The program is directed by the Hanoi City People's Committee, organized by the Hanoi City Department of Culture and Sports, and coordinated by the City Departments and sectors and a number of units.
The program combines traditional art with modern technology, exploiting the heritage space of the Capital itself to tell stories about Hanoi in a new artistic language.
Taking on the role of Scriptwriter and General Director, director Pham Hoang Giang said that the crew does not simply want to "display" and recreate history on stage, but aims to bring heritage into a continuous flow between the past, present and future.
The program includes two parts: Ceremony and Festival, ensuring both solemnity, creativity, and attractiveness.
According to the director, the noteworthy point of the program lies in the diverse stage language. Music, dance, orchestra, video clips and modern stage solutions are combined to create different visual and emotional layers.
The crew chose a staging method combining stage and semi-real scenery, exploiting the historically rich space of Thang Long Imperial Citadel as part of the artistic story.
The performance space is expanded both horizontally and vertically. Audiences not only watch what happens on the ground but also have the opportunity to witness aerial performances, creating unexpected and visually rich images.
Demonstration technology, including AR, will be used to create visual effects on typical works and images of Hanoi's heritage.
According to the general director, this is a way for the audience to feel like they are entering a "legacy flow", where culture, people, music and time move together. Thereby helping historical stories become more visual and closer to young audiences.
Music also promises to be a highlight worth waiting for when traditional materials such as ca tru, xam, folk music and puppetry are placed next to contemporary music colors, creating a dialogue between the old and the new.
The opening night had the participation of artists from many generations and genres of art such as NSND Thanh Hoai, NSUT Van Ty, Tung Duong, Kieu Anh, Nguyen Ngoc Anh, OPLUS group, Hoang Thuy Linh, Quach Mai Thy, Phung Thanh Huyen, Ram C and some foreign artists.
Some works were created specifically for the program such as "Nhip phach Thang Long", "Lighting up the fire of heritage", "Hanoi land of learning and spirituality". Among them, two Xam works "Nhip phach Thang Long" and "Hanoi land of learning and spirituality" are renewed.
In addition to honoring the Thang Long - Hanoi heritage, the program also has art exchange performances with domestic and international artists, showing the image of a Hanoi that both preserves thousands of years of values, is open and integrated.
According to general director Pham Hoang Giang, the team's goal is not only to create an opening night but also to make the Festival a complete cultural and tourism product, connecting heritage spaces, relics, pedestrian streets, craft villages and creative spaces of the Capital.
With the theme "Heritage Flow", Thang Long - Hanoi Festival 2026 wants to send a message: heritage only truly lives when it continues to be sung, recounted, created and received, preserved and continued by today's generation.
