The Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2026, themed “Creative Economy”, opened on November 13 evening, starting 16 days of cultural, art and creative programming across the capital.
Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Vu Thu Ha, in her opening speech, said the festival is a key piece of a year-round creative push, with the goal shifting from simply “holding a festival” to “building an urban creative ecosystem".
The festival uses the creative economy, interdisciplinary art and co-creation to connect and pool cultural, heritage and creative resources and turn them into new value for urban development.
Ha said the aim is to convert cultural values, heritage, knowledge and creative capacity into long-term assets, generating livelihoods and jobs, spurring cooperation and making the cultural industry a growth engine for the capital.
Organisers expect links among artisans, artists, businesses, designers and communities to build creative chains and widen livelihood opportunities from cultural resources.
Running from November 13-28, the festival features 150 activities across five cultural, heritage and creative clusters and draws nearly 1,000 domestic and foreign artisans, artists, designers and experts, including nearly 100 foreign artists and overseas Vietnamese from 21 countries. For the first time, foreign artists will co-create with Vietnamese partners.
At Dong Xuan Market, the multisensory exhibition “Cham Dong Xuan” (Touching Dong Xuan) links traditional commerce with contemporary art, with small traders taking part in co-creation. Across 12 communal houses, guild halls and heritage spaces in the Old Quarter, “Chuyen Dinh trong Pho” (Story of Communal Houses in Old Quarter) series brings art and traditional crafts closer to the public, especially the youth.
Hoan Kiem Lake becomes a hub connecting artists, designers, companies and the public through exhibitions and creative fairs. At Thong Nhat Park, “Uom mam Sang tao” (Nurturing Creativity) gives young people’s ideas an experimental outlet. The “Ha Noi Sang Den” (Hanoi Lights Up) series also takes art into theaters, old cinemas, museums and public spaces.
Jonathan Wallace Baker, UNESCO Representative to Vietnam, said the festival vividly reflects the vision of a historically rich city that uses heritage as a foundation for an innovative, inclusive future.
Baker said Hanoi’s strength is not only its history but also the imagination and aspirations of its people. Blending heritage with creativity and tradition with innovation will keep shaping the city’s future, he said, adding that UNESCO wants to continue working with Hanoi to strengthen the creative ecosystem, preserve living heritage and expand international cooperation.
At the opening ceremony, Hanoi debuted HanoiGo, a culture-tourism digital platform on the iHanoi app and at hanoigo.hanoi.gov.vn. The platform pools information on destinations, relics, scenic sites, cultural spaces, cuisine, accommodation, events and tours, aiming to refresh promotion of the capital and make it easier for residents and visitors to explore Hanoi.
