BlogThe community event "Da Nang - Learning City" is an initiative launched and operated by Vcil Community since October 2025.
This event harnesses the inherent diversity and richness of the local community to transform the entire city into a Learning Festival—a place where learning is spread, nurtured, and opened to everyone. Here, learning is not confined within four classroom walls, not limited to a single method, and knowledge does not only come from a single teacher.
Learning happens at any time; anyone can be a teacher; and knowledge flows from the community as much as from schools. Every corner of the city becomes a campus for lifelong learning.
Throughout the three days of the November 2025 Festival, we recorded participation from members with diverse life experiences, professions, and ages. This diversity created a meaningful event full of connections and surprises.
Over the course of 3 days, we recorded the following:
1. Intergenerational & Peer-to-Peer Learning The festival activities served as a safe, inclusive space for different generations to dialogue and learn together. This differs from traditional classrooms where learners are usually of the same age. In many sessions, a 14-year-old sat alongside someone retired for over a decade. Within these circles, a rich tapestry of expertise, skills, and life experiences was clearly visible.
In the session "Deep Rivers Run Quiet, Ripe Rice Hangs Low," participants discussed the virtue of humility: One shared about humility through their medical career, where experienced doctors admired a young colleague's decisive creativity in saving a patient. A student shared lessons on humility learned from his gentle, virtuous principal. Another simply spoke of his grandfather—a man who, despite lacking formal schooling, built a solid foundation of self-education. In his memoirs, the first line read: "Greetings to ancestors, greetings to virtues." It was a lesson on gratitude, which, as the participant noted, is the root of humility.
Participants exchanged ideas sincerely as equals, in a spirit of inquiry. Each person brought what they had to the circle, contributing to a Collective Wisdom. We realized that learning happens naturally. By simply adjusting the design to encourage diverse voices and peer learning, we can create a democratic, deep, and inclusive learning environment.
By attracting a wide range of ages, the event created spaces to share life "capital" and experience. This challenges the traditional notion that a teacher must have formal credentials:
One’s passion, commitment, and life journey become treasures for others to discover. At the Learning Festival, anyone can be a teacher.
Sessions went beyond basic skills to explore philosophical, social, and existential themes (e.g., The Political is Personal, Death Nourishes Life, Alternative Economies, Humility). This reflects the community's desire for Learning Beyond Boundaries—learning things that are relevant to life and hold practical value.
The hosts themselves are learners. When asked what she would take home, host Nhã Uyên shared:
"Probably a mindset of positive belief. I used to be self-deprecating and anxious about the future... but thanks to 'Da Nang - Learning City,' I've regained inspiration for learning and self-development—to be curious and practice without limiting myself. I've regained my confidence and the desire to contribute joy to the community."
Learning becomes profound when individuals actively engage with the unknown and accept their imperfections. The event acts as a "Safe Laboratory" for community initiatives and long-held ideas.
Across 18 activities, 9 different spaces (private, community, and public) were used—all free of charge. This was made possible through the generosity and contribution of the community.
72% of sessions were Free or Gift-based (Donation); only those requiring high-quality materials (Cocktails, Clay, Paper Dolls) charged a minimum fee to cover costs. This proves that "giving knowledge and experience" is the core driver of the Festival. Even the organizing team participates as volunteers.
The low operating cost of "Da Nang - Learning City" is due to community synergy. By sharing resources—from space to skills—everyone gives according to their capacity. The result is a wealth of learning opportunities.
In a conventional approach, one would need significant funding for rent, experts, and salaries. Vcil Community could not operate this festival that way. However, by each person contributing what they have for just 1 or 2 days a month, we co-create a healthy, low-barrier, and inclusive learning environment. Only then do we truly feel the abundance within ourselves and the world.
This event will use the diversity and wealth of the community to transform the city into a Festival of Learning