The British Council Arts Fund (BCAF) will make its official debut in Hanoi on July 13.

Artists, art producers and curators can access the fund if their projects are approved by the managing board.

The board includes famous people, such as musician Quoc Trung, VTV3 editor My Linh, MC of the Culture, Event and Person Programme, Nguyen Phuong Hoa, head of European Bureau, International Relations Department, Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, arts curator Tran Luong, British film maker Paul Zetter and fund chairman Neil Webb, British Council director of Arts and Creative Industries for East Asia Region.

In October 2010, the British Council in collaboration with the Bui Gallery, organised an Arts Auction with works donated by the Ford Foundation and such artists as Nguyen Manh Hung, Ly Tran Quynh Giang, Pham Huy Thong and Jamie Maxtone-Graham.  Money raised from the programme was used to set up the fund.

The fund aims to enhance collaborative relations between Vietnam and United Kingdom while promoting understanding of the two cultures.

Simon Beardow, deputy director of the British Council, said Vietnam has increasingly talented artists and the fund will help nurture artistic talent to serve a wider audience and create a wider influence.