In the bustling atmosphere of the historic April days, when the whole country is looking forward to the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025), the capital Hanoi once again becomes the center of attention with a unique cultural - tourism event: Hanoi Tourism Gift Festival 2025.
Held at Tran Nhan Tong walking street from April 11 to 13, 2025, this year's festival with the theme "Hanoi Tourism - World Heritage Destination", is not only a simple tourism promotion activity but also a journey of telling heritage stories through gifts bearing cultural and historical imprints.
Ms. Dang Huong Giang - Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism, shared: "Following the success of previous festival seasons, this year's program with the theme 'Hanoi Tourism - World Heritage Destination' honors the unique cultural values of the Capital. Through each tourist gift, we hope to tell the story of heritage, thereby spreading the love of Hanoi to domestic and foreign tourists."
Ms. Dang Huong Giang - Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism spoke at the opening ceremony
Mr. Ho An Phong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism and delegates visited the exhibition booths.
In Hanoi, a place that preserves thousands of years of cultural sediments, each gift is not only a souvenir, but also a talented "storyteller", conveying the beauty of heritage in the most gentle and delicate way.
This year’s festival, with its large scale and elaborate staging, brings together 80 booths from traditional craft villages, typical tourist attractions of Hanoi and localities across the country. This is where the quintessence of handicrafts converges, from smooth Van Phuc silk, rustic Bat Trang pottery to brilliant Dong Ho folk paintings, sophisticated Ha Thai lacquer, and contemporary creations that breathe the breath of the times but still retain the national spirit.
Exhibition booths at the festival
Honoring craft villages, preserving Vietnamese soul
Among them, two craft villages have been recognized as members of the World Network of Creative Craft Cities: Bat Trang pottery village (Gia Lam district) and Van Phuc silk village (Ha Dong district). Bat Trang's booth attracts a large number of tourists thanks to its handmade ceramic products that are both highly applicable and preserve the quintessence of traditional pottery. Meanwhile, Van Phuc impresses with its shimmering silk, woven using traditional techniques combined with modern designs, demonstrating the endless creativity of artisans.
Honoring and bringing craft villages into the central space of the festival is not only a tribute to the talented hands that preserve ancient crafts, but also a clear message about the direction of sustainable tourism development, based on the foundation of traditional culture.
Experience making incense right at the showroom
Experience living heritage in the heart of Hanoi
Not only stopping at displaying and introducing products, the festival also brings rich experiential spaces, helping visitors to "touch" the vibrant heritage values of the Capital. One of the highlights is the space simulating heritage destinations, such as Hanoi's Old Quarter, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam... Meticulously designed with lighting effects, sound and virtual reality technology, these spaces not only satisfy the check-in needs of young people but also convey cultural values in an intuitive and attractive way.
Along with that are traditional cultural performances such as water puppetry, ca tru, hat xam, quan ho... These performances not only help "awaken" the intangible cultural values recognized by UNESCO but also create a true festival atmosphere: lively, close and rich in identity.
Bat Trang ceramics
Technology and creativity and contemporary breath in traditional festivals
The digital transformation space for tourism and virtual reality (VR/AR) experiences is a special plus, showing the rapid adaptation of Hanoi's tourism industry to global trends. Here, visitors can explore the cultural heritage and scenic spots of the capital through digital technology, creating a smart, convenient and interactive tourism experience. This is also an affirmation that Hanoi is constantly innovating and approaching technology to improve service quality and maintain its position as an attractive and modern heritage destination.
The workshop space for interacting with artisans is a special place that attracts international visitors and families with young children. Here, they can make handmade gifts such as pottery painting, silk weaving, and figurine making… – experiences that are both educational and emotionally engaging, helping the gifts become memorable souvenirs instead of just hasty purchases.
80 booths are on display at the festival
Spreading love for Hanoi through each gift
It is impossible not to mention the special art program in the opening ceremony with two main parts: "Hanoi to love" and "Hanoi Tourism - World Heritage Destination". The stories of Hanoi past and present are told through the language of music, light, dance and multimedia projection - creating an emotional symphony that makes both domestic and foreign audiences sob.
From each handicraft, each painting, piece of silk, fan or tea box… one can clearly see Hanoi’s efforts in turning gifts into cultural messengers, both familiar, meaningful and highly applicable. When given, those gifts will not only be material items, but also pieces that contribute to spreading the beauty and everlasting values of the Capital.
Art program at the opening ceremony
Van Phuc - member of the World Network of Creative Craft Cities
The Hanoi Tourism Gift Festival 2025 has made an important contribution to enhancing the image of Hanoi tourism, a place rich in tradition, dynamic, creative and integrated. This is also a practical activity to welcome the National Tourism Year 2025 with the theme "Hue - Ancient Capital, New Opportunities" and towards the Vietnam International Tourism Fair (VITM 2025) with the theme "Developing green destinations, elevating Vietnam tourism".
The festival has clearly shown Hanoi's orientation in developing sustainable tourism: taking heritage as the foundation, taking technology as the driving force and taking the community as the center. That is also the way the Capital is preserving its identity but still constantly innovating, renewing its image in the hearts of international friends.
