Lesson 1: Pioneering in creating a cultural industrial center

Resolution No. 09-NQ/TU on developing cultural industries in the capital demonstrates Hanoi's breakthrough thinking and strategic vision.

On February 22, 2022, the Hanoi Party Committee issued Resolution No. 09-NQ/TU on "Developing cultural industry in the capital for the period 2021-2025, orientation to 2030, vision to 2045" (referred to as Resolution No. 09).

This is not only the first time Hanoi has had a separate resolution on developing the cultural industry, but also demonstrates the city's breakthrough thinking and strategic vision in identifying culture as a spiritual foundation and at the same time an important endogenous resource for sustainable development.

The program "Light Concert - Welcome New Year 2025" is jointly organized by Hanoi City People's Committee, Tay Ho District People's Committee and Nhan Dan Newspaper.

From strategic orientation to vivid reality

More than three years after Resolution No. 09 was issued, the appearance of Hanoi's cultural industry has undergone impressive changes. This is reflected first and foremost in the strong innovation in cultural management thinking: Instead of approaching culture as a budget consumption sector, Hanoi identifies this as a sector with high profit potential if invested in systematically and synchronously.

Immediately after the Resolution was issued, the city developed a specific action program, clearly assigned responsibilities to each department, industry, and locality, and issued policies to support businesses, artists, and creative groups. From there, a dynamic cultural industrial ecosystem was formed, connecting industries such as cinema, design, fashion, music , games, handicrafts, digital media, etc.

Light show from 2025 drone light combined with music from symphony orchestra.

Thang Long Imperial Citadel at night.

Ao Dai performance with the participation of 1,000 people on the morning of October 29, 2023. Photo: Viet Thanh

Thang Long Imperial Citadel Night Tour takes visitors through the story of the royal palace in their own way.

Ao dai performance on stage at the opening ceremony on the evening of October 27. Photo: Quang Thai

Cycling tour to experience Hanoi at night.

One of the outstanding achievements is the strong development of the creative space system - where artists, designers, filmmakers, cultural startups can work, perform and connect with the public. From a few single models such as Zone 9 in the past, up to now, Hanoi has had hundreds of large and small creative spaces, of which the most typical are: Complex 01 (Tay Son), Heritage Space, VICAS Art Studio, O Kia Ha Noi... Creative cultural spaces for the community include: Walking space in the Hoan Kiem Lake area and vicinity, Phung Hung mural street (old Hoan Kiem district); Trinh Cong Son walking street (old Tay Ho district); Tran Nhan Tong walking space (old Hai Ba Trung district)...

Many cultural events not only establish new creative spaces for Hanoi, positioning the capital's brand, but also have value in international exchange, attracting foreign visitors such as: Hanoi Creative Design Week, Hanoi Ao Dai Festival, Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF), Hanoi Tourism Gift Festival...

Opening ceremony of Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2024. Photo: Quang Thai

It is worth mentioning that not only have new cultural spaces been created for young people, many relics, heritages, and architectures preserving the long-standing cultural sediments of Thang Long - Hanoi have also become attractive and captivating creative spaces.

Typically, Hoa Lo Prison, Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam, Thang Long Imperial Citadel heritage have become models for developing night tours, opening up new creative spaces for young people to experience culture by applying 3D technology and live performances. Or architectural heritages have become creative art spaces, attracting a large creative community such as the French Villa at 49 Tran Hung Dao, the Cultural and Art Center at 22 Hang Buom, Hanoi Museum...

Night tour of Temple of Literature "The essence of Taoism".

Night tour "The Quintessence of Confucianism" at Temple of Literature - Imperial Academy.

Night tour "The Quintessence of Confucianism" at Temple of Literature - Imperial Academy.

Tourists experience writing Han Nom characters.

Hanoi's creative spaces have also been expanded from the inner city to the suburbs, becoming cultural tourism products that are attractive and sustainable to visitors. These include the Son Tay Ancient Citadel walking space (Son Tay ward); check-in and experience points at Quang Phu Cau incense village (Ung Thien commune); craft village space at the Quintessence of Vietnamese Craft Villages Center (Bat Trang commune); Mien village tourism space of the Dao community (Ba Vi commune)...

From an economic perspective, the cultural industry is gradually becoming a new growth pillar. In 2024, the contribution of this sector to the capital's GRDP will reach about 3.7%, aiming for a target of 5% in 2025. Revenue from cultural and creative products, especially in the fields of games, digital content, handicrafts, fashion and experiential tourism, continues to grow steadily.

Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Son, Standing Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education, commented: "The most important thing that Hanoi has achieved after Resolution 09 is not only the growth figures, but also the change in cultural development thinking. Cultural industry is no longer a strange concept, but has become an essential part of the capital's development strategy. Hanoi is leading the country in institutionalizing this field."

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The most important thing that Hanoi achieved after Resolution 09 was not only the growth figures, but also the change in cultural development thinking.

Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Hoai Son, Standing Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, Director of the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS), commented: “Hanoi is pioneering the establishment of institutions for the cultural industry - something that many localities are still confused about. The establishment of the Cultural Industry Center is not only a tool for organizing policy implementation, but also a strong message about the role of culture as a pillar of development. If operated properly, this will be the starting point for international creativity, a place to nurture talent and develop the Vietnamese cultural market.”

According to Ms. Phuong, Hanoi needs to continue to invest heavily in creative infrastructure, build a special financial mechanism to encourage cultural startups, and develop young human resources with creativity and global thinking but still understand national cultural identity.

In the suburbs of Hanoi, many attractive creative spaces have appeared, typically the incense stick village of Quang Phu Cau (Ung Thien commune).

Notably, in the process of developing the cultural industry, Hanoi has more clearly affirmed its role as a “Creative City” after joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in 2019. Not only enhancing its international position, this title also opens up a space for global cooperation, promoting cultural exchange initiatives, connecting Vietnamese artists and designers with the world creative community.

UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam, Mr. Jonathan Wallace Baker, commented: "After more than 5 years since joining the Creative Cities Network, Hanoi is gradually turning culture into a pillar in the capital's development plan."

UNESCO Representative in Vietnam Jonathan Wallace Baker.

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As a UNESCO Creative City, Hanoi has developed a series of activities that the city plans to carry out in the coming years. And I appreciate that Hanoi has fulfilled those commitments in the recent past.

Mr. Jonathan Wallace Baker

The constant movements in the process of cultural development and building new people in the Capital show that Resolution No. 09 is not only a political orientation, but has truly entered life, gradually changing the way of looking at, doing and investing in the cultural and creative fields.

From policy platform to organizational model

However, as the creative ecosystem continues to grow, there is an urgent need for an organizational model that can coordinate, support and connect resources more effectively. Based on this reality, on July 5, 2025, the Hanoi People's Council issued Resolution No. 24/2025/NQ-HDND on the organization and operation of the Cultural Industry Center in the area (referred to as Resolution 24) and Resolution No. 25/2025/NQ-HDND on the commercial and cultural development zone in the city (Resolution 25).

These two Resolutions mark an important turning point in the institutionalization of the cultural industrial center model, a new, multi-functional institution integrating creation - production - display - training - exchange - commercialization of cultural products. Accordingly, each "cultural industrial center" will be a miniature ecosystem, a gathering place for artists, cultural enterprises, researchers, social organizations, the public and investors. From there, a network of cultural industrial centers will be gradually formed, spread throughout the communes and wards, in accordance with local characteristics and the general development orientation of the city.

Hanoi creative design festivals held in 2022-2024 are impressive, attracting many tourists and residents.

Mr. Do Dinh Hong, former Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, affirmed: “The issuance of Resolution 24 is a concrete step to realize the strategy of developing cultural industries in depth. The model of “Cultural Industry Center” will create conditions for transforming cultural resources into economic values, while ensuring social sustainability and cultural identity. This is the foundation for Hanoi to build its position as a national cultural industry center, aiming to become a regional cultural industry center.”

The resolution clearly stipulates the organizational model, standards, financial mechanisms and operating methods of Cultural Industry Centers. Accordingly, the city encourages the diversification of investment forms, especially public-private partnerships and socialization of resources. The centers not only serve the creative community, but are also cultural destinations for people and tourists, and are places to organize performances, fairs, seminars, exhibitions, and nurture young talents.

Sharing the perspective of creative cultural workers, Architect Doan Ky Thanh, who has participated in many creative projects in Hanoi, said that the Resolution on establishing the Cultural Industry Center and the Resolution on the commercial and cultural development zone in the city will be the premise and basis for creative workers to have more mechanisms, motivation and confidence to create, boldly invest to turn heritage into assets, making culture truly become a resource for developing comprehensive economic sectors.

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The two Resolutions open the door to removing policy bottlenecks, especially in the public-private partnership mechanism, so that the capital's cultural industry can take off.

Architect Doan Ky Thanh

From a business perspective, Director of My Thanh Entertainment Company Tran Thanh Tung, an organizer of many cultural, entertainment and technology events, shared: “We have high expectations that the Cultural Industry Center model will create specialized working spaces for many creative industries and fields. In some specialized fields such as video game production, many businesses need stable premises, connections to legal services, technology support and finance. Cultural industry centers need to do this to retain businesses for long-term dedication, thereby creating value and profit.”

Hanoi's vision does not stop at the goal of 2025, but aims to build the city into a regional cultural industrial center by 2030 and reach out internationally by 2045. To achieve that goal, Hanoi determines to develop a synchronous system of cultural industrial centers at all levels: from urban to commune and ward levels, from large scale to specialized by each industry, from domestic service to international connection.

Not only an institutional story, the Center model also carries great expectations: turning each citizen of the Capital into a creative subject, each urban space into a cultural space, each artistic product into a valuable brand.

In many recent meetings, General Secretary To Lam repeatedly emphasized Hanoi’s role in becoming a “model of cultural development for the whole country”. This not only demonstrates the political responsibility of the capital, but is also an urgent requirement from the practical development in the digital age and deep international integration.

Standing Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Van Phong attended the Creative Design Festival 2024. He highly appreciated the creative efforts of Hanoi's young creative community.

From Resolution No. 09 to Resolution No. 24 and Resolution No. 25, Hanoi has shown a systematic, consistent and determined roadmap to put culture at the center of development. Cultural industry is not only a trend, but has become a strategic choice, connecting the past - present - future, between tradition and innovation, between national identity and global spirit.

The journey is not easy, but if we continue to maintain innovation in thinking, determination in action, and the support of authorities at all levels, artists, businesses and the community, Hanoi can absolutely become a pioneering model in cultural development - not only for the whole country, but also in the region and the world.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/bai-1-tien-phong-kien-tao-trung-tam-cong-nghiep-van-hoa-711698.html