Hanoi builds creative cultural space network

THE HANOI TIMES — Creative spaces are expected to be true drivers of innovation, contributing greatly to building the capital's unique creative cultural identity, developing the creative economy, and promoting Hanoi's image as a youthful, dynamic, modern, yet traditional city.

That's what Bach Lien Huong, Director of Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, said at a workshop on developing creative spaces in Hanoi on May 6.

Five years after joining UNESCO's Creative Cities Network, Hanoi continues to fulfill its international commitments and maintain its pioneering role in design and innovation. By leveraging its rich cultural heritage, the capital aims to drive sustainable development and strengthen its profile as a city of "civilization-culture-modernity."

Highlighting the rapid growth of Hanoi's creative community in recent years, Huong said that creative spaces have emerged as dynamic hubs for design, arts, crafts, and start-ups. These spaces are not only incubators of new ideas, but also bridges between tradition and modernity, and between local and international communities.

"Over the years, Hanoi's cultural landscape has become increasingly diverse. These creative hubs serve as "nuclei of innovation," playing a vital role in shaping the capital's creative identity, boosting the creative economy, and promoting a modern, youthful image deeply rooted in tradition," said Huong.

To realize these goals, Hanoi has undertaken various coordinated actions, including new policies under the Capital Law, drafting a resolution to establish a cultural industry center and cultural trade and service zones to nurture and expand the creative ecosystem.

The city is also investing in creative infrastructure, proposing adaptive reuse of industrial heritage and cultural facilities to create creative spaces, promoting networking of creative spaces at home and abroad, as well as cooperation and knowledge sharing, and organizing awards, festivals, and cultural-creative events to promote Vietnamese creative products globally.

The Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports has launched the Hanoi Creative Activities Coordination Center and called for participation in the Hanoi Creative Cultural Space Network.

The Creative Activities Coordination Center aims to gather resources, support the development of creative spaces, enhance the value of creative products, and expand their market access, thereby boosting the city's creative economy.

Huong expressed her hope that the creative community will continue to adhere to Hanoi's cultural development vision by actively proposing ideas, adopting new technologies, and bringing creativity closer to the public, especially the youth.

Jonathan Baker, UNESCO Representative in Vietnam, praised Hanoi's initiative to establish a network of creative spaces, calling it a strategic move to connect, recognize, and support the city's diverse creative actors. UNESCO encourages all creative spaces, large or small, public or independent, to participate in this ecosystem.

Hanoi is currently home to the largest number of creative cultural spaces in Vietnam. Since officially joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in 2019 under the design category, the capital has demonstrated a strong commitment to developing the cultural industry. With a clear strategic vision and solid foundations, Hanoi is poised to remain a source of creativity, community connection, and international cultural integration.

According to Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa, Director of the Hanoi Creative Activities Coordination Center, creative spaces will enjoy preferential tax policies and receive support for communication and promotion through Hanoi's official information channels.

They will be connected to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in Southeast Asia and around the world, giving them access to opportunities to share, learn, and present Vietnamese culture to the world.