further promote affiliations with their dialogue countries as well as to make the best use of the support and assistance from other partners inside and outside the region, he added.

Minh proposed ASEAN members to actively prepare the bloc's culture and arts development strategy for the post-2015 period, and expand cooperation and connections among culture and arts institutes and schools in order to share experience and improve the quality of education in culture.

During the meeting, Singaporean Minister of Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong presented the "ASEAN City of Culture" logo to Chairman of the Thua Thien-Hue provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Cao.