In celebration of Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day and 20 Years of the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), on November 23, 2022, the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam, in cooperation with the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum (VNFAM) and the Center for Research and Promotion of Cultural Heritage – CCH (under the auspices of the Cultural Heritage Association of Vietnam), will organize an exhibition and a workshop in Hanoi:
1) Photo Exhibition “The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation – Two Decades of Cooperation with Vietnam”: The exhibition will open at 2:00 p.m. on 23 November 2022 at the thematic gallery of the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum and end on 26 November 2022. The exhibition will feature images of the 16 cultural projects funded by AFCP in Vietnam since 2001.
2) Workshop “U.S. and Vietnam: Working Together to Conserve Vietnam’s Cultural Heritage”: The workshop will take place from 08:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on November 23, 2022 at the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided. The workshop will also be hosted online as a webinar. The workshop will feature renowned experts in cultural heritage preservation in Vietnam and abroad. Six speakers will present and share their experiences in implementing AFCP-funded projects.
The workshop’s target audiences are relevant experts and professionals from museums, relics management boards, research and conservation institutes, management agencies and non-governmental organizations in Vietnam and abroad.
The selected speakers at the workshop will provide practical information on conservation under the 16 AFCP-supported projects. The presentations will highlight good practices, while identifying the challenges and difficulties that recipient agencies, units, and individuals have faced during their implementation. Discussions at the workshop will include considerations relevant to the conservation of cultural heritage in daily life. In addition, the workshop will take place in the context of the multi-faceted relationship of cooperation between the United States and Vietnam in preserving cultural heritage, and will encourage exploration into new opportunities for cooperation and future partnerships.
Through sharing of information about AFCP and other funding sources, the program raises awareness on the importance of mobilizing additional sources of technical and financial support in preserving and managing cultural heritage sites in Vietnam, especially for those in danger and in need of urgent action.
The U.S. Embassy will announce the AFCP 2023 Competition at the workshop.
ABOUT THE U.S. AMBASSADORS FUND FOR CULTURAL PRESERVATION (AFCP)
The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) supports projects to preserve a wide range of cultural heritage in less developed countries, including historic buildings, archaeological sites, ethnographic objects, paintings, manuscripts, and indigenous languages and other forms of traditional cultural expression.
Such support contributes towards post-disaster and post-conflict recovery efforts in some of the world’s most desperate communities. It satisfies U.S. treaty and other bilateral obligations and creates opportunities for economic development where long-term high unemployment and extreme poverty are the norm. In strife-ridden states especially, it counters extremist interpretations of U.S. interests and demonstrates American values in action.
Through the Ambassadors Fund, the United States demonstrates American leadership in the preservation of cultural heritage around the world and shows its respect for other cultures.
Since 2001, AFCP has supported over 1,000 projects to protect and preserve global cultural heritage in more than 650 communities and 133 countries. In Vietnam, the AFCP has awarded funding for 16 cultural heritage preservation projects across Vietnam, totaling $1,246,775 for the past 20 years.
CONTACTS
EXHIBITION: Ms. Tran Bao Ngoc, Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum. Tel: +84 96 9145196. Email: btmtvn@vnfam.vn
WORKSHOP: Ms. Cao Thao Huong, Center for Research and Promotion of Cultural Heritage (CCH). Email: caothaohuong@gmail.com