Ha Noi joins UNESCO’s Global Network of Learning Cities

The new members include 11 capital cities such as Hanoi (Viet Nam), Porto-Novo (Benin), Bissau (Guinea-Bissau), Lusaka (Zambia), Cairo (Egypt), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Lisbon (Portugal), Ankara (Türkiye), Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Caracas (Venezuela).

Thirteen countries joined the network for the first time, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Chile, Cyprus, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Lithuania, Mongolia, Niger, Turkmenistan, the US, Venezuela, and Zambia.

According to UNESCO, Learning Cities integrate learning into everyday life and offer pathways for all—from reskilling and upskilling workers to meet rapidly evolving labor market demands, to providing literacy programs, equipping citizens with digital and AI-era skills, and fostering entrepreneurship.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO Ngo Le Van said Ha Noi's admission reflects efforts to advance the Party and State's policies on lifelong learning and building a learning society.

Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh, Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to UNESCO, called the recognition a shared achievement for Hanoi and Vie Nam, highlighting it as another milestone in the country's cooperation with UNESCO. The move aligns with Viet Nam's plan on international integration in education and training through 2030, approved in December 2024, and the Politburo's Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW dated August 22, 2025, on breakthroughs in education and training.

Previously, Sa Dec and Cao Lanh (Dong Thap province), Vinh (Nghe An province), Son La (Son La province), and Ho Chi Minh City were also admitted to UNESCO's Global Network of Learning Cities./.