Vietnam has approved a new external cultural strategy that seeks to strengthen the country's soft power, expand its global cultural presence and position Vietnam as one of the region's leading cultural and creative hubs by 2045.

Speaking at the recent second meeting of the Central Steering Committee for the Development of Vietnamese Culture, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam identified one of the four major "gaps" emerging from current practices, namely the capacity to transform cultural heritage into data resources, digital knowledge, intellectual property, and national creative capacity.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and UNESCO Việt Nam have discussed a proposal to develop a locality in Việt Nam into the country's Photography City – a national hub for photography and an international destination for visual creativity.

Vietnam has proposed broadening cooperation with Japan’s Aichi Prefecture in culture, sports and creative industries, including launching a Vietnam Festival in Aichi and strengthening links between UNESCO Creative Cities, as the two sides seek to deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The 2026 Viet Nam Cultural Week in Laos has opened in Vientiane, featuring a series of cultural and artistic activities running from May 12 to 16.