As a community-oriented cultural initiative, “Growing up with tradition” not only showcases traditional values but also builds an interactive space where the public, especially young people, can explore, engage with, and co-create with heritage.
The festival embraces the guiding spirit of “preservation – creativity – development”, offering fresh perspectives on heritage in contemporary life.
The event brings together nearly 30 organisations working in traditional crafts, visual arts, creative design, cultural education, and community media. Visitors have the chance to admire and experience culturally rich Vietnamese handicrafts such as La Khe silk, Do paper paintings, Dong Ho folk paintings, paper lanterns, mosaic ceramics, lacquerware, and other creations infused with modern creative thinking.
A particular highlight of the festival is a series of hands-on workshops for all ages. Activities such as decorating bamboo dragonflies, colouring folk paintings on Do paper, printing limited-edition woodcuts, creating with lacquer painting, upcycling old items, and silk painting are designed to spark an interest in craftsmanship while encouraging participants to craft cultural products that reflect their imprint.
The festival also features traditional art performances, including “xam” (blind busker singing), “ca tru” (ceremonial chamber music), and Mong ethnic flute and reed pipe, creating vibrant moments where folk sounds meet the pulse of modern life.
Taking place in Ho Van, a friendly open space in the Van Mieu–Quoc Tu Giam complex, the festival promotes active community engagement. Integrating creativity, education, and the arts into a single event, “Growing up with tradition” helps renew approaches to heritage: making it more accessible, lively, interactive, and resonant.
Through the festival, organisers hope to spread the message that heritage is not only a thing of the past to be preserved, but it is also a source of inspiration through which each generation can build the present and pave the way for the future. Heritage should not be confined behind glass, it should grow alongside every citizen, every action, and every creative inspiration.
