The festival’s 150 activities will be held in five main places: Creative Square next to Hoan Kiem Lake, Dong Xuan Market, communal houses and heritage sites in the Old Quarter, Thong Nhat Park, and multiple theatres and community stages. 1,000 artisans and artists will take part, including 100 foreigners and overseas Vietnamese from 21 countries.
Smaller-scale events will be held at museums, universities, libraries and venues belonging to Hanoi’s Creative Spaces Network. For the first time, the festival will introduce an international artist-in-residence program.
Artist and photographer Nguyen The Son, the festival’s curator, said: “Over its five editions, the festival has grown in size and the number of participating artists and artisans. This year, we’re welcoming more international artists with support from their embassies. We want to gradually develop the festival into an international format, held every two years, to promote creativity, particularly in design.”
Inspired by the history of Thang Long and Ke Cho – the historic name for Hanoi’s trading quarter – the programs celebrate the craftsmanship, skills, and creativity passed down through generations.
Nguyen Minh Thong, visual director of the “Streets Traces” project at this year’s festival, said: “Our project connects different art forms across the festival venues. The experience is open to all age groups, with a particular focus on young people. This year’s craftmanship theme is reflected by 6 guilds, each offering a different artistic genre.”
Under the slogan “Bringing Talents Together, Weaving Creative Assets,” the 2026 Hanoi Creative Design Festival seeks to harness cultural values, heritage, knowledge, and creative capacity to make Hanoi’s cultural industries a driver of municipal growth.
Hanoi, the first Vietnamese city to join UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, hopes the festival will expand international exchanges, connections, and cooperation and promote Vietnamese identity and creativity to a global audience.
