Hanoi (VNA) - Athree-year project aiming to support organisations and practitioners inthe fields of arts, culture and creativity has been launched by the BritishCouncil (BC).  

Entitled Culturaland Creative Hubs Vietnam, the project will be carried out by theBC in partnership with the Vietnam National Institute of Arts and CultureStudies (VICAS). To be implemented over a three year period from 2018 to 2021,the project will receive financial support of 450,000 EUR (518,000 USD) fromthe European Union.  

A cultural and creativehub (CCH) is a place, physical or virtual, which brings people together toexpress artistic ideas and creativity in a free and open environment, and inturn allows them to share a variety of artistic outputs with their communities.

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

Having worked closelywith the network of CCHs in Vietnam since 2014, and to support theimplementation of the National Strategy for the Development of CulturalIndustries to 2020, vision 2030, the BC and VICAS are nowjointly implementing a series of activities in support of organisationsand practitioners in the fields of arts, culture and creativity.

The project has beendesigned to encompass three inter-linked key components. The first surroundscapacity building for managers and owners of CCHs, as well as theirartists and creative practitioners – in particular, in terms of management,audience development, and other specialised creative and cultural skills.

The second componentaims to create opportunities – via policy dialogue and other platforms – fordirect and open exchange towards relationship building between CCHs andgovernment administration of the culture sector. This will facilitate bothgovernmental support and CCHs contribution to the national strategy for thedevelopment of cultural industries.

The third componentpromotes sharing, learning, and networking between hubs from different parts ofVietnam, as well as between Vietnamese hubs and their European counterparts.

All activities in thesethree components will be largely driven by CCHs themselves to ensure that theyreceive the right support for designing and participating in bespoke activitiesthat address their needs for further development. In turn, the development andsustainability of this network of Vietnamese CCHs will greatly contribute tothe diverse arts and culture landscape of the country, and offer more culturalactivities to Vietnamese audiences.

The project will notonly focus on big cities such as Hanoi, HCM City and Da Nang, but also aims toreach further to connect with hubs and audiences in non-urban areas.

According to Head of theArts and Creative Industries – BC Vietnam Nguyen Phuong Thao, over the pastfour years, the number of CCHs in Vietnam has increased from 40 to 140, mostlyin big cities.

That’s why, throughsupporting the network of CCHs across the country, the project aims to furtherthe development of the arts and the culture sector in the country.

Ambassador BrunoAngelet, head of the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam, said this newproject “demonstrates the European Union Delegation in Vietnam’s mission toensure the unity, consistency and effectiveness of the EU’s relationship with Vietnam”.

“It forms a part of ouron-going programme of activities and support to Vietnam which spans across thefields of foreign policy, development cooperation, trade and economy, humanrights, climate change, higher education as well as culture.”

Acting Director of theBC Vietnam Danny Whitehead said: “This project shows a strong partnershipbetween the BC, the EU, and VICAS, and will promote artistic expression andcreativity in Vietnam through developing a robust and dynamic network ofcreative hubs.”-VNA