Entitled "the importance of cultural products and services for Asian nations in international trade negotiations", the three-day regional seminar is being co-organised by the Ministry of Trade (MoT) and the International Francophone Organisation (IFO).

Representatives from the MoT and the Ministry of Culture and Information and experts from the IFO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the European Commission presented reports on Vietnam's existing cultural products and services, the relations between globalisation, trade and cultural industries, and the IFO's activities in trade negotiations.

They also analysed new international laws relating to cultural diversity and the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Vietnamese participants at the seminar said that the Vietnamese Government considers it an important task to build an advanced cultural industry imbued with national identity in the process of renovation and economic integration.