Hoi An gears towards joining UNESCO Creative Cities Network: A corner of the UNESCO-recognised ancient city of Hoi An. (Photo: VNA)

At the event, the Committee presented a report themed “Hoi An: From a heritage city to a creative city,” aiming to call for joint efforts in turning Hoi An into a creative city of the global level.

Hoi An is among the seven cities selected by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for a project on developing a network of creative cities as part of the UCCN, said Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Nguyen Van Lanh.

The UCCN was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.

The 246-member network covers seven creative fields - crafts and folk arts, media arts, film, design, gastronomy, literature and music.

Hoi An gears towards joining UNESCO Creative Cities Network: A view of Hoi An ancient city (Photo: VNA)

By joining the network, cities commit to sharing their best practices and developing partnerships involving the public and private sectors as well as civil society in order to: strengthen the creation, production, distribution and dissemination of cultural activities, goods and services; develop hubs of creativity and innovation and broaden opportunities for creators and professionals in the cultural sector; improve access to and participation in cultural life, in particular for marginalised or vulnerable groups and individuals; fully integrate culture and creativity into sustainable development plans.

Hoi An will bring crafts and folk arts – its core advantages - to the network, Lanh said, adding that Hoi An is working to preserve and promote crafts and folk arts and spur tourism development in tandem with increasing livelihood and improving living standards of local residents sustainably.

On this occasion, Hoi An city launched the website "Hoi An - creative city" and handed over the project on promoting Hoi An’s image to Bizverse, a Metaverse world for business activities.