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Hanoi Affirms Its Position as a Creative City

The Thang Long Hanoi Festival 2025 has concluded with an energetic series of cultural, artistic and creative activities across historic sites and public spaces throughout the capital. The event offered new experiences for residents and visitors and reaffirmed Hanoi’s position as a Creative City and the cultural heart of Vietnam.

A Creative Playground
The Thang Long Hanoi Festival 2025 took place from 1 to 16 November with more than thirty cultural, artistic and tourism activities. Visitors enjoyed street parades, traditional and contemporary art performances, heritage exhibitions, an ao dai festival, craft demonstrations, panel discussions and creative business networking events. These programs were hosted at iconic heritage and creative locations including the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Hoan Kiem walking street, the Temple of Literature and the Hanoi Museum.

The festival breathed new life into cultural spaces across the city. Among the most notable was Ho Van at the Temple of Literature complex. Here, creativity emerged from simple moments. Young artists experimenting with dó paper, artisans shaping lacquer colours under the afternoon sun and children proudly crafting their first tò he toys. Heritage became approachable and personal, allowing each visitor to leave with a small artwork and a deeper appreciation for Vietnam’s traditional craftsmanship.

The festival brought together artisans from across the country. Visitors found the earthy scent of ceramics, the shimmering glow of lacquer, the rhythmic sound of looms and the rustic flavours of traditional cuisine. Each craft booth became a meeting point where the hands of patient artisans revealed the cultural stories preserved through generations. This environment created a living silk road of craftsmanship that connected people through shared creativity.

The cultural journey continued through signature performances such as “Ao Dai on the Heritage Path”, “Hanoi Oi”, “Eternal Sounds of Thang Long” and the Tế Tiêu water puppet performances. Traditional music echoed across the sacred space of Ho Van, blending historical memories with contemporary life.

The festival attracted nearly two hundred thousand on site visitors, one million social media reaches, forty thousand channel followers and twenty seven performance groups including eight Vietnamese tug of war communities and the Gijisi Tug of War group from Dangjin, Korea. Nineteen puppet troupes with around eight hundred artists created the largest puppet festival held in the city to date. Additional highlights included twenty five thousand visitors to the Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival at the Hanoi Museum and seventy five thousand visitors to the Temple of Literature. The city also introduced a new 360 degree stage at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel with capacity for one thousand performers during the opening ceremony.

Reaching Out to the World
The Thang Long Hanoi Festival 2025 marked a significant step for Hanoi as a culturally vibrant and internationally connected city. It created an open creative environment where traditional artisans, contemporary artists and young creators collaborated to enrich Vietnamese cultural identity in the digital era.

From a cultural management perspective, the festival demonstrated strong progress in urban cultural governance. It showed the city’s ability to coordinate effectively with government agencies, artists, businesses, international partners and local communities. The event highlighted professional organisation through the use of digital technology in staging, communication, impact measurement, copyright protection and safety standards.

According to Associate Professor Bui Hoai Son, Standing Member of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture and Society, the festival stands as a clear example of Hanoi’s strategic vision as a UNESCO Creative City. He noted that Hanoi is placing culture at the centre of sustainable development during an important national milestone leading up to the 14th National Party Congress. He emphasised that Hanoi is not only producing large scale events but also shaping an urban creative ecosystem where government enables, businesses support and communities and young people become active creators.

Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports Le Thi Anh Mai shared that the festival opens a new chapter in Hanoi’s creative journey. With a strong spirit of innovation, the city plans to develop the festival into an annual cultural event with international reach.

Towards Global Connection
Hanoi is expected to host the Thang Long Hanoi Festival 2026 under the theme “The Essence of Hanoi, Connecting with the World”. The city aims to position itself as a centre for heritage exchange, where the cultural essence of Thang Long Hanoi meets national and international heritage flows.

The 2026 festival will continue to expand creative spaces and encourage equal dialogue among heritages through dynamic cultural and artistic exchanges. Hanoi seeks to extend its creative landscape globally, connecting with the international community through openness, collaboration and innovation.