Startup fair focuses on creativity, innovation
Startup fair focuses on creativity, innovation
Viet Nam is seeing positive growth in creative industries as more and more businesses in advertising, design, TV, music, apps, games and other sectors are operating in the country, according to the British Council.
Nguyen Phuong Thao, head of the British Council's projects on Arts and Creative Industries, said the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism was working with the council and UNESCO to compile a national strategy on cultural industries by 2020.
Speaking at the Viet Nam Creativity Festival, which was part of HATCH! FAIR 2016 that ended October 8 in HCM City, Thao said that cultural industries were expected to contribute 4 per cent to the country's gross domestic product by 2020.
"The strategy will create an important foundation for further development of creative industries in the country," Thao said.
The British Council has provided the community of creative industries with training courses on creative skills and start-ups as well as field trips to the UK, where the value of the creative industry is £84.1 billion, according to figures released in January by the UK.
The council plans to continue providing support for the development of culture and tourism, as well as high-value traditional handicrafts, according to Thao.
Nguyen Viet Dung, head of HCM City's Department of Science and Technology which helped organise the fourth fair, said that in May the government approved a project to provide assistance to the creative and innovative start-up ecosystem by 2025.
The department will also give support to small- and medium- enterprises so they can better adapt to global integration.
Products and services of 128 start-ups and incubators were displayed at the HATCH! FAIR. Many of them were apps for phones, websites and handicrafts.
Products that attracted attention during the fair included bags, shoes and soaps made from loofah with other agricultural materials.
At the fair, an Angel Investment Forum was held for 30 investors and representatives of domestic and foreign investment funds to discuss investment start-ups. A Social Innovation Summit was also held during the fair .
