Hanoi affirms its position as the cultural heart of the country.

This draft Political Report clearly affirms the development orientation of the Capital not only through socio-economic growth indicators, but also emphasizes culture and people as the central pillars. With a thousand-year tradition of civilization, Hanoi continues to affirm its position as the "cultural heart of the whole country", a place where the national quintessence converges and spreads, while opening up the aspiration to become a global creative city.

Developing culture and building elegant and civilized Hanoians is a task that the Party Committee and the government of the capital pay special attention to *. Photo: Do Tam*

A place where the quintessence of national culture converges, crystallizes and shines

Hanoi has long been considered a "living museum" of Vietnamese culture, where every street, communal house roof, and brick bears the mark of thousands of years of historical ups and downs. Not only is it the political and administrative center of the whole country, the Capital also bears the responsibility of preserving, conserving and spreading the typical cultural values of the nation. The Draft Political Report submitted to the 18th Hanoi Party Congress emphasized: "Continue to preserve and promote the value of cultural heritage, improve the capacity to manage, exploit and promote the typical cultural values of Thang Long - Hanoi...", affirming that culture is not a supporting factor, but the fundamental foundation in all development strategies.

During the 2020-2025 term, the city's interest in culture is demonstrated by specific numbers. Hanoi has allocated up to 5,173 billion VND from the budget for culture and sports, along with more than 1,700 billion VND of development investment capital to renovate and embellish relics, build cultural institutions, upgrade museums and artistic activities. Thanks to that, in just 5 years, nearly 200 historical and cultural relics have been restored and embellished, bringing the total number of ranked relics in the whole area to nearly 6,000, including 21 special national relics and the Central Area of Thang Long Imperial Citadel - a World Cultural Heritage recognized by the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). These results not only enrich the appearance of the capital, but also contribute to improving the quality of people's spiritual life.

Along with that, Hanoi has organized thousands of large-scale cultural and artistic events, affirming its position as a center of convergence and dissemination of national quintessence. Typical examples are: Hanoi Creative Design Week, Ao Dai Festival, Hanoi International Film Festival, International Music Festival or programs celebrating the 80th anniversary of National Day September 2 such as V Concert - Radiant Vietnam, V Fest - Radiant Youth and Fatherland in the Heart... These events not only attract tens of thousands of people and tourists, but also strongly promote the image of the Capital as creative, youthful, friendly and integrated.

In addition to preserving heritage, Hanoi also focuses on stimulating creativity in the community. Creative spaces in Phuc Tan Street, Gia Lam Mechanical Factory, Hang Dau Water Tower... have transformed old places into gathering places for artists, designers, creative businesses and young people. This regeneration has proven the ability to turn industrial heritage into new cultural destinations, expanding the creative range of the capital.

It can be said that each achievement in conservation and creation contributes to strengthening Hanoi’s position as the cultural heart of the country. Culture is not only a source of pride, but also a soft power for Hanoi to enhance its influence, both preserving its identity and affirming its aspirations for global integration.

Culture and people - new driving force for development

If the soul of Hanoi lies in the tangible and intangible heritages that have existed for centuries, then the vitality of the Capital is its people - the citizens who constantly continue the tradition and breathe into it the creative spirit of the new era. In the draft Political Report submitted to the 18th Hanoi Party Congress, the city clearly affirmed: Developing the Capital does not only rely on modern infrastructure or economic growth, but must take culture and people as the center, considering this as the key driving force for sustainable development.

Looking back at the 2020-2025 term, it can be seen that Hanoi has promoted many specific policies and programs to improve the cultural and spiritual life of the people. With more than 5,173 billion VND spent on culture and sports, the city has expanded the system of cultural institutions, renovated libraries, cultural houses, theaters, and at the same time increased the organization of public art activities. Impressive numbers such as more than 3,000 cultural and artistic events organized in 5 years show the increasingly widespread presence of culture in daily life, not only serving the intellectual class but also spreading to each community.

More importantly, Hanoi culture in the new period does not stop at “elegance and civilization” - the qualities that have become the trademark of Trang An people - but must also be associated with bravery, creativity and international integration. The city government has paid attention to developing cultural education programs, from spreading the reading movement, building friendly schools, developing behavioral culture in family - school - society, to nurturing love of art for teenagers. These efforts help the young generation of Hanoi not only confidently enter the globalized environment, but also know how to preserve and enrich the national cultural identity.

The image of Hanoians today appears in many slices: young artists who have succeeded in international competitions, entrepreneurs who start up in the creative field, students who are diligently working on heritage preservation projects using digital technology, or groups of volunteers who maintain community cultural activities in each residential area. They are clear evidence that Hanoians have been, are and will continue to be the center of all development policies.

With that orientation, Hanoi has been affirming that culture is not only a "spiritual support" but also a source of energy to create development, and people are the main subjects creating the soft power of the Capital. This is the driving force for Hanoi to enter the new term with the aspiration to rise up, not only worthy of being the cultural heart of the whole country, but also becoming a global creative city, where people are the most valuable asset.

Hanoi - Aspiration to create and shine globally

Entering the 2025-2030 term, Hanoi is carrying a great aspiration: From the cultural heart of the whole country, rising to become the leading creative city in the region and having international appeal. The draft Political Report submitted to the 18th Hanoi Party Congress clearly stated: "Building the thousand-year-old capital into a pioneering, creative and leading attractive city in Asia, a green, smart, livable capital with international appeal". This is not only a political declaration but also a vision expressing the aspiration of the whole community.

To realize that vision, Hanoi has chosen the cultural, creative and international event industries as key driving forces. The document sets the goal of “building two international convention centers in the city to attract 20 global events each year before 2045”. Reality over the years has shown that the capital is capable of becoming a meeting place for major events, from the 31st SEA Games, the Hanoi International Film Festival, the Design - Creativity Week, the Ao Dai Festival, the International Music Festival... to programs celebrating the 80th anniversary of National Day. These events have attracted millions of people and tourists, while strongly promoting the image of Hanoi to the world.

More importantly, the vision in the draft is that Hanoi needs to “affirm its role as a focal point for cultural, economic and scientific-technological exchanges, contributing to raising Vietnam’s position in the international arena.” Culture is not only identity, but also soft power, a development resource on par with economics and science and technology. It is from this cultural foundation that Hanoi can create an international brand – a city that is not only worth living, but also inspires creativity for the entire region.

In the aspiration to rise, people are still the center. Hanoians in the new era must maintain elegance and civilization, have courage, creativity, humanity and be able to integrate internationally. When the young generation is encouraged to start creative businesses, intellectuals and artists are given the conditions to contribute, when every citizen feels happy in their cultural and spiritual life, then Hanoi will truly become a place where intelligence, creativity and love for the country converge.

The 18th Congress of the Hanoi Party Committee therefore not only marks a new stage in socio-economic development, but is also a moment for the capital to affirm its mettle: From the cultural heart of the whole country, reaching out to the world with the soft power of culture and people. When each event, creative space, and cultural work becomes a common pride, Hanoi will truly realize its aspiration to shine globally - a thousand years of culture, a pioneering creativity, friendly and livable.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/ha-noi-khang-dinh-vi-the-trai-tim-van-hoa-cua-ca-nuoc-718100.html