Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy presents the 'For the Cause of Culture, Sports and Tourism' medal to UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam Michael Croft.   

NDO – Michael Croft, UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam, has been awarded the 'For the Cause of Culture, Sports and Tourism' medal by Vietnam's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for his contributions to the development of cooperation relations between Vietnam and UNESCO as well as the conservation and promotion of cultural values in Vietnam.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy expressed her respect and appreciation for Michael Croft's contributions in supporting Vietnam in the process of preserving and honouring cultural heritage values.

From July 2017 to now, Michael Croft has held the position of UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam. During this time, Michael Croft has made many important contributions to Vietnam, including joining the working group to develop the One Strategic Plan (OSP) for the 2017-2021 period signed by Vietnamese Government and the United Nations (UN) towards achieving sustainable development goals.

In the field of culture, many important results have been achieved under the direction and coordination of UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam Michael Croft, such as: assisting the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in developing the action plan to implement the National Strategy on Cultural Industries in Vietnam for the period 2016 -2020; consulting in the process of preparing the application for the nomination of Xoan singing to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding to the List of Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity; and consulting in the preparation of nomination documents for Bai Choi art as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

At the same time, Michael Croft has also supported private sector partners in a UNESCO project to support local cultural development and community-based cultural tourism development in Tam Thanh Commune, Tam Ky City, Quang Nam Province; thereby creating a cultural space for the local community to practice Bai Choi at the House of Culture.

In addition, Michael Croft also advised and supported the Ha Long Bay World Heritage Site to mobilise international support, such as from the World Heritage Fund, in conducting an assessment of the heritage management plan with the participation of leading experts. He has also supported the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in many important events.