Thang Long-Hanoi Festival 2025 in 16 days: celebrating heritage, creativity, cultural integration

THE HANOI TIMES — Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Hoan Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature and the Hanoi Museum will host more than 30 cultural, artistic and tourism activities from November 1-16 as part of the Thang Long-Hanoi Festival 2025.

The opening ceremony will take place at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel on November 7, while the closing event will be held at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square on November 16, showcasing both the ancient and modern charm of the capital.

The festival, organized by the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will bring together leaders of ministries, provinces and cities nationwide, along with foreign ambassadors and representatives of international organizations in Hanoi.

According to Le Thi Anh Mai, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, the festival is an opportunity for the capital to show its spirit of integration, creativity and responsibility in preserving heritage. It aims to turn traditional values into new inspiration for art, tourism and modern life.

Held at historic and cultural landmarks of the capital, the event honors Hanoi’s thousand-year-old heritage and reaffirms its role in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

At the Temple of Literature, visitors can enjoy an exhibition featuring traditional crafts from the Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh), Hanoi, the central coastal city of Hue and the Central Highlands from November 1 to November 9, as well as explore Hanoi’s cuisine and art spaces around ho Van (Literature Lake) throughout the festival.

Known as Vietnam’s first university, the Temple of Literature will also host an ao dai fashion show on November 2, a painting exhibition on Hanoi from November throughout the festival, art performances on November 3 and November 8, and an international symposium themed “Educational and Cultural Heritage: East-West Perspectives” on November 3.

At the Hanoi Museum, visitors can experience puppetry art through performances and interactive activities on November 2. The highlight will be an international art program on November 8 featuring Swiss composer Dominique Barthassat and Hanoi’s creative community groups.

During the 16-day festival, several major events will take place, including the Hanoi Ao Dai Tourism Festival 2025 at the Hanoi Museum and around Hoan Kiem Lake from November 7 to November 9, the Hanoi Puppetry Festival on November 15, and night tours to discover Ngoc Son Temple on November 8 and November 16.

An international workshop on tug-of-war will be held on November 15 to mark the 10th anniversary of the game’s recognition by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

On the same day, delegations from the Republic of Korea and several other countries will join cultural exchanges and tug-of-war performances.

Dao Xuan Dung, Deputy Head of the Commission for Publicity, Education and Mass Mobilization under the Hanoi Party Committee, said that Hanoi always considers culture and people as the core driving forces of development.

“The Thang Long-Hanoi Festival 2025 aims to attract visitors and reinforce the message that Hanoi is both a political and cultural center,” he spoke at a press conference on October 21.

“Hanoi’s culture represents the convergence of all regional cultures across Vietnam,” Dung added.

He said that the festival seeks to promote Hanoi’s image as a city of identity and creativity, where visitors can experience the essence of Vietnamese culture, fostering patriotism and national pride through heritage and art.