The 15th International Workshop "Engaging with Vietnam - Connecting Vietnam" took place from December 12 to 16, 2025 in Hanoi. This year's conference was hosted by the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts (SIS), Hanoi National University (VNU), in collaboration with the Vietnam Connecting Network (Engaging with Vietnam).
Attending the opening session at Hanoi National University on the morning of December 12 were Mr. Nguyen Minh Vu - Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee - Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ta Quang Dong - Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Thanh Truong - Deputy Director of Hanoi National University, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Hieu - Principal of the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts, Hanoi National University, Meritorious Artist Bui Nhu Lai - Principal of Hanoi University of Theatre and Cinema, and domestic and international experts and scholars.
Speaking at the event on the morning of December 12, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong highly appreciated the theme of the workshop "Creating knowledge, creative industry, Education and the AI era: Looking back and Looking towards the future" - a topical theme, close to the country's development requirements in the context of digital transformation and the AI era.
According to the Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, artificial intelligence is opening up unprecedented opportunities for creativity and cultural development. AI and digital transformation play an important role in preserving heritage, analyzing big data on markets, audiences and trends, thereby creating competitive advantages for Vietnamese creative enterprises.
However, for the cultural industry to truly break through, we need an interdisciplinary knowledge ecosystem that closely combines culture, art, technology, economy and communication.
This requires innovative educational programs in an open direction, equipping the new generation of human resources with digital capacity and AI capacity. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen public-private cooperation models and international cooperation to learn technology, advanced governance experience and expand markets, Deputy Minister Ta Quang Dong suggested.
Sharing the same view, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Hieu - Principal of the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts (Hanoi National University), commented that artificial intelligence is creating a profound turning point for global education, not only at the level of teaching tools but also in the process of restructuring learning models, methods of organizing knowledge and setting new competency requirements. This requires comprehensive reform of the training program, from general education to university and postgraduate.
To aim to bring creative industries to 7% of GDP by 2030, the creative community in Vietnam may certainly have to think and discuss deeply about the adaptation and new development strategies for building creative capacity, promoting the economy and education in the AI era, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Hieu affirmed.
Therefore, the Connecting Vietnam Workshop was held, opening an international academic forum to clarify many important topics including the current situation and issues raised in building knowledge in the AI era; new growth drivers of Vietnam based on cultural industries.
Some issues will be discussed, including design, digital content and creative economy, the future of Vietnamese higher education in the context of institutional and technological innovation; culture, heritage and identity in the digital environment as well as discussions on development policies and international integration in the cultural industry.
This is not only an academic forum, but also a space for connection. Art performances, interactions with artists, round-trip discussions and many hands-on side activities towards the community and society take place at locations such as Tran Phu High School, Ngu Nhu Kon Tum Hall of Hanoi National University at 19 Le Thanh Tong and public creative spaces in Hanoi.
