A documentary entitled “Len thanh pho” (Making our place), featuring the lives of young migrant female workers in Hanoi, won the Best Next Gen award at the Better Cities Film Festival 2020 in the US, according to the Vietnamese Women’s Museum.

A scene in the documentary (Photo: baophapluat.vn)

It was produced within the TRYSPACES project carried out by the museum and HealthBridge Vietnam, which aims to provide an insight into young people’s experience of public space in urban areas.

The documentary was finished in three months and depicts the true stories of seven female migrant workers aged 16-29. It aimed to raise public awareness about working together to build a safe city for women and girls.

More than 6 million people in Vietnam move from rural areas to urban areas each year, with those aged 15-24 accounting for one-third and half being women. Many face various challenges in adapting to life in the city.

The Better Cities Film Festival was originally founded in 2013 as the New Urbanism Film Festival. It was launched with a vision of moving the conversation about urban planning and design onto the silver screen and into the streets, engaging the broader community in the vital work of placemaking and neighbourhood revitalisation.