Hà Nội is aiming to join cities around the world with a branded and competitive cultural industry, with the establishment of new and iconic cultural works of regional and global stature. — Illustration photo courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

HÀ NỘI — The capital city is making the best use of its cultural and human resources to create internal strength, an important driving force for its sustainable development, artists and experts have said.

The city aims to join cities around the world with a branded and competitive cultural industry, with the establishment of new and iconic cultural works of regional and global stature.

Composer Quốc Trung, known for major music shows like the Monsoon International Music Festival held in Hà Nội, used to be concerned about building a cultural and music brand on a global scale for Hà Nội.

He has been fortunate to participate in music festivals in different countries and cities. For example, he said in the small town of Rosilde in Denmark, with a population of only a few tens of thousands, one of the world's biggest music festivals is held annually, attracting over 150,000 visitors from Scandinavia and Europe with seven stages and 170 bands over a week.

Trung wondered why Hà Nội does not hold a similar festival on a similar scale with the participation of artists from home and abroad over multiple days.

It should also leave a special and unique impression of the beauty and atmosphere of Hà Nội. According to Trung, a major music festival should be held regularly to build a reputation in the international arena, bring pride to residents and introduce new faces to audiences.

Meanwhile, as a person dedicated to art, People's Artist Trung Hiếu said to develop Hà Nội's performing arts, it must first achieve professionalism in terms of infrastructure and personnel.

"The combination between art and modern sci-tech will bring unforgettable experiences to audiences and attract more and more fans to the event," according to Hiếu.

Moreover, he said that localities should issue suitable mechanisms to make it easier for media agencies to organise shows.

Forming cultural spaces

Hà Nội regards culture as an important "soft resource" in the current trend, focusing on developing several sectors with existing advantages and potential such as cultural tourism, handicrafts, performing arts, movies, design and cuisine. The city also focuses on creating cultural spaces to meet public demand for entertainment while facilitating creative activities.

Several cultural destinations have opened recently and earned a place in public minds, notably those in downtown Hoàn Kiếm District. They have attracted numerous visitors, including the walking areas around the Old Quarter and Hoàn Kiếm Lake, a reading culture space, and Phùng Hưng mural space.

A leader of Hoàn Kiếm District said walking streets had boosted trade and tourism, thus increasing people's incomes and revenue for the State budget.

In early 2022, residents of the Bát Tràng pottery-making village were delighted to debut a centre introducing the quintessence of Vietnamese craft villages nationwide.

Chairwoman of the Hà Nội Association of Handicrafts, Fine Arts and Craft Villages Hà Thị Vinh said the Bát Tràng pottery museum tells the story of the village's ancestors nearly 1,000 years ago. About 23 families left their homeland in Bồ Bát Village, Yên Mỗ District, in the northern province of Ninh Bình, together with King Lý Công Uẩn on a boat to establish the village we see today.

The centre is a place to experience craft making, promote trade among craft villages, introduce contemporary arts, and auction artistic works, she said.

Hà Nội is encouraging the building of cultural spaces to serve the spiritual lives of residents and develop unique and creative cultural products. It will issue policies to turn creative spaces into innovative eco-systems and sustainably develop start-ups and innovation, as well as the night-time and urban economies. — VNS