The headquarters of Casa Italia in Hanoi – the centre for spreading Italian culture and way of life in Vietnam – hosted an international conference on 11 and 12 January on the conclusion of the “Italy-ASEAN Virtual Learning Centre on Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development” project, which consisted in the creation of an online learning platform for professionals and officials in the cultural heritage sector from Italy and ASEAN member states. The platform makes it possible to attend training courses and share knowledge and experiences related to the sustainable management of cultural heritage.
The project was conceived and promoted by the Italy-ASEAN Association and was funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The conference was opened by the institutional greetings of Ambassador Marco della Seta; also present were Tran Dinh Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, and Ky Anh Nguyen, Director for Sustainable Development at the ASEAN Secretariat. During the event, the Ambassador presented certificates to the participants of the online course who had submitted the three best final projects.
The work of the conference consisted of two round tables attended by experts from Italy and ASEAN member states who discussed various aspects and problems related to the sustainable management of cultural heritage. Among the topics discussed, also with a view to future activities, the issue of the environment, including the effects of climate change on cultural heritage, was identified as a possible topic for discussion on the Virtual Learning Centre.
