Hanoi Calls on Creative Groups and Organizations to Join the Capitals Official Cultural and Creative Spaces Network

On the afternoon of May 6, 2025, Hanoi organized a gathering event of independent, private and public creative cultural spaces with the participation of representatives of districts, universities, research institutes, and foreign cultural agencies in Hanoi. The event aimed to officially call for creative cultural groups and organizations to become official members of the Hanoi Creative Cultural Spaces Network, and at the same time introduce the operation plan of the Hanoi Creative Design Center.

The event took place at the Hanoi Museum, under the direction of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, the Hanoi People’s Committee and the support of the UNESCO Office in Hanoi.

The Meeting of Hanoi Creative Cultural Spaces took place in an open and inspiring atmosphere. Participants were particularly interested in cooperation opportunities as well as obligations and benefits when becoming members of the Hanoi Creative Cultural Spaces Network. Representatives of creative cultural spaces and related organizations and units also visited indoor and outdoor event spaces of the Hanoi Creative Design Center, discussed ideas and potential for future cooperation, and listened to the sharing of the Hanoi Creative Activities Coordination Center’s operational plan. The Center is an important coordinating agency assigned by the Department of Culture and Sports to the Hanoi Museum, with the function of promoting creative activities; connecting local and international creative resources; introducing, sharing, supporting the pilot implementation of ideas in the creative field, organizing seminars, training, supporting research cooperation connections, etc.

Speaking at the event, Director of Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, Ms. Bach Lien Huong affirmed the efforts and importance of Hanoi’s creative cultural communities and spaces: “Thanks to the tireless efforts and meaningful projects of the creative community, the cultural landscape of Hanoi has become increasingly diverse. Creative spaces have truly become “nuclei of innovation,” making strong contributions to shaping the unique creative cultural identity of the Capital, advancing the creative economy, and promoting a youthful, dynamic, and modern image of Hanoi that still remains rich in tradition.”

Giám đốc Sở Văn hóa Thể thao khẳng định: “Mạng lưới các không gian văn hóa sáng tạo của thành phố được hình thành sẽ góp phần kết nối các không gian văn hóa sáng tạo; giới thiệu, chia sẻ, hỗ trợ triển khai ươm mầm tài năng, thí điểm các ý tưởng trong lĩnh vực sáng tạo, tổ chức tọa đàm, tập huấn, hỗ trợ kết nối hợp tác…”

“We hope that creators and creative spaces will continue to align with the cultural development orientations of the Capital, actively apply technology to promote and bring creative activities closer to the public, especially the younger generation, and boldly propose creative ideas. These will help the Department of Culture and Sports to advise the City People’s Committee and develop concrete action programs to realize promising ideas and foster creative activities”, Ms Bạch Liên Hương stated.

Mr. Jonathan Baker, UNESCO Representative in Vietnam, commented that Hanoi’s call to join the City’s Network of Creative Cultural Spaces is “a critical move to connect, recognize, and support the diverse creative actors who shape the cultural fabric of the city every day”. The UNESCO representative also said that the introduction of the Hanoi Creative Design Center, under the guidance of Hanoi Department of Sports and Culture as well as the support from UNESCO Office in Vietnam will provide a strong institutional foundation that can support learning, collaboration, and policy dialogue for and with the creative community.

Mr. Jonathan Baker called on creative hubs to join the official Hanoi Network: “We encourage all creative spaces—large and small, public and independent—to take part in this evolving ecosystem. Your ideas, your voices, and your cultural expressions are essential to shaping Hanoi’s creative future.”

Right at the event, the application for joining the Hanoi Creative Cultural Space Network was officially sent out and then announced on the media channels of the Hanoi Creative Design Center and satellite media channels. It is expected that at the end of June, the announcement ceremony and awarding of Network membership certificates will take place in Hanoi.

Once becoming an official member, members of the Hanoi Creative Cultural Space Network will be able to register to organize activities at the Hanoi Creative Design Center and the outdoor areas at the Hanoi Museum; enjoy preferential tax policies according to the law; be supported to promote the activities of the space on the official media channels of Hanoi – the creative city; be guided and supported in procedures for granting event organization licenses and advertising licenses according to the law.

Members will participate in the activities of the Hanoi City Creative Cultural Space Network, connecting with the activities of members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the region and internationally; enjoy connections, location support and support for organizing creative activities in pedestrian street spaces, cultural institutions, and historical and cultural relics. Hanoi City will organize annual evaluations and rewards for creative groups, businesses, organizations and individuals who are members of the Network with many contributions in the field of creative design. In case of outstanding achievements, they will be proposed for City-level recognition and rewards.

Note for creative cultural spaces
– The deadline for submitting applications to join the Hanoi Creative Cultural Spaces Network is 30 May 2025.
– The Criteria and Application Documents for joining the Hanoi Creative Cultural Spaces Network can be accessed here
– Send your application to this email address [email protected]
– For instructions on how to complete your application, please contact:
+ Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa – Director of the Hanoi Creative Activities Coordination Center, phone number 0984997579
+ Ms. Hoang Hai Van, Hanoi Creative Activities Coordination Center 0981861192

Background information

In 2019, Hanoi officially joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of design. This is an important promotion tool and commitment to help realize the goal of developing cultural industries in Hanoi. Hanoi is a place where pioneering creative resources are concentrated and has the largest number of cultural spaces in the country. According to statistics from the Vietnam Creative Hub Initiative (ViCHI) Project, by 2020, Vietnam will have about 190 cultural and creative spaces, of which Hanoi will have about 80 cultural and creative spaces in many diverse fields. Cultural and creative spaces have the ability to connect the creative community with audiences who enjoy cultural products, nurture the spiritual life of the community, provide jobs and support the development of creative industries, helping the city achieve the goal of balanced and sustainable development. Creative spaces also help change perceptions about the role of creative culture in the city’s economic and social development.

From the “Strategy for the development of Vietnam’s cultural industries to 2020, with a vision to 2030” issued by the Government (in Decision No. 1755/QD-TTg dated September 8, 2016), Hanoi City issued Resolution No. 09-NQ/TU dated February 22, 2022 on “Development of cultural industries in the capital for the period 2021-2025, with a vision to 2030, with a vision to 2045”. It clearly states the goal that by 2025, the capital’s cultural industry will become an important economic sector, creating a new driving force to promote economic, cultural and social development; By 2030, the capital’s cultural industry aims to become a spearhead economic sector, strongly promoting the development of other sectors and fields.