Measures to apply and develop public art in Vietnam were discussed among experts from Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) at a conference jointly held by the Korea Foundation, UN Habitat and the Vietnam Urban Forum in Hanoi on September 4. At the conference, themed “bringing art into real life spaces,” RoK experts shared experience in developing pubic art in their cities with artwork from Gangwon Do province’s Suwon city as an example. Public art must be a reflection of how people see the world and cannot simply be art displayed in public places, art critic Cho Kwan Yong highlighted, adding that public art should include the participation and approval of local residents. The non-profit Play Street project aiming to raise public awareness of the crucial role of public playgrounds was also introduced at the conference by the Think Playground team. The project aims to install free playgrounds for children in Hanoi and give them space to play. Play Street has equipment made of bamboo and recycled materials, free-play spaces and traditional games. According to the, policies have been enacted by foreign governments to encourage public art development, given that New York city (the US) sets aside at least 1 percent of building costs, worth 20 million USD, for public art. Painter Nguyen Thu Thuy, the author of the famous art work Ceramic Road in Hanoi, said public art has not been well developed in Vietnam, hoping that fresh initiatives by young artists would contribute to beautifying urban spaces. She also called on more support from authorities to promote this type of art. Public art has been applied in numerous cities worldwide, substantially improving their aesthetics.-VNA