On January 29, at the Van Mieu–Quoc Tu Giam Center for Cultural and Scientific Activities, the Hanoi People's Committee held a ceremony to receive UNESCO recognition of Hanoi as a member of the Global Learning Cities Network.

Central-level attendees included Party Central Committee members Nguyen Kim Son, Minister of Education and Training, Pham Tat Thang, Deputy Head of the Central Commission for Publicity, Education and Mass Mobilization, and Le Thi Hong Van, Secretary-General of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO.

International guests included Jonathan Wallace Baker, Head of the UNESCO Office in Vietnam, Miki Nozawa, Head of UNESCO's Education Program in Vietnam, along with representatives of foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations based in Hanoi.

From Hanoi, attendees included Party Central Committee member, Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee and Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Vu Dai Thang, Standing Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Van Phong, Standing Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Council Tran The Cuong, and Standing Deputy Head of the Hanoi Party Committee's Commission for Publicity, Education and Mass Mobilization Vu Ha.

Hanoi persistently builds a learning society and promotes lifelong learning

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Vu Dai Thang emphasized that the Party and the State have consistently placed education and training as a top priority in the capital’s development strategy.

Politburo Resolution No. 15-NQ/TW (2022) on orientations for Hanoi’s development and the 2024 Capital Law clearly set the goal of building Hanoi into a leading national center for high-quality education and training, closely linked with digital transformation, innovation and international integration.

In recent years, Hanoi has focused on improving mechanisms and policies, prioritizing investment in education and building an open and flexible learning environment that enables lifelong learning for all residents.

The city issued an action program to implement Politburo Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW on breakthrough development in education and training.

The program aims to enhance overall education quality, foster high-quality and gifted education, reform financial mechanisms, and develop high-quality human resources, contributing to the building of a “Cultured – Civilized – Modern – Happy” capital.

Thang said Hanoi currently has nearly 3,000 educational institutions at all levels. The quality of general and gifted education continues to improve, high school graduation results remain stable, and students’ achievements at national and international competitions further consolidate Hanoi’s leading position nationwide.

Implementing the Hanoi Party Committee’s resolutions on promoting learning, talent development and building a learning society, the city proactively prepared and completed its application to join UNESCO’s Global Learning Cities Network.

On December 4, 2025, UNESCO officially announced that 72 cities from 46 countries gained recognition as members of the Global Learning Cities Network, including Hanoi.

Thang said the "Global Learning City" title adds to Hanoi's UNESCO-recognized distinctions, from "City for Peace" in 1999 and "Creative City" in 2019 to tangible heritage sites such as the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long and the 82 Doctoral Steles at Van Mieu–Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature), as well as intangible heritage including Ca Tru singing, Giong Festival, Mother Goddess worship and tug-of-war rituals.

These recognitions underscore Hanoi’s sustained and comprehensive efforts to build an education environment that promotes peace, equity and sustainable development, while strengthening cooperation with UNESCO and the international community.

The recognition also opens up opportunities for expanded cooperation and experience sharing with more than 400 UNESCO learning cities in 91 countries worldwide.

Thang emphasized that building a learning city is a long-term journey requiring commitment and determination. With its thousand-year cultural tradition, Hanoi can become a model learning city and a regional and global beacon of knowledge and humanity.

He said Hanoi will honor its commitments, actively cooperate with other network members, promote education and training, apply digital technology, mobilize social resources and advance lifelong learning.

Addressing young people, he urged them to lead the knowledge revolution by learning to understand, to work, to live together and to affirm Vietnamese identity on the global stage.

UNESCO recognizes Hanoi's people-centered learning commitment

At the ceremony, Jonathan Wallace Baker said Hanoi's recognition as a Global Learning City represents both acknowledgment and responsibility.

He described the recognition as acknowledgment of Hanoi’s persistent commitment to placing people, learning and inclusion at the center of development, while also reflecting the city’s determination to build an inclusive learning society that leaves no one behind.

Baker noted that with decisive leadership, a clear vision toward 2045, and tangible results across families, communities, schools and educational institutions, Hanoi demonstrates how lifelong learning can be effectively integrated into inclusive and sustainable urban development.

The UNESCO representative expressed hope that Hanoi will continue to inspire other localities and expand the learning city movement, making lifelong learning a shared foundation for sustainable development.

Jonathan Wallace Baker also praised Hanoi’s pioneering efforts to promote equity and inclusion, particularly through ensuring meaningful learning opportunities for women and girls, older persons, vulnerable groups and young people.

He highlighted Hanoi’s application of UNESCO’s “Happy Schools” framework, which integrates mental well-being, positive relationships, safe and green learning environments, and psychosocial support into quality education, demonstrating a people-centered approach to learning.

At the event, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Vu Dai Thang received the certificate officially recognizing Hanoi as a member of UNESCO’s Global Learning Cities Network.

The ceremony concluded with a special art performance themed “The Cultural Essence of Thang Long” and “First Learn Propriety, Then Knowledge.”

As the nation’s political, economic, cultural and educational hub, Hanoi plays a pivotal role in training high-quality human resources and nurturing talent.

The city is home to more than 70% of the country’s universities, research institutes and science and technology organizations, as well as 82% of laboratories and over 65% of leading scientists nationwide.

Hanoi’s education system covers all levels from preschool to higher education, comprising 121 universities and academies, 352 vocational education institutions, 2,913 preschools and general education schools, 526 community learning centers, 1,192 libraries, and numerous community spaces that support lifelong learning.