Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2023: Awakening cultural heritage on Red River banks

Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2023 will take place from November 17 to 26 at Gia Lam Train Factory and other venues across Hanoi with the theme "Flow".

The creative space of the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2022 at Hoan Kiem Lake. Photo courtesy of the organizer

According to the event organizer, this year's festival will feature 60 cultural activities. Hanoi's four architectural landmarks will host 16 exhibitions, 17 workshops and talks, nine art shows, community events, art fairs and children's playgrounds.

The festival draws the participation of over 200 event organizers, Vietnamese and international designers and artists, namely Hanoi Indie Troupe, Van Thien Y Design, Heritage Space, and others.

For the first time, locals and visitors to Hanoi will be able to see up close the capital's interesting century-old architectural works, such as the Hang Dau Water Tower, Van Xuan Flower Garden, and Gia Lam Train Factory, among others.

These French colonial architectures will be transformed by architects and artists into unique art exhibition venues, marking a new stage in the transformation of Hanoi's industrial heritage into creative spaces. In a short time, the workshops of the Gia Lam Train Factory have been transformed to host 16 art exhibitions and demonstrations, such as "Water Palace" by artist Trinh Minh Tien, "The Call" by artist Thu Tran, group exhibition "Peripheral Movement" by Vietnamese and international artists, and graffiti art demonstrations, among others.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to admire the first locomotive of the Vietnam Railway and learn some interesting stories about it.

An art performance within the framework of the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2022 at the Arts and Culture Center, 22 Hang Buom Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.

In particular, visitors can join a 20-minute train ride called "Heritage Journey". Starting from Long Bien Railway Station and crossing Long Bien Bridge, this special train will take passengers across the historic Red River, enjoying the view of daily life and magnificent scenery from the train windows, and finally arrive at Gia Lam Railway Station.

The festival will also feature two workshops on "Development and Construction of Red River Alluvial Islet Landscape: Vision and Solutions" and "Creative City Network" to discuss measures to make Hanoi one of the most creative cities in the region.

Hosted by the Hanoi People's Committee and Vietnam Association of Architects Hanoi, Creative Design Festival 2023 is an annual event that aims to realize the initiatives and commitments with UNESCO when Hanoi becomes a member of the Creative Cities Network.

Focusing on design and heritage, this year's festival emphasized solutions and new ways of thinking in design to breathe new life into heritage sites while inspiring and creating opportunities for young talents. Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2023 is an opportunity to advocate the value of "design", explore creative potential, and pioneer public-private partnerships to provide creative space and design solutions to the community based on Hanoi's heritage.

The Hang Dau Water Tower. Photo: Giang Trinh