Creative city - A driving force for Ha Noi’s development
VGP – After more than a year of joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, with the close direction of local authorities, the enthusiastic engagement of organizations and individuals, and the support of international friends, Ha Noi is now building an image of a dynamic and creative capital city in all aspects of life and society.
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Upholding traditions
Ha Noi has always been proud of its cultural and creative resources which have been fostered and developed throughout more than 1,000 years of history with 1,350 craft villages, 5,922 relics, 1,793 intangible cultural heritages, 42 museums, 83 libraries, 48 universities, 18 theaters, and 43 cinemas.
With its rich traditional resources, on October 30, 2019, the Vietnamese capital was officially admitted to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the “Design” category.
Ha Noi’s design field not only has a long history of formation and development, but moreover, it features the interference and creativity of many different cultures as well.
The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long is one of the most convincing examples. This world cultural heritage is not just a long-standing architectural work, but it preserves many historical, archaeological and cultural values of Ha Noi as well.
In addition, the city accommodates many architectural works with creativity from the East-West architecture and the world’s indigenous architecture, as well as mixture between classical and contemporary architectures, such as the Ha Noi Opera House, the Viet Nam Fine Arts Museum, Long Bien Bridge, and Nhat Tan Bridge.
Ha Noi’s admission to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network is a great honor, but poses challenges in taking advantage of this opportunity.
Orientating creativity in the future
After joining the Creative Cities Network, Ha Noi has actively demonstrated its commitment through various activities despite socio-economic interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, the founers of creative spaces across the city have organized an array of activities, creating a new vitality for the capital’s cultural life.
According to director Nguyen Hoang Diep, in 2020, more than 200 activities were held by the creative space “O Kia Ha Noi!”.
Creative spaces hold many values to city development. To raise awareness of all levels and branches about the role of creative spaces in the development of the capital, Ha Noi will complete its policy system to facilitate the development of creative spaces and mobilize resources for them.
It can be seen that by becoming a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Ha Noi currently has the opportunity to turn creativity into a driving force for its sustainable development and development plans in the future.
By Vien Nhu
