Prospects for creative urban "corridors"

Since Hoi An city no longer has the right to participate in UNESCO's global creative cities network, there have been suggestions about forming a creative urban "corridor" for Da Nang.

According to OECD, cities that are able to combine heritage and cultural industries often achieve economic growth performance 15-20% higher than the traditional tourism model. Illustration photo: XUAN SON

Opportunity to elevate creative urban areas

Da Nang is one of the cities in Vietnam participating in the Project to develop a network of creative cities in the UNESCO creative city system. Promoting its advantages, Da Nang has recently expanded its focus from tourism and digital technology to other fields such as cinema, performing arts, and music .

This approach is based on developing cultural human resources, improving the quality of cultural programs and events, especially information technology projects, creative startups and infrastructure development. Based on this innovative approach, the number of businesses and creative spaces has increased in Da Nang , attracting a significant number of cultural industry professionals to live and work.

“Hoi An Memories” was honored as the 'Most Creative Tourism Product' at the Vietnam Tourism Awards 2025. Photo: QUOC TUAN

Meanwhile, the old city of Hoi An joined the UNESCO Global Creative Cities Network in 2023 in the field of traditional arts and crafts. After the local merger, Da Nang's potential to develop as a creative city has been further enhanced as it has converged both traditional values ​​and modern technology.

What needs to be done for the two creative hubs of Da Nang and Hoi An in the current context is to maintain and promote contemporary creative practices, connect with markets and technology without trading off or fading traditional identities. According to the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) assessment framework for cultural and creative cities, cities that are able to combine heritage and cultural industries often achieve economic growth performance 15-20% higher than the traditional tourism model.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Van Bai, Vice Chairman of the National Cultural Heritage Council, said that Hoi An's potential contribution to the development of Da Nang's cultural industry is huge and strategic, focusing on providing a foundation for identity, a source of creative inspiration and a high-quality cultural consumption market. Meanwhile, with its strengths, Da Nang will play the role of a "launching pad" to help commercialize and expand the scope of influence of cultural and creative values ​​integrated in Hoi An's heritage.

According to experts, Da Nang and Hoi An can move towards forming a "creative twin axis" model. Photo: QUOC TUAN

Waiting for a model “creative corridor”

According to the Project on developing a network of creative cities in the UNESCO creative city system, Da Nang is oriented to build a profile of a creative city in the field of communication in the period 2027 - 2030. After the administrative unit arrangement, there is currently no administrative unit of Hoi An city. Therefore, Hoi An's participation in the upcoming UNESCO global creative city in the space of Da Nang city is a matter of concern.

At the conference summarizing the planning of the World Cultural Heritage of Hoi An Ancient Town in the period of 2012 - 2025 that just took place, experts suggested that the development orientation of Hoi An's cultural and tourism industries in the coming time should be expanded in the direction of each ward being a "creative point" in the cultural and creative ecosystem of Da Nang. In particular, the current Hoi An ward area can become a center for performing, telling heritage stories and art accommodation. The craft villages of Thanh Ha, Kim Bong, Tra Que maintain their role in creating handicrafts and producing traditional crafts. Meanwhile, the areas of Cua Dai, Cam An, Cam Thanh... are aiming for eco-tourism, culinary and marine art models.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, Director of the Vietnam Institute of Culture, Arts, Sports and Tourism, said that the general trend shows that creative cities do not exist in isolation but are designed in regional relationships. Da Nang and Hoi An can move towards forming a "creative twin axis" model. In which, Da Nang moves towards joining the UNESCO creative city network in the field of media arts while Hoi An is a cluster of heritage - arts - traditional crafts.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong commented that the connection between the two sides will create a creative corridor in the Central Coast region - a heritage - media network with national influence. It is necessary to include Da Nang - Hoi An in the list of pilot cultural creative zones in the National Target Program on Culture for the period 2025 - 2035. When connected by a creative zone coordination mechanism, the Hoi An creative urban cluster in the Da Nang cultural and creative ecosystem can also become the first model in Southeast Asia to link two cities in the same administrative space, contributing to positioning Vietnam on the global creative map.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/trien-vong-ve-hanh-lang-do-thi-sang-tao-3308581.html