Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2025 wrapped up at the Hanoi Museum on November 9, celebrating the cultural beauty of Vietnam’s traditional long dress and promoting Hanoi as a “civilised, creative, and heritage-rich” capital to domestic and international visitors.
Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism Nguyen Tran Quang emphasised that the four-day festival served a dual mission, honouring and preserving the intangible cultural heritage of the Ao Dai while boosting tourism and raising public awareness, particularly among the youth, about the importance of national cultural identity.
He expressed confidence that the festival will continue to act as a "tourism ambassador," promoting Hanoi as a safe, friendly, high-quality, and attractive destination.
As an annual cultural-tourism highlight within the Thang Long–Hanoi Festival series, this year’s event featured nearly 80 booths from fashion designers, craft villages, fashion brands, and design schools.
Renowned names such as Duc Hung, La Hang, Ngoc Han, Quang Hoa, and Quyen Nguyen joined traditional artisans from Van Phuc silk village and Trach Xa tailoring village, offering visitors a vibrant cultural experience. The festival attracted tens of thousands of visitors who enjoyed exhibitions, photo zones, and artistic performances recreating iconic Hanoi landmarks such as the Khue Van Cac (the pavilion of the constellation of literature) inVan Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam (the Temple of Literature ).
A standout moment was the opening night show “Hanoi Ao Dai – Shining Heritage Elegance,” which showcased the evolution of the Ao Dai from the craft village of Trach Xa to all regions of Vietnam, combining modern creativity with traditional charm.
The festival also featured the “I Love Hanoi” programme for children, engaging hundreds of young models in colourful Ao Dai collections to nurture pride and love for the national costume.
The design contest “Ao Dai – Connecting Heritage” highlighted 10 student collections, with the top prize awarded to “A Thousand Years Flowing, Life Renewed” by students of the
University of Economics- Technology for Industries.
Another highlight was the “Capital Women in Integration and Development 2025” mass performance, gathering more than 600 women and professional designers to honour the grace and confidence of Vietnamese women in the modern era.
Following the festival, organisers will hold the Hanoi Ao Dai Parade 2025 on November 15 at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square and Hoan Kiem walking street, along with a “Touching Hanoi Autumn” bus tour encouraging visitors to explore the city in Ao Dai.
The festival reaffirmed the cultural and aesthetic significance of the Ao Dai in modern life, enhancing Hanoi’s image as an elegant, welcoming, and innovative capital./.
