Increasing international connectivity is not just about calls for collaboration; it begins with Hanoi creating platforms “open” enough for creative resources to converge and connect. Looking at recent practices, three “slices” demonstrate how the city is opening its doors to integration: the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2024, Biennale Photo Hanoi’25, and art residency projects—exemplified by…

From opening industrial heritage sites like the Hang Dau Water Tower and Gia Lâm Train Factory to experimenting with temporary functional conversions of museums, flower gardens, lecture halls, and cultural institutions, the Hanoi Creative Design Festival in recent years has served as a laboratory for urban regeneration. As Hanoi announces the framework for the 2026…

Vietnam’s cultural industries are entering a period of robust growth with numerous highlights across cinema, design, music, and creative craft villages. However, behind this vibrancy, a reality persists: the value chain remains fragmented, lacking connectivity between creativity, production, distribution, markets, and reinvestment. The question arises: What are the bottlenecks preventing this growth momentum from becoming…

Cultural industries are often mentioned alongside grand concepts: heritage, museums, festivals, or cinema. However, in Hanoi, another flow is quietly forming from very small things: a bar of soap, a candle, a piece of paper, a scrap of leather. When these are narrated, designed into experiences, and connected into a community, these “minor things” gradually…

On 1 October 2025, the People’s Committee of Hà Nội issued Plan No. 270/KH-UBND to implement Resolution No. 24/2025/NQ-HĐND on the organisation and operation of Cultural Industry Centers across the city. The move is seen as a significant step in translating the goal of positioning cultural industries as a key economic sector and affirming Hanoi’s…