Da Lat is seeking to become a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Photo: Lam Dong Newspaper

The hybrid event, held by the Da Lat People’s Committee, Lam Dong province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies, was attended by 150 Vietnamese and international delegates, VietnamPlus reported.

It gave an insight into the goal, role, and principles of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, shared dossier compilation experiences of other countries, and presented the draft dossier of Da Lat.

Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Director of the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Da Lat should take into account people’s opinions while building a plan on joining the network. It also needs to step up training and nurturing creative communities so as to promote initiatives about music, dance, and arts among local students and young people.

At the international consultation workshop. Photo: Nhan dan (People) Newspaper

Located on Lam Vien Plateau, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, at an altitude of 1,500m above the sea level, Da Lat, a popular tourist attraction, spans 394sq.km, and has a population of about 260,000 from many ethnic groups.

The city is home to the cultural space of the gongs in the Central Highlands, recognised by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in November 2005. It is also linked with many famous musicians and singers of Vietnam such as Trinh Cong Son, Le Uyen Phuong, Khanh Ly, and Pham Duy.

The network was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development, according to UNESCO.

Located on Lam Vien Plateau, Da Lat is a popular tourist attraction. Photo: thanhnien.vn

It covers seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Media Arts, Film, Design, Gastronomy, Literature and Music.

There are currenyly 301 cities around the world have become members of this network, including 61 cities in the field of music.

The cities which currently make up this network work together towards a common objective: placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level.

By joining the Network, cities commit to sharing their best practices and developing partnerships involving the public and private sectors as well as civil society in order to strengthen the creation, production, distribution and dissemination of cultural activities, goods and services; develop hubs of creativity and innovation and broaden opportunities for creators and professionals in the cultural sector; improve access to and participation in cultural life, in particular for marginalized or vulnerable groups and individuals; fully integrate culture and creativity into sustainable development plans.

In Vietnam, Hanoi was the first city to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, in 2019.

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