The 4th annual Vietnam Festival of Creativity & Design 2022 (VFCD), with the theme “CHANGE: Creativity challenge” will run from November 7 to 20 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The festival will take place in November. Photos: RMIT

In anticipation of the main program, VFCD has opened up an unprecedented opportunity for cross-disciplinary collaboration with the Creativity Challenge Playground. This challenge forms pairs between two individuals, groups, organizations, or businesses operating in at least two different creative fields. The five finalist pairs were announced at the VFCD launch event on August 16.

Each pair will receive funding of VND50 million (nearly US$2,100) and expert support from the organizers to generate ideas and produce prototypes of cultural and creative products or services. These prototypes will be showcased during the festival weeks in November.

Representatives from the organizers and the creative community at the VFCD 2022 launch event in Ho Chi Minh City.

Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute of Cultural and Arts Studies (VICAS) said: “We expect to create a playground to connect, challenge and get Vietnamese talent to go beyond their creative capacity. They can level up their knowledge and skills relating to culture, arts, and creativity while building their capacity for cross-disciplinary project execution and management.”

VFCD 2022 is calling on the creative and cultural communities in Vietnam to submit proposals for events and activities to be featured in the festival this year. Individuals, groups, organizations, and enterprises are welcome to propose their ideas by September 15 via the registration form.

Professor Julia Gaimster, Dean of RMIT School of Communication & Design, said: “We aim to make the festival sustainable for the future, to continue to create impact and support for the creative industries in Vietnam, and to provide opportunities for a wider audience to engage with and understand the value of creativity in all aspects of our lives.”

VFCD 2022 is organized by RMIT University Vietnam in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS), COLAB Vietnam, and other partners in the creative industries, with Hanoi Grapevine as the media partner and organizational adviser.

Initiated in 2019, VFCD has contributed to driving partnerships and projects among organizations and individuals in the cultural-creative sector in Vietnam over the past three years.