Hoi An seeks membership of UNESCO Creative Cities Network

A pottery workshop in Hoi An (Photo: baovanhoa.vn)

Hanoi (VNA) – Hoi Anis compiling a dossier to seek the recognition of this city, located in thecentral province of Quang Nam, as a member of the UNESCO Creative CitiesNetwork in the field of craft and folk arts.

Covering60 sq.km. and having a population of less than 150,000, Hoi An has long beenknown for its ancient quarters, a world heritage site, with a typical architecturalheritage complex.

Vice Chairmanof the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Van Lanh told the Tuoi tre (Youth)daily that selecting the field of craft and folk arts to build the dossier, HoiAn hopes to fully capitalise on its heritage that has been upheld for more than400 years.

Hoi Anis home to a large number of traditional craft villages, including more than100 in its ancient quarters alone such as silk and leather product making, tailoring,embroidery, woodcarving, and pottery. It also boasts rich architecturalheritage with a complex of century-old houses while nurturing many folk artssuch as “bai choi” and “ba trao” singing.

Lanhsaid Hoi An has long been a role model in recovering and tapping into thevalues of craft villages and folk arts. Here, artisans, craftsmen, and any whohave ideas can freely make creations.

Silk items of a craft village in Hoi An on display (Photo: baoquangnam.vn)

The developmentand maintenance of cultural values and craft villages throughout history haveshown that local residents in the lower Thu Bon River basin have managed toadapt to different contexts, and that is the most wonderful creation, heopined.

Thanksto heritage tourism, Hoi An has revitalised many craft villages and folk arts. GivenUNESCO standards for a creative city, it has to prove that its products ofcreativity can survive and develop on their own without dependence on tourism.

This isa big challenge, but the city can overcome thanks to its integrating andadapting capability, according to the official.

Apart fromHoi An, Da Lat city in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is alsoseeking membership of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field ofmusic.

In Vietnam, Hanoi was the first to join this network, in2019.

UNESCO launched the network in 2004 to promote cooperationamong cities that recognise creativity as a significant factor of theirdevelopment. The network recognises seven factors – craft and folk arts,media, film, design, gastronomy, literature, and music – as creative fields. Asof 2023, 301 cities around the world have become its members./.

VNA