The “Hanoi – creative city” initiative was discussed at a seminar jointly held by the municipal People’s Committee and UNESCO on October 2.

Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue addresses the event

In his remarks, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue said to implement its commitments to UNESCO, Hanoi will put forth long-term programmes and plans of action, and facilitate the creative design sector

Michael Croft, UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam, suggested Hanoi expand its cooperation with other cities like Seoul (the Republic of Korea), Singapore, Kobe (Japan), Shanghai (China), Bandung (Indonesia), Helsinki (Finland), Montreal (Canada), Berlin (Germany) and Turino (Italy).

However, local strength plays the most important role, he said, highlighting the significance of cooperation between the community, the government, universities, the private sector, friends and international partners in materialising Hanoi’s development strategy.

Delegates at the seminar focused their discussion on solutions regarding urban recreation and development with culture as the core, creative education with priority given to arts and science, and the promotion of Hanoi’s image.

Hanoi was designated as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network on October 30, 2019, according to the municipal Department of Culture and Sports.

The Vietnamese capital became a new member of the network in the field of design, the department said, noting that although Hanoi is strong at many fields of creativity, it decided to apply for the status in terms of design since this area has wide coverage, is closely linked with other fields, and can reflect the city’s potential and strength in bringing into play its creativity.

Besides, it has also met the standards for a creative city of design, including a developed design industry, multiple opportunities for creating designs from natural materials and conditions, and the presence of design groups with frequent activities.

The municipal department said joining the UNESCO network is the first but significant step for Hanoi to raise its standing and create a new and more attractive image of the city.