A gala held yesterday at the Vietnamese Ethnic Culture-Tourism Village in Ha Noi honoured the diversity of the country's 54 ethnic groups. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Ha

HA NOI — National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung yesterday stressed Viet Nam's commitment to promoting solidarity among its 54 ethnic groups, calling cultural development a consistent national priority and motivator for socio-economic development.

Hung addressed a gala at the Vietnamese Ethnic Culture-Tourism village in Ha Noi honouring cultural diversity as part of the Vietnamese Ethnic Cultural Festival taking place here the past two days.

As part of the festival, a conference was also held to promote investment in cultural tourism, attracting 200 companies. At the conference, participants discussed various ways to promote tourims potential and called on investors to develop tourism products here.

Opened in 2010 in celebration of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Ha Noi, the village is located on a 1,544ha area in Dong Mo, Son Tay, and is a complex of traditional Vietnamese architecture highlighting the unique characteristics of the nation's culture.

In order to promote cultural tourism, there must be proper policies to attract investors and detailed development plans with a focus on culture, said Saigontourist general manager Tran Hung Viet.

Pham Van Bong, a representative from an investment promotion and tourism company, said that there must be clear linkage between tour operators, relevant agencies and local authorities to promote cultural tourism.

Nguyen Nga, who initiated two cultural events on Long Bien Bridge on the occasion of the capital city's 1,000th anniversary, said the critical task was to create a living space that was rich in culture for ethnic groups and tourists alike.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan called on investors and experts to continue contributing to the development of the village. A detailed development plan for the village would be formulated in the future, he said, and the State budget would be used to develop basic infrastructure, leaving other areas for investors. — VNS