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Honoring the Ao Dai - Living Heritage of Vietnamese Culture
Speaking at the press conference, Mr. Nguyen Tran Quang, Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism said: “Ao dai is a costume that has been associated throughout the heroic history of the nation. Over the years, ao dai has become a solemn and elegant 'national costume' of Vietnamese women. Especially, in the context of strong global integration, ao dai has become a cultural symbol of the Vietnamese people, a cultural heritage of the country, a tourism ambassador with the great mission of introducing and promoting a part of Vietnamese culture to international friends."
Mr. Nguyen Tran Quang, Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism, delivered the opening speech at the press conference.
This year, the festival has been expanded in scale with many activities: Opening ceremony and art program "Hanoi Ao Dai - Shining the quintessence of heritage", final round of design contest "Ao Dai - Connecting heritage", Ao Dai parade around Hoan Kiem Lake, performance "Capital Women Integration and Development", and "Touching Autumn Hanoi" experience tour on double-decker bus, bringing visitors a journey to experience Hanoi in an emotional cultural space.
Three Ao Dai collections by famous designers were presented at the press conference introducing the Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2025.
The festival space at Hanoi Museum is decorated with inspiration from Hanoi's autumn colors - combining contemporary installation art and traditional elements such as lotus flowers, silk, Khue Van Cac, Hanoi's Old Quarter corner or the golden autumn scene in the heart of the Museum.
Space connecting heritage and creativity
This year, the festival has a scale of about 80 elaborately decorated exhibition booths, bringing together designers, businesses from Hanoi and other localities, weaving, embroidery, silk craft villages and many artisans from all over the country.
In particular, the two-hour ao dai tailoring experience area, the Hanoi ao dai check-in area, and the folk food market promise to attract a large number of people and tourists. These are new highlights, bringing visual and emotional cultural experiences, contributing to bringing Vietnamese cultural heritage closer to contemporary life.
In addition, the festival also offers a series of creative workshops such as folk embroidery, decorative pattern painting, making handmade accessories (sedge bags, clogs, bracelets, bamboo dragonflies, etc.), creating opportunities for participants to "live in heritage" and feel the traditional craft spirit. This is also the connection point between traditional culture and young creativity, helping the public, especially the Gen Z generation, to approach heritage in a close, interesting and emotional way.
The festival space features traditional art forms such as ca tru, cheo, quan ho, xam... sounds that evoke the roots of Vietnamese culture. Interspersed with the folk game area is designed as a "memory garden", where visitors can experience o an quan, dance, tug of war, and immerse themselves in the festival atmosphere imbued with the spirit of community cohesion.
Spreading love of Ao Dai to the community
Designer Duc Hung, who is associated with many major cultural programs in Hanoi, is one of the faces accompanying the festival. He shared: “This is a great playground for us, the designers, to unleash our creativity. I hope that Vietnamese people in general and Hanoians in particular will love the ao dai even more, and if they love it, they will love it even more, so that we can be proud that Vietnam has an ao dai that is known to friends around the world.”
Designer Duc Hung shared at the press conference
The collection "Purple in the Heart of Hue" by designer Duc Hung is the crystallization of the culture of the Ancient Capital.
He said that the opening night of “Hanoi Ao Dai - Shining the quintessence of heritage” will be an art program gathering many unique collections of domestic designers: “The collections are arranged alternately, smoothly connected to create a complete program, sending to the capital audience a performance night that is both creative and imbued with Vietnamese cultural identity.”
The soft ao dai honors the elegant, gentle beauty of Vietnamese women.
After four seasons, the Hanoi Ao Dai Tourism Festival has become a familiar cultural meeting place, attracting tens of thousands of visitors and hundreds of designers, artisans, models, and fashion students. Not only stopping at the catwalks, the festival also spreads widely to the community, with accompanying programs in wards, communes, and schools so that students can learn about the history and meaning of the Ao Dai.
New designs reflect the spirit of innovation and integration
One of the highlights of this year’s festival season is the Ao Dai parade around Hoan Kiem Lake, recreating the procession of the Trach Xa sewing village’s founders – the cradle of the traditional Ao Dai sewing profession. Hundreds of people and tourists in Ao Dai and traditional costumes join in the jubilant atmosphere, creating a brilliant scene in the heart of the capital.
Designer Viet Bao's Ao Dai collection is inspired by traditional Vietnamese craft villages, recreating the quintessence of craftsmanship spanning from North - Central - South.
In addition, the program “Capital Women Integration and Development” will gather 350 Hanoi women in colorful Ao Dai, performing to the music “Hanoi, Faith and Hope”, sending a message about the beauty, bravery and integration spirit of modern Vietnamese women.
Ao dai - a symbol of Vietnamese culture, becomes a highlight of Hanoi tourism in the 2025 festival season
The 2025 Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival promises to become a highlight of the capital's tourism this fall, bringing an artistic space that blends tradition and modernity, contributing to affirming Hanoi's position as a heritage city and a creative city.
