Da Nang eyes “Creative Urban Corridor” development
DNO - Amid rapid urbanization and growing global competition, Da Nang is being seen not only as a regional hub but also as an emerging creative city with aspirations for international integration and leadership in innovation.
Da Nang is one of cities in Vietnam participating in the national initiative to develop a network of creative cities aligned with UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network.
Based on its existing strengths, the city has expanded its focus from tourism and digital technology to other fields such as cinema, performing arts, and music.
With this new approach, Da Nang has witnessed a rise in the number of businesses and creative spaces, attracting significant human resources in the cultural industry to live and work.
Meanwhile, the former Hoi An City joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in 2023 in the field of Crafts and Folk Arts. After the recent administrative merger, Da Nang's potential for the creative city development has been further enhanced as it has converged both traditional values and modern technology.
According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, Director of the Vietnam National Institute of Culture, Arts, Sports and Tourism, the general trend shows that creative cities do not exist in isolation but are developed within a regional ecosystem.
Da Nang and Hoi An, she suggested, could jointly form a "dual axis of creativity" model. In which, Da Nang aims for UNESCO recognition in the field of Media Arts, while Hoi An will be a cluster of heritage, arts and traditional crafts.
Mrs. Phuong noted that the connection between the two sides will create a creative corridor in the central coastal region, a network that integrates heritage and communication, creating national-level influence.
She also proposed including Da Nang and Hoi An in the pilot list of “Cultural Creative Regions” under the National Target Program on Culture for the 2025 - 2035 period.
Once connected through a coordinated creative regional mechanism, the combined creative urban cluster of Da Nang and Hoi An could become the first model in Southeast Asia to link two cities within an administrative space, contributing to positioning Vietnam on the global creative map.