Held from September 11-20 under the theme “Heritage Flow”, the festival, the second of its kind, became a prominent cultural gathering, promoting creativity and connecting heritage with contemporary life.

Throughout the festival, major heritage sites such as the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, the Temple of Literature, the Hanoi Museum, Bat Trang Ceramic Village and areas around Hoan Kiem Lake were filled with a vibrant festival atmosphere.

The event attracted the participation of a massive lineup of over 3,000 artists and performers, alongside over 100 artisans. In addition to domestic troupes from Ho Chi Minh City, Dien Bien, and Dak Lak, it featured international groups from the Republic of Korea, Japan, and India, thereby creating a vibrant tapestry of cultural exchange.

During the opening night on September 11 at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, the blend of traditional art and modern performance technology captivated an audience of approximately 5,000 delegates and spectators.

The festival's appeal was shown through a wide range of hands-on experiences. The Temple of Literature welcomed around 22,000 visitors in just the first five days. The Colours of Hanoi fashion show drew approximately 1,500 arrivals, while the Sounds of Ceramics art programme attract nearly 1,000 guests each night.

Seminars, exhibitions, and traditional art programmes not only attracted international visitors but also created a strong connection with younger generations. Bringing creative arts into heritage spaces opened up new approaches to preserving and promoting cultural values, turning heritage into a resource for the capital’s tourism and cultural industries.

Although the second Thang Long-Hanoi Festival 2026 has come to an end, “Heritage Flow” will continue to spread through the capital’s cultural life. The connections forged and creative experiments developed through the festival’s interactive and experiential activities have helped strengthen Hanoi’s image as a heritage-rich capital embracing creativity, innovation, dynamism and greater international engagement.

Thang Long - Hanoi Festival opens with impressive AR-enhanced heritage performance

VOV.VN - The second Thang Long - Hanoi Festival opened on the evening of September 11 at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, featuring a three-act live-action performance that integrated augmented reality (AR) technology to present traditional heritage through contemporary artistic language.