From the case of singer Duc Tuan: 'Artists doing culture cannot sit on heritage'

Artists are soldiers on the ideological and cultural front. Therefore, they must be deeply aware of their mission and vocation: "to do culture, one must have culture".

Recently, the singer Duc Tuan post photo series with theme Hoi An - Mysterious Ancient Town causing public outrage. In the photo, the singer wearing ao dai stands and sits on the roof of a house in the ancient town of Hoi An - where the government and local people are making daily efforts to protect the integrity of the heritage.

Many people think that this is an ignorant act of singer Duc Tuan - an artist who has always been very careful with his personal image. Creating art is a good thing to do, but you cannot "sit on cultural heritage" like that.

Mr. Nguyen Van Lanh - Vice Chairman of Hoi An City People's Committee said that singer Duc Tuan's actions were "unacceptable and violated the Heritage Law".

Previously, in 2019, Hoi An residents were also outraged when a girl believed to be a model and actress working at a theater in Ho Chi Minh City released a clip of herself nude, covering her chest with a conical hat on a rooftop in the old town.

In 2013, actor Hiep Ga also showed off a photo of himself wearing shorts and a T-shirt, climbing up the Soviet Nghe Tinh monument (Can Loc district, Ha Tinh ) - a place that preserves historical marks of hundreds of revolutionary soldiers who fought and died to protect every inch of land for the people.

In 2011, singer Thuy Tien also caused heated debate among the audience when she had scenes of standing in front of a statue showing military-civilian affection, performing sexy choreography, and wearing boldly cut outfits in the MV. I forgot , filmed at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts. Thuy Tien later edited the MV and apologized to the audience.

Only satisfy personal needs, not respect heritage

In the era of globalization, artists have the opportunity to broaden their vision and diversify their creativity, reaching audiences. Many artists are aware of the need to spread Vietnamese cultural heritage in music products, fashion designs, etc., but many are still carefree, such as singer Duc Tuan.

Artists are soldiers on the ideological and cultural front. Therefore, they must be deeply aware of their mission and behave in a manner worthy of the title "artist" in front of the public.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued a Code of Conduct for Artists. This code is not only an ethical commitment but also a tool to guide behavior, emphasizing respect for cultural values and customs, a reminder for artists to be more careful in their speech and language, and to stop "deviant" behavior; it is a framework and standard for artists to behave in a cultured manner.

Although it has been established for 2 years, recent controversies of artists show a lack of compliance with professional ethics standards.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Duc Ngon believes that acts of heritage infringement such as graffiti, photography, etc. seem normal but are actually very bad. They destroy the beauty of Vietnamese people because they do not realize that cultural heritage is sacred. They are satisfied with making their own mark but do not have respect for heritage.

According to Mr. Ngon, there should be stronger sanctions, and violations should be severely punished.

Clause 3, Article 1 of the 2009 amended Law on Cultural Heritage and Article 13 of the 2001 Law on Cultural Heritage strictly prohibit agencies, organizations and individuals from performing any of the following acts:

- Appropriating and distorting historical and cultural relics and scenic spots.

- Destroy or threaten to destroy cultural heritage.

Administrative penalties for violations of regulations on cultural heritage protection are prescribed in Article 20 of Decree 38/2021, specifically:

- Fine from 1-3 million VND for writing, drawing, dirtying, or polluting historical - cultural relics and scenic spots.

- Fine from 3-5 million VND for acts of propagating and introducing incorrect content and value of historical - cultural relics and scenic spots.

Depending on the severity of the act, the corresponding fine will be applied. Accordingly, violations of regulations on cultural heritage protection can be up to 50,000,000 VND for individuals and 100,000,000 VND for organizations.

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