Arts leadership : case studies of Vietnamese arts managers

Since the economic reform in Vietnam in 1986, the arts community has had more opportunity to develop, given greater artistic and financial autonomy. In this context it has become necessary for arts leaders to develop management skills to adapt to a new competitive context. This has become more important since the Vietnamese government sought to relieve the problem of inadequate state funding for arts organisations through its policy of socialisation (self-finance). In this research, a case study approach was employed, using judgmental sampling. Arts administrators involved with managing large performing arts organisations in Vietnam, were interviewed in-depth. The findings of this study indicate that formal education and training in arts management is required to provide arts managers with modern arts management skills, in order both to smooth the process of becoming more self sustaining, and subsequently to take advantage of this new context. In addition, arts leaders in Vietnam need to adopt the role of an entrepreneur, to adapt and manage performing arts organisations, given the pressure of global economics and culture.