VietNam
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) now includes over 300 member cities from 90 countries and territories around the world. To date, Hanoi is the only representative of Vietnam to be recognized as a creative city in the field of Design. In 2023, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has chosen Hội An as Vietnam's next representative to apply to join the UCCN.
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Hội An Ancient Town - a World Cultural Heritage Site. Photo: Tan Dieu
Choosing the Crafts and Folk Art field
As a land with a long history and a period of prosperous development as an international commercial port in Vietnam, the creativity of Hội An people is diversified and focused on many fields such as cuisine, culture, history, festival and event organization, etc. Among them, Hội An has chosen Crafts and Folk Art as its outstanding strengths to participate in the UCCN.
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A corner of Thanh Hà ceramic kiln
Currently, Hội An has 658 large and small businesses and establishments operating in the field of Crafts. Traditional craft villages in Hội An were formed quite early, thanks to the skillful and creative hands of migrants from Vietnam's North Central region. Thanh Hà Pottery Village, Kim Bồng Carpentry Village, and Trà Quế Vegetable Village,... have experienced a period of brilliant development, greatly contributing to the prosperous development of Hội An international commercial port in the 16th and 17th centuries. Products from Hội An craft villages have been traded both domestically and internationally.
Craft villages have undergone many changes and are now largely revitalized through tourism activities centered on traditional values and craft village tours. Although crafts in Hội An are still fragmented and small, they have actually survived and can grow stronger if the city continues to promulgate many appropriate policies.
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The art of Bài Chòi is truly alive in people's lives
Hội An is also the land of traditional songs and diverse cultural practices. The art of Bài Chòi in Central Vietnam is a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Hội An is currently a place where the values of Bài Chòi are effectively preserved and promoted in local cultural life.
Many clubs and groups in the city and its communes and wards are involved in culture and folk art. Hội An currently has one traditional art performance house with over 40 actors/actresses and instrumentalists, Hoi An Lune Center, Hoi An Memories Land with over 700 actors/actresses, as well as many other centers and organizations that organize artistic activities. In particular, Hội An is a land capable of attracting many creative artists to form a creative community, compose, and contribute to promoting the values of folk art. This is the city's strength based on its creativity and potential.
What benefits does Hội An have if it officially joins the UCCN?
Hội An's tourism industry has gone through a glorious period, contributing greatly to the socio-economic development of it in particular, Quảng Nam province and Vietnam in general. As a place where many advantages and potentials of the “smokeless industry” converge; over the past many years, Hội An's tourism industry has grown rapidly; thereby creating jobs, increasing income, and improving living standards for the community.
International consultation workshop “Hội An city’s dossier for the UCCN membership”
Achieving these goals not only thanks to a natural resource and inherent cultural heritages, but also to the acumen, flexibility, and creativity throughout the local community's labor and work process.
However, as society has been changing as a result of many upheavals of the times, Hội An must also alter and transform. Key factors identified include economic and social development orientations, as well as creating livelihoods for the people. Joining the "UNESCO Creative Cities Network" provides a crucial foundation for long-term development, expanding opportunities for international cooperation and opening up opportunities in the future. Hội An takes positive values from affiliated member cities and applies them flexibly to its unique development model.
Hội An also enhances its ability to mobilize resources, open knowledge, and keep pace with the development of the modern world. Hội An has been focusing on opportunities for cultural and artistic activities, as well as placing culture as the core of its development process. Hội An's young generation will be able to study, replicate innovative models, and lay the groundwork for their successful startup.
Art programs are rich in creative values
If Hội An is accepted into the UCCN, its resources and strengths in history, culture, nature, and people will be maximized and effectively promoted. This is also the foundation for the city to focus on conservation policies and develop culture more widely. After officially joining the network, the city must implement more practical and optimal solutions to increase efficiency, avoid the loss of traditional crafts and unique folk arts, and pass on the valuable resources of their forefathers to future generations.
With all the potential and prospects, if Hội An is accepted into the UCCN, it will successfully complete the commitments and initiatives mentioned in the candidacy dossier, with the goal of protecting the interests of the people, especially socially disadvantaged groups such as women and children. Aside from its development strategies, Hội An city is always steadfast in its goals for the people and towards a creative city founded on a centuries-traditional culture.
Hội An Center for Culture, Sports, Radio and Television
