The Thang Long - Hanoi Festival 2025 takes place from November 1 to November 16, with many events honoring the thousand-year heritage value of the Capital at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam, Ngoc Son Temple, Hanoi Museum and Hoan Kiem Lake area.
At Ho Van at the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam relic, visitors are excited to experience many quintessence of Hanoi cuisine through traditional dishes, pho, hand-carried banh cuon, bun cha, sticky rice... In particular, the booth of the Traditional Surf Village of Uoc Le attracted attention with the more than 100 kg cinnamon cake tree.
According to Ms. Dang Thi Hong - a daughter of Uoc Le craft village (Dan Hoa commune, Hanoi) - the profession of making ham in her hometown has a history of hundreds of years, and has been preserved by generations. "Every generation, the Ancestors passed it down to the Ancestors, and the Father passed it down to the children. This profession is the root, the pride that everyone born in the village loves and wants to maintain, she said.
For the people of Uoc Le, ham is not only a specialty but also a cultural symbol. The factors that create its own unique features are enthusiasm and fresh ingredients.
"The spring rolls of Uoc Le village are made entirely from fresh meat and fat. The best thing is the sincerity and carefulness in each step," said Ms. Hong.
Although the current process is supported by machinery to suit modern production, the traditional flavor is still preserved after nearly 300 years.
The giant cinnamon plant at the festival is elaborately prepared with three layers: the silk pigs in the inner layer, the middle layer is mixed with fat and cinnamon, the outer layer is silk pigs. When baked on charcoal, the yellow cake is even, giving off a characteristic aroma. This is a dish that many tourists buy and take photos on the first day of experience.
With its delicious and special flavor, cinnamon cake is the best-selling and most impressive dish for visitors on the first day of experience.
Ms. Quynh Anh (a tourist from Nghe An) was surprised by the size of the cha tree, the flavor of the cha, the traditional silk ham. I think making it big like that will make it difficult to retain its delicious taste, but when I try it, I find the flavor still rich, fragrant and very authentic to Hanoi, she said.
For the people of the craft village, events like the Thang Long Festival not only contribute to promoting the brand and value of traditional crafts, but also ignite the pride and love of the profession of young people, who will continue the fire, promote the family profession and preserve the hometown brand.
In addition to cuisine, the festival space at Ho Van also has many experience booths for visitors to visit and check-in. Coming to the Thang Long - Hanoi Festival 2025, stretching at the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam, Ho Van, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Hoan Kiem Lake area and Hanoi Museum, visitors can immerse themselves in the cultural space for 16 days.
The festival has many outstanding activities such as the exhibition "Heritage and Future", "Thanh Tan Hanoi", folk music performance, water puppetry, fashion show "Ao Dai on the Heritage Road", Hanoi Ao Dai Festival, Open puppetry Festival and Traditional tug of War Ceremony.
