Against this backdrop, cultural industry centres are expected to provide stable working environments where creativity, production, performance and distribution can be closely connected. By sharing infrastructure, creative professionals can reduce costs, find partners more easily and devote more resources to improving the quality of their products.
More importantly, bringing together artisans, artists, designers and businesses can open up new approaches to cultural heritage, making traditional crafts, folk melodies and urban stories more accessible to contemporary audiences. In this way, culture can not only be preserved but also generate livelihoods and economic value.
Government’s Resolution No. 299/NQ-CP, dated September 29, 2026, sets out specific tasks to promote the development of cultural industry centres, cultural innovation centres and digital content creation centres.
Under the resolution, the municipal and provincial People's Committees of Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Hue, Da Nang, Can Tho, Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City are required to identify land-use needs, locations and the scale of land allocations for these centres by October 2026.
By December 2026, key localities prioritising cultural industry development must select sectors in which they hold competitive advantages and identify no more than three major projects capable of driving growth and generating wider benefits.
Each project must clearly specify its products, implementing businesses, funding sources, target markets, intellectual property assets and expected contributions to gross regional domestic product (GRDP), employment, exports or tourism. These requirements demonstrate that the policy goes beyond allocating land and constructing facilities, placing greater emphasis on tangible products and measurable economic outcomes.
Ha Noi has already taken relatively early steps in this direction through Resolution No. 24/2025/NQ-HDND, which regulates the organisation and operation of cultural industry centres in the capital. On October 8, Hoan Kiem Ward began renovating and upgrading two sites at 17 Nguyen Thien Thuat Street and 40 Thanh Ha Street, laying the groundwork for the Dong Xuan–Bac Qua Cultural Industry Centre.
Covering approximately 3,862 square metres in the heart of Ha Noi's Old Quarter, the centre is expected to accommodate exhibition spaces, creative workshops, performing arts venues and community activities.
Each locality has its own strengths in developing cultural industries. Ha Noi is rich in cultural heritage and has particular advantages in design, handicrafts and traditional arts. Ho Chi Minh City, meanwhile, boasts a dynamic market for cinema, performing arts, advertising and digital content.
Cultural industry centres should therefore not follow a uniform model. Instead, they need to reflect local identities and respond to the practical needs of their respective communities.
To avoid investing in impressive facilities that subsequently see little activity, the selection of operating organisations and efforts to attract creative professionals must be considered from the initial planning stage. Businesses, creative groups and artists should be involved in identifying needs, developing operational models, determining shared services and planning how spaces will be used. Commitments concerning programmes, products and market connectivity should also be given due consideration.
In addition, access to supporting services, including equipment, training, business networking and intellectual property protection, will help ensure that these centres genuinely nurture creativity.
Cultural industry centres can fulfil their potential only when their spaces are animated by meaningful creative activities, their products reach audiences and creative professionals can earn a sustainable living from their work. Turning policy into tangible results will require continued coordination, well-targeted investment and appropriate operational mechanisms. When these conditions are in place, cultural industry centres can become important drivers of cultural industry development, enriching local identities while generating additional value for the economy.
