Ha Noi becomes official member of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network

Chief Representative of the UNESCO Office in Viet Nam Michael Croft presented a certificate recognising Ha Noi as an official member of the UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network to Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung at a a ceremony in the capital on December 13.

An art performance at the announcement ceremony (Photo: VNA)

Chung said the participation in the network enables Ha Noi to increase its competitiveness in investment attraction, stimulate urban regeneration, and develop education programmes and cultural events in association with sustainable development.

Ha Noi is also ambitious to become an envoy and a bridge to connect other cities in Viet Nam and regional countries to join the network, as well as a global intellectual and innovative destination, he added.

The network membership also demonstrates Ha Noi’s responsibility to the region and the world in promoting creativity and increasing the participation of people in cultural life and integration, according to Chung.

Michael Croft said that Ha Noi becoming a creative city has helped increase its position besides the title “City for Peace”.

He added that Ha Noi will enhance cooperation with other creative cities in the world as well as relevant agencies, community, and the private sector to realise its innovative economy.

UNESCO launched the Creative Cities Network in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities that recognise creativity as a significant factor in their development. 

The network recognises seven factors – craft and folk arts, media, film, design, gastronomy, literature, and music – as creative fields. 

The capital city of Ha Noi has a development history of over 1,000 years, and has been in the process of reform and integration, taking creativity and innovative economy as the core in its dynamic, comprehensive and sustainable development.

On October 30, 2019, Ha Noi was honoured as one of the 246 cities joining the UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the field of design.

A folk cultural festival kicked off in Ha Noi on the same day in response to the city’s participation in the network./.