This was highlighted at the conference "Festivals in Creative Cities" held at the Hanoi Museum on December 5. The event was co-hosted by the UNESCO Office in Vietnam and the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, gathering international experts and representatives from UCCN member cities.

In her opening remarks, Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports Bach Lien Huong affirmed the city's continuous efforts since joining the UCCN. These efforts include launching numerous programmes to build creative spaces, connect domestic and international resources, develop the Hanoi Creative Culture Spaces network, and establish a coordination centre for the city's creative activities.

Huong noted that the Hanoi Creative Design Festival is becoming a significant highlight, demonstrating the city's commitment to innovation and fostering cooperation in the field of creative design. The conference, supported by UNESCO and international experts, aimed to facilitate the exchange of experiences in organising such creative festivals.

Jonathan Baker, UNESCO Representative to Vietnam, emphasised that Hanoi’s recognition as a creative city for design has opened a new phase of development, with creativity serving as a key impetus.

He highly commended Hanoi’s success in building a vibrant creative ecosystem through festivals, community-connecting networks, and initiatives that empower the younger generation of designers.

Baker stressed that while creative festivals are short in duration, they generate a lasting and ripple effect as they help connect communities, revitalise public spaces, and express the unique identity and development aspirations of cities.

This conference, he added, was a timely opportunity for UCCN members to share effective cooperation models and festival organisation experiences, working towards a common and adaptive creative festival guidance framework that respects local cultural identities.

Discussions at the conference focused on four key areas including Hanoi's good practices in holding the Hanoi Creative Design Festival as a model for a creative and innovative urban festival; festival organisation strategies, challenges, and solutions for community engagement; creative festivals' role in urban development, youth empowerment, and cultural startup and international cooperation facilitation; and a flexible festival organisation framework that is aligned with the UCCN values and the local context.

The conference was a continuation of the successful cooperation programmes between Hanoi and UNESCO, aiming to build sustainable and inclusive creative festivals that will further elevate Hanoi's standing within the global UCCN./.