Vietnamese Delegation attends the 55th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information

The 55^th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (ASEAN-COCI) was held virtually on September 14^th 2020 and chaired by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth of Singapore. Singapore and Thailand took charge of the roles of Chair and Vice Chair of ASEAN COCI in 2020 respectively. The Meeting was attended by representatives of cultural and information bodies of 10 ASEAN Member States and ASEAN Secretariat. The Meeting was attended by Mr. Le Ngoc Dinh, Deputy Director General of International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Head of Delegation, alongside Mr. Trieu Minh Long, Director General of International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Information and Communications, and other Officials in charge of ASEAN multilateral cooperation in culture and information. As assigned by the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communications, represents Viet Nam at the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information. 

The 55^th ASEAN –COCI is the annual event of the Committee held to evaluate cooperation activities in the fields of regional culture and information in the past year, as well as review new cooperation proposals and initiatives. Member countries of the Committee discussed and updated the Meeting on the implementation of cooperation projects of 2019-2020 period and approved new projects proposed by members for the year of 2021. The 55^th ASEAN-COCI also reviewed the reports of the 21^st Meeting of the ASEAN-COCI Sub-Committee on Culture and the 21^st Meeting of the ASEAN-COCI Sub-Committee on Information; and approved 10 projects in the field of culture and 5 projects in the field of information and appoint those to hosting ASEAN countries in 2021. 

One of the subjects to be discussed at the 55^th ASEAN-COCI was ASEAN Identity since 2020 had been chosen as the Year of ASEAN Identity. In the context of global and regional complications of the COVID-19 pandemic, ASEAN Member States shared information and impacts of the pandemic on culture and information sectors and proposed solutions to cooperate and overcome the damages caused by COVID-19. The Head of Delegation of Viet Nam, Mr. Le Ngoc Dinh spoke of difficulties and damages the COVID-19 pandemic had caused Vietnamese cultural and artistic activities and the representative of the Ministry of Information and Communications briefed the Meeting on the impacts of the pandemic on the information sector of Viet Nam. 

At the Meeting, Vietnamese delegation reported to the participants about cultural and information activities Viet Nam had hosted as the Chair of ASEAN 2020. Viet Nam successfully organized the ASEAN Film Week 2020 and the ASEAN Special Online Worksop on Fake News in July 2020. According to plans, Viet Nam will host some ASEAN cultural and information activities to celebrate the 37^th ASEAN Summit in Ha Noi, namely: the 3rd ASEAN Graphic Arts Competition and Exhibition, an ASEAN National Costume Display, a Production of a Video Clip on ASEAN 5-Year Community and Viet Nam’s 25 years of accession to ASEAN and a visit for ASEAN Media Professionals to Viet Nam to cover and promote the country. 

Based on rotating mechanism, in 2021, Viet Nam will take the role of ASEAN COCI Vice Chair to Thailand’s Chair, and a year later in 2022 will assume the Chair of the 57^th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will take charge and collaborate with the Ministry of Information and Communications to hold this Meeting.