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| Models present "Ao dai" (Vietnam's traditional long dress) during the opening ceremony of the Hanoi Ao Dai Tourism Festival, a highlight of the capital city's creative journey. (Photo: VNA) |
Hanoi (VNA) – In line with the Politburo's Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW on the development of Vietnamese culture, localities across the nation are increasingly seeking to bring cultural spaces back into everyday life, transforming culture into an endogenous driver of creativity and sustainable growth.
Hanoi has recently launched a series of initiatives to realise its vision of becoming a "Civilised – Distinctive – Creative" capital, where culture and innovation serve as key growth engines. Among the most notable are the creative infrastructure development programme and the 2026 creative space design competition, which encourage architects, designers and creative communities to revitalise former industrial sites, relocated facilities, traditional craft villages, parks, squares and other public spaces through innovative yet practical design solutions.
The initiative aims to foster a vibrant creative ecosystem, accelerate the growth of cultural industries and reinforce Hanoi's position within UNESCO's Creative Cities Network.
The capital is also advancing its 100-year master plan, which identifies culture as the core of long-term urban development. The plan prioritises preserving the historic urban structures and safeguarding major heritage areas, including the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake, the Temple of Literature, the Red River corridor and the city's extensive network of traditional craft villages. It also seeks to preserve Hanoi's unique "villages within the city, streets within villages" model while promoting modern urbanisation without compromising cultural identity.
The master plan further emphasises expanding green areas and public spaces, with former industrial and relocated sites earmarked for transformation into parks, museums, cultural centres and creative hubs.
According to experts and urban managers, as Hanoi continues to face mounting challenges related to population pressure, infrastructure, public space and the gradual erosion of cultural heritage, breakthrough solutions are needed to strike a balance between conservation and development, and position cultural industries, heritage tourism and creative design as new engines of economic growth.
With more than 6,489 historical and cultural relic sites, three UNESCO-recognised intangible cultural heritage elements, one UNESCO documentary heritage and around 1,350 traditional craft villages, Hanoi possesses exceptional cultural resources to support its ambition of becoming a heritage city, a creative city and a “cultured – civilised – modern – happy” capital.
In Ho Chi Minh City, on July 22, the city's Tourism Promotion Centre and its arts centre signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation for 2026–2030 to promote cultural tourism and creative industries. The partnership will combine tourism with performing arts to develop distinctive cultural tourism products. Priority will be given to art tourism, night-time tourism, festival tourism and MICE tourism, helping stimulate visitor demand while expanding the city's night-time economy.
The two organisations will also strengthen promotion of artistic events through domestic and international media, tourism fairs, exhibitions and promotional campaigns, while organising trips for travel businesses, journalists, key opinion leaders (KOLs) and international partners.
At the same time, the city continues to invest in traditional performing arts such as cai luong (reformed opera), hat boi (classical opera) and water puppetry, alongside contemporary and classical performances, creating signature cultural products that enrich the city's tourism portfolio.
Meanwhile, on July 23, the Hue Historical Science Association organised a scientific conference on identifying the central city’s cultural heritage, bringing together scholars, researchers, university representatives and policymakers. Participants examined Hue's cultural identity and proposed measures to preserve and promote its heritage in the context of modern development. Many of them highlighted the important role of cuisine, festivals, music and traditional beliefs in developing tourism and cultural industries, while calling for stronger digital transformation, comprehensive heritage databases, creative city models and closer integration of heritage preservation with socio-economic development.
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| A bowl of bun bo Hue (Photo: VNA) |
Hue has also announced several major cultural events, including the the Hue International Heritage and Music Festival (Hue Wonderverse Music Fest) 2026, which is scheduled to take place from August 30 to September 1 under the theme “City Awakening”. Meanwhile, the city has just held the "Hue – Culinary Capital 2026" programme under the theme “Bun bo Hue (Hue Beef Noodle) Day.” Through culinary showcases, cultural exchanges and interactive experiences, Hue continues to position its gastronomic heritage as a distinctive cultural and tourism asset, contributing to high-quality, sustainable tourism and to strengthening the city's standing on Vietnam's and the world's cultural and culinary map./.
