Hanoi (VNA) – Owning a large number of cultural heritages and creative spaces, Hanoi, a Creative City of Design since 2019, has been on the right track to become a “green, smart and modern” city by 2030 by optimising its strengths and potential, especially from creative resources.
At its 17th congress, the Party Organisation of Hanoi set a target to develop the capital in a fast and sustainable manner towards the green, smart and modern direction, ensuring the city’s high competitiveness compared to other localities in the country and the region.
By 2025, the city aims to basically complete the goal of industrialisation, with per capita gross regional domestic product (GRDP) of 8,300-8,500 USD, which is expected to reach 12,000-13,000 USD by 2030 and over 36,000 USD by 2045.
Recently, the municipal People’s Council adopted the Hanoi Capital Master Plan for the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2050, which set a general target of turning the city into a time-honoured, civilised, modern, green and smart city, a venue of the cultural quintessence of the whole country and the world, a leading centre for research, innovation, application and transfer of new scientific and technological advances.
The capital also aims to become the centre and driving force for the development of the Red River Delta and the northern economic region, a large economic and financial centre, and a growth pole with a leading role in the country's economy and influence in the region, according to the plan.
The plan defines the development space structure of the capital, including five development spaces, five economic corridors and belts, five driving forces, five socio-economic areas, and five urban areas.
The master plan underlines the necessity of environmental protection and creating green space for urban development, as well as the promotion of the thousand-year-old city's historical and cultural values.Since joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the “Design” category in 2019, Hanoi has organised a multitude of activities relating to design and creativity.
The network membership has helped the city set out new objectives for cultural development, inspire creativity and envision its new brand in the international arena.
Over the past four years, Hanoi has coordinated with relevant sides to launch many creativity-based contests for people from all walks of life, especially youths, which have contributed to its urban construction and sustainable development.
Notably, walking streets, including those around Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the capital, the Son Tay ancient citadel, and the Dao Ngoc-Ngu Xa neighbourhood, stand as vital hubs for leisure and recreation, catering to both tourists and local people.
The city plans to launch more creative activities, focusing on its heritage elements, to create a foundation for its sustainable development, while stepping up communications work to promote creativity among the public.
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
Almost 300 cities around the world 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.
UNESCO experts said that the international community is impressed at the growth of Hanoi and the image of a city thriving from the war and the focal point of Asian and regional cities./.

See more

Expert assesses petrol vehicle ban’s impact on domestic auto, motorcycle markets
The ban of petrol-powered vehicles in Hanoi’s downtown is predicted to pose both short-term and long-term impacts to Vietnam’s auto and motorcycle markets, according to The Dat, an automotive analyst and head of Cartimes at the Industry and Trade Magazine.

29 indicted in Thuan An Group corruption scandal
The Supreme People’s Procuracy of Vietnam has indicted 29 individuals in a major corruption case tied to Thuan An Group.

Dak Lak completes nearly 90% of plan to eliminate substandard houses
As of July 9, 8,526 houses had been newly built or repaired, including 6,626 new constructions and 1,900 repairs, achieving 89.5% of the target. Over 6,000 houses have been handed over and are now occupied, providing stable accommodation for families benefiting from social policies, as well as low-income and near-poor households.

Banking sector donates 3.1 million USD to housing programme
Since April 2024, the banking sector has committed a total of 1.36 trillion VND to the programme. Of this amount, 1.1 trillion VND has already been disbursed, while the remaining funds will be released following the issuance of allocation guidelines by the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs (180 billion VND) and the submission of complete documents by localities (85 billion VND).

Dien Bien to send student delegation to summer camp in Saint Petersburg
A delegation from Dien Bien province including one school administrator, one teacher, and 20 outstanding students will attend a summer camp in Russia's Saint Petersburg city in August 2025.

Vietnam fosters young talent in astrophysics through int'l summer school
The SAGI 2025 Summer School is one of the flagship initiatives of the Simons Astrophysics Group at ICISE (SAGI), which was recently established in Gia Lai with support from the US-based Simons Foundation and the guidance of Vietnamese-origin scientists such as Dr. Nguyen Trong Hien, Professor Hoang Chi Thiem (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute), and Dr. Nguyen Luong Quang.

Nghe An police bust massive drug trafficking ring from Laos
The ring exploited remote border crossings in western Nghe An, previously known as Tuong Duong district, to smuggle narcotics from Laos into Vietnam for distribution across northern provinces, according to officials.

Can Tho reports no fishing violations in foreign waters for three years
Can Tho city is now home to 795 registered fishing vessels with a combined capacity of 209,648 horsepower. Among those, 346 vessels measure 15 metres or longer, requiring the installation of monitoring systems, and 28 vessels provide logistical support services to the fishing industry.

Bridging Vietnamese community in Malaysia through female healthcare initiative
The event drew more than 50 Vietnamese women and their families to KPJ Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital for comprehensive health consultations and free medical screenings.

Vietnamese young intellectuals’ forum to highlight national development
Since its inception in 2018, the global forum of Vietnamese young intellectuals has attracted over 1,000 young intellectuals worldwide, contributing to programmes and policies related to developing young talents in Vietnam. The Global Vietnamese Young Intellectuals Network now has over 2,000 active members globally.

Young overseas Vietnamese write next chapter of peace
Organised annually by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs since 2004 (with a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19), Vietnam Summer Camp serves as a meaningful platform for young expatriates to reconnect with their roots, strengthen bonds with their peers in Vietnam, and foster a deeper love for the homeland.

Vietnamese students win four gold medals at int’l chemistry Olympiad 2025
This marks the first time Vietnam has claimed four golds in an IChO held in-person format.

An Giang accelerating infrastructure construction for APEC 2027 in Phu Quoc
Phu Quoc has become a massive construction site, with 21 projects serving APEC 2027 assigned by the Government, totalling an investment of 137.13 trillion VND (5.25 billion USD).

Vietnam’s charm captured in Berlin photo exhibition
The exhibition offers an authentic, vivid portrayal of a developing Vietnam entering a new era. He expressed his hope that the event would enhance cultural ties between the two countries and help German audiences, including the Vietnamese community, better understand Vietnam.

China wins championship at DIFF 2025
China’s Jiangxi Yangfeng team won the 2025 Da Nang International Fireworks Festival with an emotionally resonant performance titled “Da Nang: shining gem, city of the future,” showcasing advanced lighting effects and a ten-song musical display.

Vietnam, US see encouraging results in settling war consequences
The two former adversaries have worked together to tackle the lasting impacts of the war, including UXO detecting and clearance, the search for those missing in action, and dioxin/Agent Orange remediation. These efforts have become a foundation of the Vietnam–US relationship, helping to elevate it to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Vietnam’s achievements in population management spotlighted
Vietnam still faces challenges in meeting its population and development goals. These include a rapidly declining birth rate (in 2024, the fertility rate dropped to just 1.91 children per woman) and a rapidly ageing population. Vietnam is among the fastest ageing countries, due to the low birth rate. The imbalance in the sex ratio at birth remains high, and teenage pregnancies are on the rise.

Vice President receives Vietnamese-American female astronaut
Amanda Nguyen, the first Vietnamese-American woman to travel into space, affirmed that all of her achievements are deeply rooted in her Vietnamese origin, which she is always proud of.

Nine newly adopted laws made public
These laws address key areas, including education, employment, taxation, advertising, energy efficiency, and the use of state capital in enterprises.

Phuc Son Group Chairman sentenced to 30 years in prison in major corruption trial
Nguyen Van Hau, Chairman and CEO of Phuc Son Group, was charged with giving bribes and violating bidding and accounting regulations, causing serious consequences. He received a combined jail sentence of 30 years - 14 years for bribery, nine years for the bidding violation, and seven years for accounting irregularities.