Director of the Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports Phạm Tuấn Long speaks at the event. — Photo courtesy of Architecture Magazine

HÀ NỘI — Within the framework of the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2026, Hà Nội launched the Innovative Infrastructure Development Programme and kicked off the 2026 Creative Space Design Competition on Saturday.

The programme is implemented by the Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports and Architecture Magazine, to build a sustainable creative ecosystem and transform the capital's rich traditional cultural resources into a new driving force for development.

With the theme “Hà Nội: Awakening Urban Space,” the competition aims to connect social resources, seek new ideas and promote the formation of a creative space ecosystem in the capital.

Director of the Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports Phạm Tuấn Long said that the city collaborated with the Vietnam Association of Architects to launch the competition to seek high-quality design proposals that not only enhance the urban landscape but also create additional creative spaces for the community.

"We hope that, in the near future, we will find many outstanding design works that are applied in practice, contributing to enhancing the quality of public spaces, beautifying the capital and further affirming Hà Nội's position within the UNESCO Creative Cities Network," said Long.

Architect Hoàng Thúc Hào, Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Architects, speaks at the event. — Photo courtesy of Architecture Magazine

The competition aims to connect architects, designers, artists, experts, researchers, students, and the creative community to propose new models for Hà Nội’s urban spaces, addressing not only architectural aspects but also policy frameworks, governance models, financial strategies, and community resource mobilisation.

Notably, feasible ideas will be reviewed by the Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports for practical implementation, thereby contributing to the enhancement of the city's public landscape.

Participants may register in professional or semi-professional categories and select a study site from three specific areas: infrastructure fostering innovation; creative spaces derived from repurposed structures; and the preservation and revitalisation of traditional architectural and urban planning spaces.

Through this competition, the organisers aim to identify solutions for revitalising public squares, parks, pedestrian streets, cultural centres, old collective housing complexes, factories, surplus administrative buildings, craft villages, and ancient villages. The goal is to create new cultural and creative spaces that both preserve local identity and generate socio-economic value.

Architect Hoàng Thúc Hào, Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Architects, said that the competition will serve as a platform for the profession, especially young architects and students, to engage with pressing real-world issues facing urban and rural areas.

“We hope that the outstanding ideas from the competition will be embraced and piloted by the Hà Nội municipal government, thereby realising the goal of establishing a robust creative infrastructure network for the Capital for the 2026–2030 period,” Hào said. — VNS