Building a creative city with thousand-year cultural identity

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Tra My - Quang Huy 07:19, 2022/11/29

Hanoi, with its strength as a major cultural center where the quintessence of the whole country converges, has become a pioneer in perceiving and disseminating new intellectual and technologies in recent years.

Hanoi's 2022 creative city plan focuses on design and technology. The technology combines traditional cultural values to create multi-colored cultural spaces containing modern and typical features of Hanoi. Through such spaces, the public will see culture from a more multidimensional perspective, arousing many ideas that can capitalize "soft power" into economic resources, contributing to developing the capital's cultural industry.

"Taking wings" for creative city

Creative experience space at Dinh Tien Hoang Street with many exciting activities.

The Creative Design Festival 2022 closed after two weeks, highlighting not only its organizing scale and large participation of experts but also an impression among the audience on spaces and programs applying modern technology.

Visitors to the Art and Culture Center at 22 Hang Buom Street included cultural lovers and 4-6-year-old children interested in a 3D game installation space, "AirSkylen" by painter Lam Ngoc Quang. They had the opportunity to experience a game show with images of planes flying in the simulated space of Hanoi Capital.

Quang said: "I combine technology with creativity to make a large map with details that require applying for many technological advances. Combining aviation with urban areas, we will see a developed Hanoi… Art needs to make people more awake."

Another technology the visitors welcomed at the festival was the reality virtual heritage experience program themed "Bringing Heritage to the Contemporary". Technology users were allowed to play games on cultural platforms such as "Coconut Catch", and "Long Thanh Archer"; or they could become warriors during the Ly Dynasty, take a virtual reality tour to see ancient Thang Long Citadel, visit One Pillar Pagoda, and enjoy Hang Trong paintings, gold and silver jewelry, and other items with creative designs as those of the Ly Dynasty.

Founder of the Heritage Club, Tran Thanh Tung, said: "The combination of cultural heritage with technology is undertaken since technology is both a trend and a bridge for people to simulate virtual reality to better understand and diversify their views of culture…"

Honoring cultural identity through technology

The application of technology to cultural and artistic activities in Hanoi has become increasingly popular in recent years. Many localities, tourist destinations, and historical sites in Hanoi have begun to carry out heritage conservation based on digital technology, such as those in Dan Phuong and Gia Lam districts, the ancient pottery village of Bat Trang, Hoan Kiem Lake Management Board and Hanoi Old Quarter. The most prominent is the Thang Long Imperial Citadel. This center has used technology creatively, raising it to an art level to confirm the capital's unique identity.

An exhibition space for "Treasures of the Thang Long Imperial Palace". Photos: Lai Tan

Typically, due to a 3D mapping technology applied recently, the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center in collaboration with the Imperial Citadel Research Institute had recreated the lost patterns and textures for visitors to better identify the beauty of the city's luxurious pottery items produced in the ancient Thang Long Imperial Palace.

Also, thanks to the technological application, the Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam Center for Cultural and Scientific Activities has gradually turned Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam into a cultural space. Specifically, the historical and cultural site has installed 3D mapping technological equipment on the roof of the Thai Hoc Temple. Images of Master Chu Van An, the Temple of Literature stele, and the whole site from a few hundred years ago have been recreated, giving an excellent impression to viewers.

Hanoi has also had many initiatives to connect and provide a solid foundation for developing creative intellectuals, focusing on key strategies such as constructing a Creative Design Center, building and strengthening creative spaces, and an innovative talent TV series project.

In recent years, with the strength of a large cultural center where the quintessence of the whole country converges, Hanoi has been pioneering in perceiving and disseminating new knowledge and technologies. In the context of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, technological innovation has contributed to helping Hanoi affirm its position and brand worldwide, achieve its sustainable development goals, and create a solid "pedestal" for it to become a "Creative Capital" of Southeast Asia.

Christian Manhart, Chief Representative of UNESCO Office in Hanoi

Hanoi has outstanding cultural heritage sites and a large number of creative people who possess great potential for creativity as a catalyst for socio-economic development. The Creative Design Festival 2022, a special event in November held with exhibitions, seminars, talk shows, and art performances across the city, was a great opportunity for people to gather and celebrate achievements of creation. Vietnamese talents are shining their innovative spirit, contributing to the city's construction, for the benefit of each citizen."

Promotion of the cultural industry

Hanoi has implemented numerous programs to promote the city's cultural industry, provide more innovative products, and open up new marketing methods. For example, in 2021, the Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam Center for Cultural and Scientific Activities launched a contest called "Sketch of Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam" for students of architecture and planning universities such as the University of Civil Engineering, University of Architecture and Hanoi Open University.

In August 2022, the city's Department of Culture and Sports (DCS) launched the Hanoi Public Art Space Design Contest 2022, encouraging young people (especially students) to propose ideas for designing public art spaces, applying new technology with educational and aesthetic value to contribute to bringing art and artistic creation closer to the public. The DCS also cooperated with the Hanoi University of Industrial Arts and Design to launch the "Creative Hanoi" contest for art students, seeking new and unique ideas in space creation and the field of creative art and design products for the city.

Visitors experience creative design spaces in Ho Guom walking street.

Dr. Nguyen Huy Phong from Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics said: "In the past years, along with socio-economic development, the cultural and art force has become more and more growing in quantity and quality, contributing many ideas to creating and diversifying cultural and artistic products rich in identity, bringing fruitful spiritual and entertainment activities to the community and society.

Dr. Le Thi Cuc from Hanoi University of Culture suggested universities and colleges promote human training resources for the cultural industry by encouraging students to explore and experience various art forms and actively interact with practitioners, speakers, propagandists, and tutors.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Hoai Son, a permanent member of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Education

"Many cultural and artistic schools in Hanoi have set imprints of themselves and created their brands along with names of famous artists such as the Vietnam University of Fine Arts with nearly 100 years of tradition, the new art faculties of FPT University and RMIT. Creative spaces have been experimented with Manzi, Nha San Collective, and Complex 01... or many creative and artistic programs have been implemented with the support of many countries' embassies in Vietnam, such as Germany, France, and the UK. This helps build a creative environment for the city."