Many scientists and experts on cultural heritage attended a workshop on the draft of the amended Law on Cultural Heritage held in late March.

The opinions and comments made at the workshop will be collected, corrected and forwarded to the compilation board of the Law on Cultural Heritage (amended), before the final version is submitted to the government for approval.

Most participants at the event said the content of the draft law is too general and unclear, and the concepts are inaccurate. 

Associate Prof Dr Nguyen Cong Viet said the provisions of the law need to be detailed, stressing that regulations must not be vague.

“The management and practice of the Cultural Heritage Law needs to be more specific at all levels, from central to local, from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to cultural management departments," Hiep said.

Associate Professor Dr Nguyen Thi Phuong Cham commented that the concepts mentioned in the law are not accurate. The definitions about intangible cultural heritage, scenic spots and national treasures, for example, are not suitable as concepts and symbols for the entire law.

The draft law says: “Museums perform the tasks of researching, collecting, taking stock, serving the documentization, and displaying antique items”.  Cham questioned the need for the sentence: “Museums serve the needs of sightseeing, and cultural and scientific experiences, and promoting sustainable development”.

Cham believes that the definition is difficult to understand because it is unclear how museums can promote sustainable development.

“Definitions and concepts need to be comprehensive and easy to understand," Cham said.

One of the hot topics of discussion was the taxation scheme applied to antiquities. Many experts proposed a tax exemption to pave the way for antique items to be returned home.

“The state has the policy of repatriating antiques. But I know some antiques were seized atairports because tax was not paid,” said Pham Quoc Quan, PhD. 

“The tax rate is 10 percent of antiques’ value, causing difficulties for the organizations that want to repatriate antiques,” he said.

At the workshop, experts also discussed the digitation of museums.

Nguyen Thi Tham, a respected expert, said the draft articles of the law emphasize the importance of the digitization of information and materials of tangible cultural products, but there is no provision related to intangible culture (sounds, images).

Tinh Le