Vietnam, France share experience in developing cultural industries

Paris (VNA) — A delegation from the National Assembly (NA)’s Committee on Cultural and Social Affairs, led by its Vice Chairman Ta Van Ha, has visited France to exchange experience in child online protection, cultural heritage preservation, and the development of cultural industries.

The visit was part of the delegation's European working trip from September 14-24.

During meetings with agencies in charge of cultural enterprises and social media platform management under the French Ministry of Culture, the delegation learned about France's policies for developing cultural and creative industries, digital transformation and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in culture, as well as measures to protect children online.

According to French officials, the country's cultural and creative industries cover around 15 sectors, including music, film, design, audiovisual production, architecture, video games, fashion, journalism and publishing. In 2024, the sector generated about 43.1 billion EUR (50.6 billion USD) in value added, equivalent to nearly 3% of GDP, and supported around 586,000 direct jobs and more than 1 million indirect jobs.

At the European Union level, cultural and creative industries account for about 3.9% of economic value added and employ millions of people, with small and medium-sized enterprises making up more than 99% of businesses in the sector.

France is making cultural and creative industries a key part of its France 2030 Plan, setting aside about 1 billion EUR to boost the sector. The plan aims to strengthen business competitiveness, promote cultural industries in the digital economy, grow their international reach, support local cultural industry ecosystems, and encourage social and environmental responsibility.

Digital transformation and AI are also being used to create new cultural experiences while facilitating data use and sharing and protecting the legitimate rights of authors, artists and other rights holders. France is working to build a cultural industry ecosystem centred on businesses, technology, data, intellectual property and markets.

Child online safety was another key issue discussed during the visit. French officials said the Government supports an EU proposal to restrict social media access for children under 13 and prevent those under 15 from independently opening personal accounts, while requiring platforms to incorporate safety measures from the design stage.

The delegation also had a working session with the Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (ARCOM), where it examined France's approach to regulating digital platforms. ARCOM said France does not require users to verify their identities with their real names, instead focusing on age verification appropriate to different services while applying data-minimisation and privacy-protection principles.

The French regulator can impose fines of up to 1% of a platform's global turnover in the previous financial year, rising to 2% for repeat violations. For violations under the EU Digital Services Act, penalties can reach 6% of global turnover.

The delegation also met Michel Criaud, Chairman of the France-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Group at the French National Assembly, to discuss parliamentary cooperation and issues of mutual interest.

During meetings with the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France, the delegation discussed the Vietnamese community, external relations and cultural diplomacy, as well as efforts to promote Vietnam's culture, people and national image in France./.