From City for Peace to Creative City: Ha Noi reaches new heights
VGP – The “City for Peace” title was awarded to Ha Noi by UNESCO in 1999. Twenty years later, UNESCO again honored the Vietnamese capital with the title “Creative City” – the title of the 21st century.
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Ha Noi, a city of kindness
21 years ago, Ha Noi was one of the five cities in the world and the only Asian-Pacific locality that has been granted the title “City for Peace” by UNESCO.
Throughout the past years, Ha Noi has completed many objectives, programs and works, contributing to facilitating socio-economic development and improving people’s lives.
The images of Australian Prime Minister John Howard, French President Francois Hollande, US President Barack Obama and Argentinian President Mauricio Macri leisurely walking in Ha Noi’s streets have clearly shown the peaceful and friendly spirit available on this land.
Particularly, in February 2019, Ha Noi was chosen by the US and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) as the hosting venue of the second summit between the two sides.
All have affirmed the attractiveness from the city’s stable development as well as trust in Ha Noi – the City for Peace. In October 2019, 20 years since Ha Noi was named a UNESCO City for Peace, the Vietnamese capital officially became a member of the UNESCO Network of Creative Cities in the ‘Design’ category.
These titles will complement and further enhance Ha Noi’s position with a forward-looking vision, reflecting the national desire to become an innovative, active and responsible member in the region and the world.
Materializing initiatives
In its dossiers submitted to UNESCO to join the Network of Creative Cities, the Ha Noi People’s Committee emphasized its desire for the position as a Creative City in terms of ‘Design’, while affirming Ha Noi’s rich cultural heritages are the inheritance of creativity and innovation and a fertile land for cultural renaissance in the new era under the guidance of young people – the city’s talented and dynamic citizens.
By officially becoming one of UNESCO’s Creative Cities, Ha Noi will be able to turn creativity and the cultural industry into one of its development pillars, towards strengthening its international integration, participating in the activities organized by other member cities of the network, and mobilizing resources, knowledge and learning from experience of member cities and UNESCO.
By Vien Nhu
