US$531,947 Cultural and Creative Hubs project launched in Vietnam

A Cultural and Creative Hub (CCH) is a place, physical or virtual, which brings people together to express artistic ideas and creativity in a free and open environment, and in turn allows them to share a variety of artistic outputs with their communities.

In Vietnam, most CCHs are independent arts and creative spaces, often led and managed by artists and creative practitioners. These organisations are important players in the culture sector and have great potential for engaging in and supporting artistic expressions and the access to cultural life.

Having worked closely with the network of CCHs in Vietnam since 2014, and to support the implementation of the National Strategy for the Development of Cultural Industries to 2020, vision 2030, the British Council and VICAS now jointly propose and implement a series of activities in support of organisations and practitioners in the fields of arts, culture, and creativity.

The project has been designed to encompass three inter-linked key components. The first surrounds capacity building for CCHs managers and owners, as well as their artists and creative practitioners – in particular, in terms of management, audience development, and other specialised creative and cultural skills. The second component aims to create opportunities – via policy dialogue and other platforms - for direct and open exchange towards relationship building between CCHs and government administration of the culture sector. This will facilitate both governmental support, and CCHs contribution to the national strategy for the development of cultural industries. The third component promotes the sharing, learning, and networking amongst hubs from different parts of Vietnam, as well as between Vietnamese hubs and their European counterparts.

All activities in these three components will be largely driven by CCHs themselves to ensure that they receive the right support for designing and participating in bespoke activities that address their needs for further development. In turn, the development and sustainability of this network of Vietnamese CCHs will greatly contribute to the diverse arts and culture landscape of the country, offering cultural activities to Vietnamese audiences. The project will not only focus on big cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, but also aim to reach further to connect with hubs and audiences in non-urban areas.

Through supporting the network of CCHs across the country, the project aims to further the development of the arts and the culture in Vietnam. Culture is an enabler and driver of sustainable development, a way of engaging communities in shaping our shared future and supporting open, inclusive and stable societies. Artistic and cultural approaches empower diverse groups to participate in cross-cultural dialogue, creative and collective problem solving, and capacity building. Culture also provides tools and spaces for creative expression and gives voice for individuals to raise awareness, build solidarity and encourage changes.

This new project demonstrates the European Union Delegation in Vietnam’s mission to ensure the unity, consistency and effectiveness of the EU’s relation with Vietnam, according to Ambassador Bruno Angelet, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam.

It forms a part of our on-going programme of activities and support to Vietnam which spans across the fields of foreign policies, development cooperation, trade and economy, human rights, climate change, higher education as well as culture, he added.

This project shows a strong partnership between the British Council, the European Union, and the Vietnam National Institute of Arts and Culture Studies, and will promote artistic expression and creativity in Vietnam through developing a robust and dynamic network of creative hubs, said Danny Whitehead, Acting Director of the British Council Vietnam.

Ha Phuong