Walking tour was one of the activities at VFCD 2022. Photo courtesy of RMIT University

HCM CITY — The annual Vietnam Festival of Creativity & Design (VFCD) will take place in HCM City and Hà Nội, celebrating its fifth anniversary in November and December. 

Under the theme Mind & Machine, the festival will include a series of insightful events, such as workshops, exhibitions, talks, panels and performances, to explore the creative potential of technology and its tools, and consider the challenges and opportunities that they present for the creative industries.

The exhibition Mind & Machine opened the festival in HCM City on November 13 at Hải An Gallery, showcasing artists’ creative works that reflect the current and future perspectives of the relationship between machines and human minds.

“This year’s festival highlights Việt Nam's creative power and recognises the positive impact of the human mind in a new era of technology," said Professor Julia Gaimster, Dean of RMIT School of Communication & Design. 

"We will explore the theme of Mind & Machine, how they interact and influence each other in the creative industries, and the potential that comes from the pairing of human thought, artificial intelligence and other technological developments.”  

VFCD 2023 is organised by RMIT University Vietnam in collaboration with UNESCO, Việt Nam National Institute for Culture and Art Studies (VICAS) and other partners in the creative industries.

"I have trust and confidence in the importance of VFCD as the leading creative platform for individuals, organisations and communities in the areas of culture, arts and creativity in Việt Nam to accelerate the development of the cultural industries," said Associate Professor Dr Nguyễn Thị Thu Phương, director of VICAS.

“This trust comes from the fact that this is the fifth year VFCD has continued to successfully shape and establish programmes, events, connections and creative partners,” Phương said.

Highlight of the festival will be an online talk with the MakerLab engineer team on November 15 to share about the process of applying technology in installing the audio and multimedia art project And They Die A Natural Death by Vietnamese artist Nguyễn Trinh Thi.

This work was displayed at the notable international contemporary art event Documenta 15, held in 2022 in Kassel, Germany. 

A live performance entitled Vinamix will be held on November 19, an audio-visual art event with VJ loops inspired by fascinating architectural styles, palettes, outfits and items, prominent figures and even Vietnamese street cuisine, aiming to celebrate the powerful influences of Vietnam’s street culture on digital media communications. 

VFCD creates an open and interactive platform for creative individuals and organisations to keep abreast of the latest trends in creative industries.  

Việt Nam is blessed with a vast pool of young talent, with more than 22 million individuals between the ages of 16 and 30 who are well-educated and technically savvy, according to Michael Croft, Officer in Charge of UNESCO Hanoi Office in Việt Nam.

"They provide the country with enormous potential for the cultural and creative industries, as young people are at the heart of the creative industry with their natural inclination to innovate, be creative and take calculated risks, especially through entrepreneurship.

"We have to continue to make the time and space for young people to play a leading role in optimising the creative economy's impact on the social and economic growth of the country. This has remained a key objective for the festival since day one of the first year.”

Initiated in 2019, VFCD has contributed to driving partnerships and projects among organisations and individuals in the cultural-creative sector in Việt Nam. — VNS