Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day, November 23: When Did It Begin and Why That Date?

What is Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day, November 23?

Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day is November 23 each year, designated by the Prime Minister as a common commemoration day for the entire heritage sector and for society. Decision No. 36/2005/QD-TTg dated February 24, 2005, signed by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, states in Article 1: "Annually, November 23 is taken as 'Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day'"¹. This is not a statutory public holiday, but a sectoral commemoration day and an occasion for agencies and units to organize activities promoting heritage.

The legal bases for issuing the decision include the Law on Government Organization of December 25, 2001, the Law on Cultural Heritage of June 29, 2001, and a proposal by the Minister of Culture and Information¹. The purpose is stated in the preamble: to promote the tradition and sense of responsibility of those working to protect and promote the value of Vietnam's cultural heritage, and to encourage all social strata to actively participate in the cause of protecting and promoting the value of the nation's cultural heritage¹.

Why was November 23 chosen?

November 23 was chosen because it coincides with the date President Ho Chi Minh signed Decree No. 65/SL in 1945 on preserving antiquities throughout Vietnam. According to the Portal of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Decree 65/SL was issued on November 23, 1945, more than two months after the country gained independence, and was the first decree of our State laying the foundation for the cause of preserving the nation's cultural heritage². Sharing this assessment, an article by Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture states: "Decree 65 dated November 23, 1945 - the first decree on cultural heritage preservation"³.

In other words, November 23 carries two overlapping layers of meaning: a legislative historical milestone in 1945 and an administrative commemoration day in 2005. Decision 36/2005/QD-TTg does not cite Decree 65 in its legal bases, but choosing the same date shows inheritance of that historical milestone.

What does Decree 65/SL of 1945 say?

Decree 65/SL is brief but concise, affirming that preserving antiquities "is very necessary in the cause of building Vietnam." The concept of "antiquities" in the decree is now called cultural heritage, including intangible cultural heritage and tangible cultural heritage².

The original text of the decree, as transcribed by the Portal of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is as follows²:

• Preamble: "President of the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Considering that the preservation of antiquities is very necessary in the cause of building Vietnam. Considering that the Oriental Institute of Antiquities has the task of preserving all antiquities throughout Vietnam. DECREES".
• Article One: "The Oriental Institute of Antiquities (Vietnam Oriental Institute) has the task of preserving all antiquities throughout Vietnam."
• Article Two: "The Oriental Institute of Antiquities shall from now on replace the French School of the Far East (École Francaise d'Extrême-Orient), which is abolished."
• Article Three: "The laws on the preservation of antiquities remain as before."
• Article Four: "It is forbidden to destroy communal houses, pagodas, temples, shrines or other places of worship, palaces, citadels, ramparts and tombs that have not been preserved. It is forbidden to destroy inscriptions, objects, edicts, certificates, papers, and books of a religious nature or not, but useful for history, that have not been preserved."
• Article Five: "The Government continues to recognize in principle the annual subsidies from the whole country, each region or each province to the Oriental Institute of Antiquities..."
• Article Six: "The Ministers of the Interior, National Defense, Justice, and National Education shall implement this decree."

Notably, Decree 65/SL was issued in a context when the country faced countless difficulties with illiteracy, famine, and foreign invaders². Issuing a legal document on preserving antiquities during that period is assessed by current documents as showing President Ho Chi Minh's far-sighted vision²³.

How is Decree 65/SL preserved?

The collection of 117 decrees of the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam issued from August 30, 1945 to February 28, 1946 was recognized as a National Treasure under Decision No. 2496/QD-TTg dated December 22, 2016 of the Prime Minister². Thus, the document containing Decree 65/SL is itself a national treasure.

What does Decision 36/2005/QD-TTg stipulate?

Beyond Article 1 designating November 23, the decision sets strict organizational requirements. Article 2 stipulates that organizing Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day annually "must be practical, not ostentatious or wasteful" and ensures four requirements¹:

• Educating on patriotic tradition, national pride, and awareness of responsibility to protect Vietnam's cultural heritage among all people.
• Strengthening the sense of responsibility and pride of those working to protect, preserve, and promote the value of the nation's cultural heritage.
• Encouraging emulation movements in labor and production, raising discipline and revolutionary ethics of cadres, civil servants, and public employees in the culture and information sector in general and in the field of cultural heritage in particular.
• Timely commending and rewarding individuals and collectives with outstanding achievements in the cause of protecting and promoting the value of the nation's cultural heritage in accordance with the law on emulation and commendation.

Article 3 assigns ministries, sectors, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to proactively direct the organization of activities on Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day in accordance with Article 2; to allocate funding within the annual assigned state budget estimates and mobilize other support sources¹. Article 4 stipulates that the decision takes effect 15 days after publication in the Official Gazette¹.

Is November 23 a public holiday?

No. Decision 36/2005/QD-TTg only stipulates taking November 23 as Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day and requires practical, non-ostentatious organization; the document does not establish any regime of leave from work, school, or paid leave¹. This is a sectoral commemoration day, not among statutory public holidays under labor law.

How do cultural agencies usually respond to this day?

Under Article 3 of the decision, ministries, sectors, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities proactively direct the organization of activities on this day¹. In practice, heritage agencies, museums, and cultural training institutions often choose November 23 to organize professional and promotional activities. For example, Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture, on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh signing Decree 65/SL and the 19th Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day, published an article introducing the historical event and the meaning of this day³.

Table of related document milestones

Distinguishing from Vietnam Culture Day, November 24

The two consecutive days are often confused. November 23 is Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day under Decision 36/2005/QD-TTg, while November 24 is Vietnam Culture Day, a different commemoration day and a holiday from 2026.

Some background on the issuance of Decree 65/SL

According to the Portal of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, as soon as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was born on September 2, 1945, the Provisional Government headed by President Ho Chi Minh promptly issued decrees regulating various social relations, including Decree 65/SL². Before this decree, on September 13, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh visited and attended the commemoration of the Eight Ly Kings at Dinh Bang village (now Dinh Bang ward, Bac Ninh city, Bac Ninh province). There, he advised: "worshipping is essentially about sincerity, not about having a jade tray to be precious..."².

Also according to this source, on September 19, 1954, before returning to take over the capital Hanoi, President Ho Chi Minh met, spoke, and assigned tasks to cadres and soldiers of the Pioneer Army Corps (308th Division) at Hung Temple, Hy Cuong commune, Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province². At Gieng Temple, he advised: "The Hung Kings had the merit of building the country, you and I must together keep it"². On February 15, 1965, he visited Con Son relic site, Cong Hoa commune, Chi Linh city, Hai Duong province².

These events show President Ho Chi Minh's continuous concern for cultural heritage, from before Decree 65/SL was issued until many years later. However, it should be noted that the details above are recorded in an article by the Portal of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, not the original text of the decree.

Vietnam's heritage scale through figures

According to statistics from the Cultural Heritage Department (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), as of mid-2024, the whole country had more than 40,000 relics, including 8 World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites recognized by UNESCO, 130 special national relics, 3,621 national relics, and more than 10,000 provincial relics³. Regarding intangible cultural heritage, about 70,000 heritages have been inventoried nationwide, 15 intangible cultural heritages are inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding; 9 documentary heritages under UNESCO's Memory of the World program; 498 intangible cultural heritages included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List and 265 artifacts and groups of artifacts recognized by the Prime Minister as National Treasures³. In particular, Trang An Landscape Complex is currently the only mixed world heritage site not only in Vietnam but in Southeast Asia³.

These figures are from the source at mid-2024, not updated to now, so when citing, the time marker should be clearly stated.

Is Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day a major national holiday?

According to Decision 36/2005/QD-TTg, this is an annual commemoration day of the heritage sector and society, not a public holiday under labor law¹. Activities on this day are proactively directed by ministries, sectors, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities, with funding allocated within annual assigned state budget estimates and other support sources mobilized¹.

Conclusion

November 23 annually is Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day, established by Decision 36/2005/QD-TTg dated February 24, 2005, signed by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai. This day is tied to Decree 65/SL dated November 23, 1945 of President Ho Chi Minh, the first document laying the foundation for the cause of preserving the nation's cultural heritage. It is not a public holiday, but an occasion for agencies, units, and the community to look back and take practical action for heritage.