A creative hub is either a physical or an online venue that brings creative people together. It's a place for gathering, sharing, and supporting networking activities, business development, and community involvement in creation, culture, and technology.
Spaces such as DocLab, Manzi, Heritage Space, and O Kia Hanoi are inspiring a creative spirit in artists and young people.
In Hanoi, creative spaces are gradually switching from large spaces, like Zone 9, to very small spaces which cover only a few square meters and can be located anywhere.
Most founders of creative spaces agreed that the places should be open place for all to participate, create new things useful to the society and the community, and can change and develop together with the economic structure and social perception.
As creative spaces are inspiring creativity and urban regeneration, it’s necessary to have more policies to encourage and attract projects by young people with unique approaches like the Complex 1 Creative Space in Dong Da district, Hanoi.
Funds for creativity support and venture capital funds of private foreign investors should be set up to turn Hanoi into a city of unique art styles.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, Director of the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies, said now creative hubs have been acknowledged and acted as a foundation for development but requiring an extra push.
“I think more specific policies on public-private cooperation should be outlined to support creative spaces, especially small and medium-scale models pursuing non-profit purposes,” said Phuong.
The development of creative complexes and smart cities is becoming a trend that many countries are pursuing.
Politician George Ferguson of Bristol city in the UK, for example, bought an abandoned tobacco factory and encouraged artists to turn it into an art site. The former factory, in their hands, has gained new vitality, offering a venue for a series of shows, exhibitions, and other services.
The model can be copied in Vietnam, especially in Hanoi, said Dr. Pham Quynh Huong, a member of TRYSPACES, a multidisciplinary research project focusing on the use of public spaces by young people in a highly interconnected urban context.
Hanoi has quite a few old industrial facilities that have now been moved out of the inner city, said Huong, adding these industrial establishments have a large area and are also ‘heritages’ imbued with images and emotions of the past. They are quite beautiful.
“But how to use them is a matter of discussion and it will take time and effort to change them. We need to proceed immediately rather than keep on discussing,” Huong noted.
In 2019 Hanoi was recognized by UNESCO as a creative city in the field of design. Further investment to make Hanoi a real incubator of creative hubs will help realize its commitments as a member of UNESCO’s Network of Creative Cities.