The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is willing to help Hanoi become a hub of innovation in Southeast Asia and Asia, Kinh Te & Do Thi quoted UNESCO Representative to Vietnam Michael Croft as stating at a meeting with Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue in Hanoi on September 9.

During its development, Hanoi has attached special importance to upholding the values of cultural heritage, Mr. Michael Croft said, adding that by including Hanoi in the Creative Cities Network, UNESCO hopes to promote such values.

Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue receives UNESCO Representative to Vietnam Michael Croft. Photo: Thanh Hai

The UNESCO representative said that Hanoi is expected to change from a creative city to a creative center and then the creative capital of Southeast Asia and Asia, on the basis of heritage, culture, and peace. After that, the city can become a dynamic and creative city worth living in the 21st century.

To accomplish the above-mentioned goal, UNESCO is working on a project with the major pillars of education, urbanization, culture, and soft power that have attracted the attention from many partners worldwide, including those in Vietnam, according to Mr. Croft.

He stressed that, under the project, UNESCO will help Hanoi connect with cities in other countries as well as those who are interested in the city’s development.

Mr. Croft also congratulated Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular on their achievements in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

For his part, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue highly valued UNESCO’s activities in Hanoi as well as in Vietnam recently.

Hanoi was honored to be recognized by UNESCO as a “City for Peace” and included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Mr. Hue said, describing this as momentum for Hanoi to develop more sustainably and rapidly in the time ahead.

The municipal Party chief stressed that Hanoi aims to become a green, smart, and modern city by 2030, and a livable city in by 2045, with importance attached to traditional values and its image as a heroic city and “City for Peace”.

In the coming time, Hanoi will coordinate with UNESCO to organize workshops to complete UNESCO’s project, promote and mobilize resources to realize the project, Mr. Hue said, adding that the city is building a project that gathers ideas and initiatives from experts, scientists, and lovers of Hanoi, to build a creative city which is worth living in.