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A performance by young artists on a street near Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem (Returned Sword) Lake). The capital city has completed and submitted its application to become a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in 2019 . VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tung

UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) will meet in November this year to look through the city’s application. If approved, Hanoi will become the 181st Creative City in the world recognised by the organisation and the 32nd capital in terms of design creativity. This should help the city to increase its role and position in the world with more opportunities for international exchange and co-operation.

To reach this goal, Hanoi has been focusing on enhancing creative talents, especially from a design perspective, at the centre of sustainable development with a vision to become one of the creative capitals of Southeast Asia.

The objective of building a creative city is to create sustainable culture and urban development based on original cultural foundations and resources. This means the city should strive for creativity on a higher level of sustainable urban development.

To apply for the title, each city has to choose among seven areas to build a creative city: craft and folk arts, media, film, design, gastronomy, literature and music.

Although Hanoi has inherent strengths in the fields of gastronomy, craft and folk arts, it has chosen design as its key target because experts say it sits at the heart of the other six categories.

Design, particularly the creation of cultural space, is one of the areas that has drawn mass attraction from the public in recent years, according to some experts.

Moreover, by choosing the field of design as its key target, Hanoi has more chance of boosting the process of international integration.

Out of 31 cities, 12 countries have chosen to focus on design.

Pham Thi Lan Anh, head of the Heritage Management Office under the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, who helped prepare the application, said Hanoi had developed three initiatives, programmes and projects to meet the criteria to join the UNESCO network by promoting the role of culture and creativity in sustainable development.

“First, the city will set up Hanoi Creative Design Centre with the goal of nurturing talents in the field of creative design, strengthening the network of creative design in the city, supporting creative projects and promoting international co-operation. Second, the capital will build a creative space network and consolidate creative hubs in the area,” Anh said.

“The Hanoi creative space network will provide a platform for design, crafts and culture in the city. Another important initiative will be the construction of a specialised area for design, crafts and art, located next to the Hong (Red) River. The area will be put under the management of the Hanoi Creative Design Centre.”

In addition, creative motifs used in this area will also be used in other parts of the city, forming a common creative ecosystem.

As a typical example, a smart space at the Hanoi Museum has been set up using modern technology and interactive equipment such as a 3D experience space and virtual reality.

Another creative area at the Dong Anh Smart City is providing technology for creative designs incorporating elements inspired by traditional craft villages.

Anh said in its application, the city had also presented three major initiatives, programmes and projects, orienting towards the objectives of the network at an international level, especially those related to other member cities of the global network.

“First is the Hanoi Creative Design Festival which will take place annually and include a series of events for professionals and the public, highlighting the innovation of design in the city and around the world. Designers from member cities of the network will be invited to Hanoi to present their works. This will be a space for members to discuss co-operation opportunities,” Anh said.

“Second is the Southeast Asian Creative Cities Network Forum which will be held in Hanoi to support the exchange of knowledge and co-operation among Southeast Asian cities. Participants will include representatives from city authorities, international research and training organisations, businesses and innovative design organisations.

“Third is a network of young creative designers set up by the Hanoi Creative Design Centre with a mission to find new talents, thereby providing support and opportunities for those who aspire to build creative cities for the future.”

Meanwhile, the Head of the Hanoi Popularisation and Education Commission, Nguyen Van Phong, said the city was celebrating the 20th year of the title ‘City for Peace’ this year and this event marked a time to create a new breakthrough in its development vision.

With support and consultation from UNESCO, its application for the title Creative City of Southeast Asia and joining the organisation’s Creative Cities Network was very important.

“If that goal is put into practice, it will really be a real drive to promote the soft power of Hanoi’s culture,” Phong said at a conference held recently in the city by UNESCO and the Việt Nam Institute of Culture and Arts.

According to Phong, the capital’s long tradition of handicrafts, cultural tourism, creative spaces and cultural events could become its strength and create a trademark for the city.

UNESCO launched the Creative Cities Network in 2004 to promote co-operation among cities which recognise creativity as a significant factor in their development.

The network recognises craft and folk arts, media, film, design, gastronomy, literature and music as creative fields.

The main benefit of joining the network would be co-operation with other member cities, who must agree to invest in creativity, social inclusion and cultural vibrancy.

Chiang Mai, Phuket and Singapore are currently among the recognised creative cities in Southeast Asia. VNS

Under the decision, schools will switch to online learning, the city’s Department of Education and Training said.

Earlier the same day, the city ordered relic and religious sites, street eateries, iced tea stalls, and cafes to close doors from 5:00 pm on Monday to prevent the risk of COVID-19 transmissions.

Meanwhile, restaurants and coffee shop serving customers indoors shall have to erect dividers between seats or ensure customers are one meter apart from each other. The capital city asked these establishments to encourage takeaways.

The municipal authorities also asked all returnees to make health declaration after four-day public holiday, starting from April 30 to May 3.

All karaoke parlors, bars, discotheques and game rooms in the capital city were ordered to close from April 30.

As of 6:15 pm on Monday, Viet Nam confirmed 2,981 COVID-19 cases, including 2,549 recoveries and 35 fatalities.

Another Hanoian infected with SARS-CoV-2

Late on May 3 the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control confirmed another local resident has been diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus closely linked to two Chinese infections.

Via contact tracing, relevant agencies identified eight other locals in Bac Tu Liem, Nam Tu Liem, Hai Ba Trung, Hoang Mai and Cau Giay districts, who had come into close contact with the Hanoi patient.

Contact tracing is underway to early quarantine and test those in contact with the patient.

Earlier on May 2 the Ministry of Health issued an urgent telegram, looking for passengers on flight VN160 from Da Nang to Hanoi, after two Chinese citizens on board the same flight were diagnosed with the virus.

During the past four days, Hanoi capital has recorded four coronavirus infections, including three living in the outlying district of Dong Anh who were closely related to the coronavirus outbreak in Ha Nam province.

VGP/VOV

Hanoi authorities have decided to temporarily shut down schools amid the on-going Covid-19 outbreak.

The decision was issued by the municipal Department of Education and Training on Monday evening. The move is part of the city’s decision to suspend non-essential activities.

Students from kindergarten to high school levels will stay at home from Tuesday until the city’s Department of Education and Training’s further report. The requirement is also applied to centres that teach foreign languages and those providing foreign-invested short-term education.

According to the department, students will study online instead.

Before the Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day, Hanoi schools were urged to prepare online study plans in case of a Covid-19 outbreak. After the holiday, schools need to co-operate with student families on completing health declarations.

Hanoi has seen three locally-infected Covid-19 cases related to the pandemic outbreak in the northern province of Ha Nam. Meanwhile, the city is welcoming a large number of returnees from different localities nationwide after the Reunification Day and May Day holidays.

All historical and religious sites and sidewalk eateries in Hanoi had to close from 5pm on May 3. The city suspended bars and pedestrian streets earlier.

Preparing to send his daughter back to his hometown in central Thanh Hoa Province just hours after returning from there, Hung, 38, wished the Hanoi education department had made the decision to close schools sooner. He spent the four-day holiday ending Monday in the province.

Then he could have simply left her there with her grandparents.

“I suspected they would tell students to stay at home, but I still let her travel to Hanoi with us after the holidays. Because it would have been bad if she was unable to take the final exam.”

Hung’s daughter’s final exams had been scheduled to begin on May 4.

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training has told two million students from kindergarten to high school levels to stay at home from May 4 amid the growing Covid-19 fears.

Classes would be held online, it said Monday.

Foreign language, computer and other training centers have also been told to close.

A Hanoi student attends online classes. Photo by VnExpress/HaiHien.

The decision came after three people in the capital were found with Covid-19 they had contracted from the outbreak in the northern Ha Nam Province. Besides a large number of people would return to the city after the four-day Reunification Day and Labor Day holidays.

He said: “I had asked my friends if the education authorities would tell students to stay at home, but no one was sure.”

Over the last year the university lecturer and his wife have got used to last-minute ordeals caused by the pandemic.

He was right.

When schools are shut, many parents struggle to find day care for their children.

In the capital’s Ha Dong District, Lan Anh, the mother of an 18-month-old girl, faces just this problem.

The child was with Anh’s mother for six months until she could go to kindergarten, and now with the closure she has to do so again.

“She had gotten used to being with me every evening, but now we must live apart again,” Anh said with tears in her eyes.

Lan Anh’s dạughter (R) is with her grandmother in Anh’s hometown while her son goes to his mother’s workplace. Photo courtesy of Lan Anh.

Some of her colleagues take turns with their spouses staying at home and taking care of their children until their relatives can help.

Others bring their children to work and play with others’ kids.

But many people are unable to depend on their relatives since they live in areas that have Covid-19 cases.

Ngoc Huyen of My Dinh District has parents living in Ha Nam Province, the current coronavirus epicenter, and so has no choice but to keep her eight- and four-year-old sons at home.

“I am worried that if I take my children to my hometown, they would be quarantined.”

She plans to install three cameras at home to watch over her children while at work.

“We have no idea when the pandemic will end, so I must find a long-term solution instead of temporary ones. The children will be more independent and we will be at ease.”

Day-care services have mushroomed to fulfill this need.

Bich Thuy in Cau Giay District decided to hire a 25-year-old kindergarten teacher from 7.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day for VND200,000 ($8.68).

“When she arrives, I will ask her to show me her ID card. We also have cameras at home, so I am kind of confident.”

Minh Anh, a teacher at a private school, has started teaching children in her house.

Within two hours of uploading information about it on Facebook she received nearly 20 calls and decided to ask some of her colleagues to join her.

“We design lessons suitable for each group of students. We ask for daily payment. Some parents complain that VND200,000 a day is too much, but they cannot bargain.”

In the latest Covid wave that began last week there have been 38 cases so far in Ha Nam, Hung Yen, and Vinh Phuc provinces and Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang.

Hanoi has confirmed four cases, including three people who had been in contact with the Ha Nam man who returned from Japan and tested positive after completing his two-week quarantine.

The capital has closed bars, karaokes, cafes, and dance clubs, theaters, massage parlors, spas, and gyms, and taken food vendors off streets.

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This morning (May 5), Chairman of the Vinh Phuc Provincial People’s Committee Le Duy Thanh said that in addition to the 14 confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection related to a Chinese infected expert, the province currently has eight suspected cases of COVID-19 infection.

Local competent forces have stepped up tracing work and medical isolation for the related cases. The province’s authorities have directed all units to temporarily cancel unnecessary work to focus on the fight against the epidemic with the ultimate goal of protecting people’s health.

The Provincial Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control had an urgent meeting that ran until 2:30 am today, during which they asked local departments to promptly prepare their available equipment and manpower to increase their sampling capacity for COVID-19 to a level five times higher than the current, while tripling the number of hospital beds serving medical isolation, preparing for the activation of field hospitals, strengthening inspection and strictly handling illegal entries.

The province decided to establish nine COVID-19 epidemic control posts at key routes into the province, while preparing plans to organise the election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the term 2021-2026 in the context of the epidemic, and ramping up vaccinations against COVID-19 for priority groups.

Newly discovered COVID-19 infection case travels around Hanoi and Sapa

Meanwhile, the capital city of Hanoi is on high alert after the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control reported a positive case for SARS-CoV-2 this morning, with a complicated travel schedule.

The 1989-born female patient is from Da Nang, and was on the same flight with two other COVID-19 patients from the central city to Hanoi on April 29. She travelled across the capital before moving to Sa Pa (Lao Cai) the next day. She moved back to Hanoi on May 2 and made a health declaration after receiving notice from the Ministry of Health regarding her flight from Da Nang to Hanoi earlier. She was tested on May 4 and is now isolated and being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases base 2 in Hanoi’s Dong Anh district.

The facility is also on medical isolation from today after a doctor working at the Intensive Care Unit was confirmed as infected on the evening of May 4.

The director of the hospital, Pham Ngoc Thach, signed a decision on suspending the examination and reception of inpatients at both base 2 and base 1 facilities in downtown Hanoi, while authorising testing on staff for SARS-CoV-2 across the entire hospital. During the lockdown period, the hospital will only admit new COVID-19 patients for treatment.

All staff, trainees, patients and their family members at the two facilities are now in quarantine from May 5 until further notice. COVID-19 positive cases undergoing treatment at the hospital have been transferred to a dedicated area. The hospital is urgently completing COVID-19 vaccination for its staff, while patients who have received treatment at the facility within the past 14 days must be traced and placed under quarantine.

In Da Nang on the same day, over 500 traders at the Phuoc My market (Son Tra district) were sampled for COVID-19, after a COVID-19 patient visited the market before testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.

Local traders at Phuoc My market in Da Nang being sampled for COVID-19 on the morning of May 5, 2021. (Photo: NDO/Anh Dao)

Immediately after the sampling was completed, all traders were asked to go home, quarantine themselves, and not to contact anyone until the test results are announced.

Before that, yesterday evening, Son Tra District issued a document to urgently suspending the operation of the Phuoc My market due to the newly-found patient, an employee of Phu An Hotel in Hai Chau district now isolated and being treated at the Da Nang Lung Hospital.

In the neighbouring province of Quang Nam, local authorities decided to suspend a number of activities in Hoi An city to prevent and combat COVID-19 from 0:00 on May 5, due to the complicated epidemic situation.

Accordingly, cultural and sports activities, conferences, seminars, religious ceremonies and other events gathering more than 30 people have been suspended, along with activities at tourist spots and historical-cultural relics of a similar scale.

Activities at amusement and entertainment areas, internet cafes, video game centres, movie theatres, beauty clinics, pubs, bars, karaoke parlours, discos, massage services, walking streets, night markets and public beaches have also been halted.

In addition, educational and training institutions, IT and foreign languages training centres, life skills education facilities and tutoring are also suspended until further notice.

From 0:00 on May 6, Ca Mau province will also suspend the operation of unnecessary services like bars, discos, karaoke parlours, massage services, game rooms and movie theatres with a large concentration of people.

The People’s Committee of Ca Mau instructed functional forces to continue to strengthen inspection and strictly punish cases of violations of epidemic prevention and control measures, especially in relation to the wearing face masks in public places.