Hanoi culinary, craft village tourism festival draws over 30,000 visitors

The festival is a major tourism promotion initiative designed to honour, preserve and promote the values of traditional craft villages and trade streets, while highlighting the capital’s destinations and distinctive culinary heritage.

Visitors experience activities at the Hanoi Culinary, Craft Village and Craft Street Tourism Festival 2025. (Photo: VNA)
Visitors experience activities at the Hanoi Culinary, Craft Village and Craft Street Tourism Festival 2025. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi Culinary, Craft Village and Craft Street Tourism Festival 2025 wrapped up on December 14 night after four days of lively and diverse activities.

The festival is a major tourism promotion initiative designed to honour, preserve and promote the values of traditional craft villages and trade streets, while highlighting the capital’s destinations and distinctive culinary heritage. Held under the theme “Hundreds of Crafts, Thousands of Flavours,” the event drew more than 30,000 visitors, including a significant number of international tourists.

Spanning an area of about 5,000 sq.m and inspired by the imagery of Hanoi’s old streets and ancient houses, the festival comprised three main spaces: a craft village and trade street tourism area, a Hanoi culinary heritage area, and a destination promotion area.

The craft village and trade street tourism space featured product displays and live demonstrations from well-known craft villages such as Bat Trang ceramics, Van Phuc silk, Chuong village conical hats, Chang Son fans and Ha Thai lacquerware. The trade street section recreated scenes from Hanoi’s historic streets, featuring stories of Hang Ma street during the Lunar New Year Festival and calligraphers writing festive characters. Watercolour paintings and artistic photographs offered fresh perspectives on Hanoi through the works of artists and photographers devoted to the city. Artisans and skilled craftsmen also guided visitors in hands-on experiences of key production processes.

The Hanoi culinary heritage space presented traditional offerings including the Bat Trang ceremonial feast, West Lake lotus tea, and craft village specialties such as Vong village green young sticky rice, Phu Thuong sticky rice, Thanh Tri steamed rice rolls and Uoc Le pork sausage, alongside iconic Hanoi dishes such as pho, egg coffee, shrimp fritters and freshwater snail noodles. Throughout the festival, artisans and chefs demonstrated and shared culinary techniques with the public.

Meanwhile, the destination promotion space showcased images of Hanoi’s renowned heritage and tourist attractions, including the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, the Temple of Literature, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Hanoi Flag Tower. It also introduced distinctive tours, travel routes and tourism products, as well as souvenirs and promotional programmes offered by travel agencies, accommodation providers and tourist sites. Prominent craft villages such as Bat Trang, Van Phuc, Chuong, Chang Son, Ha Thai and Phu Vinh were vividly presented through product displays, live demonstrations and interactive experiences.

This year’s festival brought together 10 representative craft villages and trade streets, nearly 30 artisans and master craftsmen, along with representatives from tourism and culinary businesses, accommodation establishments and tourist destinations in the capital. Visitors and local residents were able to directly take part in traditional craft activities, interact with artisans, try Hanoi foods, and enjoy a wide array of engaging culinary and artistic performances./.

VNA

See more

Visitors admire Ho Chi Minh City from above. (Photo: VNA)

Ho Chi Minh City launches helicopter sightseeing tours

Globally, helicopter tourism has become a popular offering in many major destinations. By introducing this experience, Ho Chi Minh City aims to expand its portfolio of high-end tourism products and further enhance its destination image.

The blending of culture, architecture and art on Phu Quoc is shaping a cosmopolitan city. (Photo: Sun Group)

Phu Quoc: Where the world meets through architecture

The presence of diverse international architectural styles across Phu Quoc, rather than a single traditional architectural system, is not accidental but rooted in the island’s unique development context. Unlike cities with centuries of urban heritage such as Hoi An or Hue, Phu Quoc is a tourism destination that has grown rapidly over just the past few decades, without a clearly layered architectural legacy to inherit.

The luxurious resorts ecosystem contribute to elevating Phu Quoc's image in the eyes of international media. (Photo: Sun Group)

Phu Quoc and its luxury resorts "take the leaderboard by storm" in DestinAsian rankings

On March 6, 2026, the prestigious travel magazine DestinAsian officially announced its list of the top 10 islands in Asia for 2026 as part of its Readers' Choice Awards. Not only was it the sole representative from Vietnam, but Phu Quoc also made a remarkable impression by climbing to the runner-up position, continuing an impressive three-year upward trend.

A view of the opening ceremony of the Ban Flower (Bauhinia) Festival 2026 in Dien Bien province on March 8 evening. (Photo: VNA)

Government leader attends Ban Flower Festival 2026 in Dien Bien province

Themed “Hoa Ban – Khat vong Dien Bien,” the festival was a highlight of the Dien Bien Culture and Tourism Week running from March 6 – 12. The annual event celebrated the beauty of the iconic Ban flower and promoted the culture, history and tourism potential of the Northwestern region.

Khem beach in Phu Quoc island of An Giang province. (Photo: VNA)

Phu Quoc strengthens appeal as international arrivals soar in early 2026

Phu Quoc special zone is increasingly affirming its strong appeal to international visitors with impressive growth, positioning the “pearl island” as a standout destination in Southeast Asia and a direct competitor to renowned resort islands such as Bali in Indonesia and Phuket in Thailand.

Leaves of loc vung (Barringtonia acutangula tree) change colour beside Hoan Kiem Lake (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi named among world’s 50 most beautiful cities by Condé Nast Traveler

Hanoi’s appearance within the global media ecosystem of Condé Nast Traveler is expected to provide a significant boost to the city’s tourism appeal. Beyond enhancing its credibility as a travel destination, the recognition could also help attract high-end tourism services and encourage higher spending by international visitors.

Overseas Vietnamese in traditional ao dai explore Nguyen Hue flower street. (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Overseas Vietnamese amplify Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism appeal

With their understanding of both local traditions and international contexts, OVs are proving to be an effective “soft bridge” in promoting the city globally, contributing to rising international arrivals and reinforcing Ho Chi Minh City’s position as a creative, globally integrated and culturally rich urban tourism destination

Smoke rises following US and Israeli airstrikes on Tehran, Iran, on March 1. (Photo: XINHUA/VNA)

Hanoi urges suspension of tours to Middle East conflict zones

Vietnamese citizens have been advised not to travel to Iran, Israel, and other countries in the Middle East at present due to ongoing conflicts and complicated security developments, according to an official dispatch sent by the department to the above-mentioned units on March 3.

A representative of a Vietnamese enterprise shows it products at ITB Berlin 2026. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese firms promote tourism at ITB Berlin 2026

Vietnam’s exhibition area stands out with spacious and visually striking booths featuring businesses' most outstanding products as well as Vietnam's cultural icons such as cyclo models and traditional ao dai attire while a Vietnamese cuisine counter has drawn long queues of visitors.

International tourists are increasingly choosing Phu Quoc over giants like Bali and Phuket, driven by the freshness that Phu Quoc offers (Photo: Sun Group)

US media explains why Phu Quoc is becoming a tourism phenomenon

In 2025, international arrivals to Phu Quoc surged by nearly 60%, marking a new breakthrough cycle. As 2026 begins, during the Lunar New Year alone, the island welcomed nearly 366,000 visitors (a 30% increase year-on-year), with international guests accounting for nearly 93,000 (up 24.3%).

The crystal-clear waters and powdery white sands of Kem Beach are especially appealing to visitors (Photo: Fabl Belek)

Australian magazine hails Phu Quoc as a worthy alternative to Bali

In its list of “the best Bali alternatives worth exploring,” published by Australia’s leading travel site Escape, Phu Quoc is highlighted as a standout Southeast Asian destination, thanks to its appealing blend of reasonable costs, striking scenery, and diverse experiences.

Young locals explore Co Loa Citadel in digital space (Photo: nhandan.vn)

Hanoi festivals embrace digital tools to modernise management

During spring festival season 2026, Hanoi's major celebrations have aggressively adopted digital technologies across management, organisation, communications and promotion, presenting a more orderly and civilised image for traditional events.