On the afternoon of October 21, at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports held a press conference to announce the program of the Thang Long - Hanoi Festival 2025.
This is a large-scale cultural and artistic event, directed by the Hanoi People's Committee, to honor the thousand-year heritage value of the Capital, spreading the spirit of "Heritage - Connection - Times", and at the same time affirming Hanoi's position in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Speaking at the press conference, Ms. Le Thi Anh Mai, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, said that the Thang Long - Hanoi Festival will become an annual activity, a cultural destination for people and tourists.
The event is an opportunity for Hanoi to demonstrate its spirit of integration, creativity and responsibility in preserving heritage, turning traditional values into new inspiration for art, tourism and modern life, she said.
The Thang Long - Hanoi Festival 2025 takes place from November 1 to November 16, at many spaces symbolizing the heritage and creativity of the capital such as the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam, Ngoc Son Temple, Hanoi Museum and Hoan Kiem Lake area.
The opening ceremony was held on the evening of November 7 at Thang Long Imperial Citadel, while the closing ceremony took place on the evening of November 16 at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square.
According to General Director Pham Hoang Giang, this is the festival with the longest preparation time ever with about 6 months of planning. He said that the organization lasts for 16 days to create conditions for people and tourists to experience more deeply the heritage and cultural values of Hanoi.
This year's program brings together more than 30 unique cultural, artistic and tourism activities, recreating the journey of connecting the past - present - future of the capital.
The highlight is the Hanoi Ao Dai Tourism Festival 2025, held from November 7 to November 9 at the Hanoi Museum and Hoan Kiem Lake. This is the fourth time the festival has been maintained, honoring the beauty of traditional ao dai associated with the cultural and tourism values of Hanoi.
In addition, the festival also has many attractive activities such as the Hanoi Open puppetry Festival (November 15), the play "Thang Long Capital" (November 10), the art program "Ngoc Son Mysterious Night" (November 8 and 16). In addition, heritage spaces such as the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam and the Hanoi Museum have also become creative cultural destinations of the community.
Dr. Le Xuan Kieu, Director of the Center for Cultural and Scientific Activities of the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam, said that a series of activities "Heritage gathering" will take place here, displaying craft village products of the three ancient capitals of Thang Long - Hue - Hoa Lu, introducing the cuisine of "Hanoi flavor" and creative design activities at Van Lake.
Visitors can also enjoy programs such as the fashion show "Ao Dai on the Heritage Road", the exhibition "Renovation Hanoi", the art program "Ha Noi O", the exhibition "Heritage and Future" and the international scientific seminar "Heritage of Education and Culture of the East - West".
At the Hanoi Museum, the public can visit the thematic exhibition "Archaeological discoveries from the relic of the Bananen Garden", along with the space to experience folk puppetry in the program "Exorcism".
In particular, the international highlight is the art program "Eternal Moments", with the participation of Swiss composer Dominique Barthassat and Hanoi creative groups.
The 2025 Thang Long - Hanoi Festival also marks 10 years of UNESCO recognizing "Sherualty and tug of war" as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. On this occasion, an international workshop will be held on "A decade of protecting and promoting rituals and tug of war games", along with performances and exchanges between international delegations and 10 heritage communities from many localities in the country such as Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Lao Cai, Ninh Binh, Phu Tho and Hanoi.
According to Ms. Le Thi Anh Mai, through the series of events, Hanoi hopes to affirm the image of "Creative City - a place where heritage lives with the times", while strongly promoting the Vietnamese cultural brand to the world.
With the participation of 5,000 artists and artisans, the Thang Long - Hanoi Festival 2025 promises to become the largest cultural event ever of the capital, where heritage is breathed new life with the spirit of creativity, connection and integration.
