The event marks the launch of a series of activities leading up to the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2026, scheduled for November.
The opening ceremony was attended by Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People's Committee Vu Thu Ha, UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam Jonathan Baker, representatives of municipal departments and agencies and nearly 200 organizations and individuals active across a wide range of creative fields.
Overview of the event.
Creating more vibrant creative spaces
Speaking at the event, UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam Jonathan Baker said that in recent years, the Hanoi Creative Design Festival has captured and spread the spirit of creativity not only by showcasing completed works but also by opening up inclusive spaces where ideas can be formed, tested and meaningfully connected.
Since its launch in 2021, the festival has continued to grow into a meeting point for the creative community, not only within Vietnam but increasingly across the region.
It has become a platform where ideas at every stage, from early sketches to initiatives already underway, can be seen, heard, nurtured and supported. The "Creative Gathering" event clearly reflects this spirit by bringing together people, disciplines and perspectives to spark dialogue, collaboration and innovation.
UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam Jonathan Baker.
Assessing Hanoi’s efforts since joining UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, Jonathan Baker said that as a UNESCO Creative City of Design, Hanoi has consistently shown that creativity goes beyond cultural expression alone.
He said through sound policies, targeted support programs, and the active engagement of government agencies, private-sector partners and individual creatives, the capital is steadily positioning itself as an emerging creative hub and a regional meeting point for creativity in Asia.
By placing cultural creativity at the center of development, Hanoi affirms that creativity is one of the most important resources for building humane, sustainable and highly adaptive societies. In this spirit, UNESCO reaffirmed its strong commitment to accompanying Vietnam through concrete and practical initiatives.
A new approach toward the 2026 festival
At the event, Vice Chairwoman of Hanoi People's Committee Vu Thu Ha said that the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2026 will adopt the theme "Creative Economy."
This represents a new approach to implementing the Creative City agenda, moving beyond culture and heritage alone to view creativity as a development resource that helps drive services, tourism, education and training as well as knowledge-based and innovation-driven economic sectors.
Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People's Committee Vu Thu Ha.
According to Ha, the "Creative Gathering" program serves as an early launch for the 2026 festival with a more proactive and effective approach while expanding scale and accelerating international cooperation. Activities will be carried out throughout the year as part of a continuous journey.
With the participation of nearly 200 creative organizations, the program provides a meeting space that fosters innovation within the community while also serving as a platform for connection and cooperation among businesses, training institutions, cultural management agencies and creative partners.
This multi-dimensional network is expected to support the development of initiatives, products and cultural industry models within the capital's creative ecosystem.
The program is not limited to just two days. It opened a series of creative activities throughout 2026, including networking, dialogue, experimentation and creative experiences across various urban spaces in the capital. Hanoi aims to create more vibrant creative spaces for residents and visitors, unlock creative resources within society and gradually enhance the city's attractiveness, identity and competitiveness at both regional and international levels.
Delegates at the event.
Broad scale and diverse content
The "Creative Gathering" program was organized in celebration of the 14th National Party Congress for the 2025–2030 term and in line with the implementation of Politburo Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024, which identifies science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as key pillars of development.
The event serves not only as a hub for exchange and connection among creative resources but also as a launch point for key tasks that lay the foundation for building Hanoi's urban creative ecosystem.
Art performance at the event.
According to the organizing committee, more than 200 creative entities from Hanoi are taking part in the two-day event series. The program focuses on showcasing cultural industry products and services with strong design content, craftsmanship and artistic value.
Notably, many of the selected products are ready for commercialization and are produced by local designers, artisans and manufacturers. The event therefore aims to create links between creative practitioners and retail and wholesale systems, gift solution providers, exporters and market partners.
In addition, the organizing committee introduced a proposal to survey spaces with potential to become creative spaces and cultural industry centers within the city. This is considered a strategic step toward building a comprehensive creative ecosystem and promoting Hanoi's creative economy in the future.
Visitors at the event.
As part of the program, the painting exhibition “Local Essence” officially opened on the morning of January 10, 2026, at the Ho Guom Cultural Information Center. Open to the public free of charge from January 10 to 18, the exhibition showcases 89 representative works by young artists, celebrating Vietnamese cultural identity through contemporary and creative perspectives.
With its broad scale, diverse content and strong participation from the creative community, the "Creative Gathering" program is expected to provide a significant boost at the start of the journey toward the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2026 while reaffirming the capital's role within the regional and global network of creative cities.