“The Smog No. 3” by Ha Manh Thang, an artwork that will be featured at the Vietnam Festival of Creativity & Design 2020 – PHOTO: COURTESY OF ORGANIZER

Initiated by RMIT University, last year’s event, known as the Vietnam Festival of Media & Design, focused on Hanoi and directly supported the city’s designation as a new member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

This year, the festival will be expanded to HCMC and Hue with more creative areas such as performing arts and music to capture a wider audience and create more opportunities for international collaboration.

RMIT Dean of the School of Communication & Design Professor Julia Gaimster described the festival as “a coming together of people who are interested in creativity and culture in Vietnam, both traditional and contemporary”.

According to Gaimster, the creative and cultural industries play a key role in the socio-economic development of Vietnam and in order to compete on the world stage, the country needs to nurture and showcase its creative talent.

“Individuals can find it hard to make an impact and to get their work recognized. So, a major national festival is a great way to create impact and promote the country as a whole. I hope the festival will help move the global perception of ‘made in Vietnam’ to ‘created, innovated and designed in Vietnam’,” Professor Gaimster stated.

During the 16 days of the festival, audiences will be able to immerse themselves in a range of exhibitions, workshops, seminars, talks and competitions, the majority of which will also be accessible online.

This year’s festival will be co-organized by the UNESCO, the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies and COLAB Vietnam. Around 25 other organizations, active in areas such as craft and folk arts, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts, music and creative education, will join as hosts and supporters.

“The year 2020 has been extremely difficult for the cultural industries with the impact of Covid-19. However, it has also allowed creative individuals, groups and institutions to demonstrate their adaptability,” noted UNESCO representative to Vietnam Michael Croft.

“For UNESCO and everybody involved, the Vietnam Festival of Creativity & Design is an opportunity to showcase this resilience and celebrate the promise and potential of the creative industries in Vietnam,” he added. SGT 

Festival to celebrate Hanoi’s creativity and culture

A series of educational events organised by creative, media and technology organisations, galleries and co-working spaces will be held during the Festival of Media and Design.