The Ha Noi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2025 wrapped up at the Ha Noi Museum on November 9, celebrating the cultural beauty of Viet Nam’s traditional long dress and promoting Ha Noi as a “civilised, creative, and heritage-rich” capital to domestic and international visitors.
Deputy Director of the Ha Noi 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 Ha Noi as a safe, friendly, high-quality, and attractive destination.
As an annual cultural-tourism highlight within the Thang Long–Ha Noi 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 Ha Noi landmarks such as the Khue Van Cac (the pavilion of the constellation of literature) in Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam (the Temple of Literature ).
A standout moment was the opening night show “Ha Noi Ao Dai – Shining Heritage Elegance,” which showcased the evolution of the Ao Dai from the craft village of Trach Xa to all regions of Viet Nam, combining modern creativity with traditional charm.
The festival also featured the “I Love Ha Noi” 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 Ha Noi Ao Dai Parade 2025 on November 15 at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square and Hoan Kiem walking street, along with a “Touching Ha Noi 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 Ha Noi’s image as an elegant, welcoming, and innovative capital.
