The Việt Nam Institute of Culture and Arts functions as the key scientific consultancy agency of its parent body, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It functions to undertake research on Vietnamese cultural theory and practice and to provide scientific bases for managing and planning the policies of the Ministry, in order to develop a Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity. The responsibilities of the Institute include: (i) studying scientific explanations of cultural issues and making scientific forecasts to assist the Ministry in managing culture in general and cultural work in particular; (ii) collecting, studying and appreciating other national heritages and making recommendations regarding the preservation of that of Việt Nam; (iii) studying the cultural processes of other Asia-Pacific countries and co-operating with those countries on research techniques with a view to learning experiences of success and failure and suggesting creative applications suitable to the prevailing situation in Việt Nam; and (iv) establishing and developing relationships with partners in the field of culture, both at home and abroad, in order to introduce Vietnamese culture and values and to secure assistance. The Institute provides Vietnamese and foreign researchers with postgraduate training in the field of culture and the arts, according to assignments approved by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Education and Training. Major research interests of the Institute include – state policy on culture and arts; urban and rural cultural development; the relationship between the traditional and the contemporary and between national and international cultural traits; the collection and appreciation of national culture and arts heritages; the study of special subjects in traditional culture (eg ceremonies, customs, costumes etc), family culture, communication culture, environmental culture and religious culture; theoretical and practical mass media and communications activities; the practical side of grassroots information activities; the development of culture in some regional countries; and experiences in planning cultural policies in other countries of the world. The Institute is equipped with a studio for audio and video recording. It is currently developing taught PhD programmes in Culture Management as part of phase 2 of the Arts Management Curriculum Development in a Market Economy Context Project and has also managed the Việt Nam-Sweden Cultural Co-operation Project, which drafted a National Report on Culture (currently on hold). The Institute has two branch offices: