Strengthening support and improving creative spaces is essential to fostering future creativity and enriching the city's cultural landscape, Lu Thi Thanh Le, a lecturer in cultural and creative industries at the School of Interdisciplinary Science and Arts at Vietnam National University - Hanoi told Hanoimoi Newspaper.

What are your comments about the current landscape of children's creative spaces?

Dong Ho folk painting practice at Vietnam National Museum. Photo: Creative Space for Children

Thanks to the efforts of many stakeholders, Hanoi now has a growing number of creative places for children. The municipal government's commitment includes government-managed playgrounds and recreation areas, as well as cultural and sports centers at the district and city levels.

There is also a surge in private sector engagement in the development of creative spaces for children, such as Art Tree Studio and Creative Gara. These organizations host numerous cultural, artistic, entertainment and creative activities for children.

In particular, there are creative spaces that focus on improving children's understanding of folk culture, such as Bach Nghe Ward and Doai Creative. In addition to physical, creative spaces, there are also online creative groups that collaborate with existing facilities, including cafes and public spaces.

However, despite the growing number, most are geared toward teens and adults and there are few free options.

The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts are two examples of public spaces in Hanoi that offer cultural and artistic events to the general public at affordable costs.

The Hanoi Museum is partnering with several organizations to offer exciting creative activities for children and visitors. Participants can explore their artistic side by creating art from silk fabric scraps with Vun Art Cooperative, crafting handmade products with Kym Viet Co. and learning folk painting techniques from Latoa Indochine artists.

What are the benefits and shortcomings of current creative spaces for children?

Creative spaces for children are thriving today, supported by government policies that encourage the development of cultural industries. These initiatives promote creative venues and enhance social inclusion and lifelong learning opportunities for the community.

In addition, the market potential for creative services for children is considerable. By organizing engaging cultural and artistic experiences, these spaces can attract strong support from different stakeholders.

Building children's creative spaces faces some difficulties, such as funding, location, staffing, and effective marketing and communication plans.

To succeed, these spaces must offer distinctive, engaging, and innovative products while ensuring profitable operations.

How do current children's creative spaces contribute to future creative assets?

Children engage in hands-on traditional crafts at the Bach Nghe creative space. Photo: Bach Nghe Ward

I believe that these spaces play an important role in educating the public through their creative activities. For example, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and various other creative venues conduct programs that explore traditional Vietnamese games, culture, and crafts. These efforts greatly enhance the public's understanding of Vietnamese heritage.

As a result, I believe that providing children with creative environments is essential to developing their creative potential in the future. The goal is to provide children with hands-on activities and an environment encouraging creativity.

At these centers, activities are designed to foster creativity, confidence, and an understanding of creative processes and techniques. This stimulation encourages curiosity and a spirit of inquiry, empowering participants to develop their creative skills and self-confidence.

What are solutions for better creative spaces?

Finding effective ways to support creative spaces for children is essential to meeting their growing needs. Currently, these spaces need comprehensive support to thrive. Specifically, it's important to integrate the implementation of policies that encourage the development of public and creative spaces for children into the city's cultural industry initiatives.

Hanoi must improve policies to address challenges such as land availability, location, staffing, and customer service capabilities.

As a creative city, Hanoi can invest more and diversify its creative spaces to strongly stimulate children's creativity. This includes developing public and private venues tailored to preschool, primary, and middle school-aged children.

This demographic represents a significant portion of Hanoi's population and its future creative resource. Expanding creative spaces for children is critical to positioning Hanoi as a truly creative and livable city where many children can joyfully share their creativity and connect with each other.

Thank you very much!