HÀ NỘI — The 2026 Hà Nội Creative Design Festival will light up the capital with a range of engaging activities aimed at fostering a vibrant and sustainable innovation ecosystem.

The organising committee unveiled the festival framework on December 10, simultaneously launching an expanded Hà Nội Creative Space Network.

The events are coordinated by the municipal Department of Culture and Sports in partnership with Architecture Magazine, with support from UNESCO and Sovico Group.

Scheduled to run from January to November, the festival will feature eight categories of activities, including exhibitions, fairs, forums, creative projects, design awards and the development of creative infrastructure. Five thematic creative spaces will be established across the city, covering heritage, craft and the Old Quarter, alongside ecological, community and future-oriented spaces linked to public parks and the Red River’s alluvial area.

Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Vũ Thu Hà said the festival, under the theme 'Creative Economy,' aims to strengthen connections among businesses, craft villages, artisans, designers, universities and experts, helping to build a dynamic and sustainable creative ecosystem.

 

Projects, ideas and initiatives aimed at preserving and promoting cultural values, tangible and intangible heritage and traditional craft villages will evolve into creative ventures with commercial potential and sustainable growth. These efforts will help spread a spirit of innovation while enhancing the quality of life for communities.

She noted that creative activities will extend beyond design products to include urban planning, public space design, community initiatives and solutions to challenges such as pollution, flooding and traffic congestion, alongside ideas focused on improving quality of life with people at the centre.

In line with this new direction, the festival will transform from a traditional event into a platform for building an urban creative ecosystem. Using an interdisciplinary approach, it will bring together visual arts, design, technology, architecture, sound, data, crafts and performance. The aim is to create immersive, multi-sensory experiences, foster new art forms and develop interactive spaces with an international outlook.

The festival framework comprises eight groups of activities in the field of creativity: exhibitions, trade fairs, forums, competitions, creative projects, design awards, creative funds and creative infrastructure.

Interactive activities will take place across five areas: Heritage Space at Đồng Xuân – Bắc Qua Market and the Đồng Xuân Cultural Industry Centre; Market Space in Hà Nội's Old Quarters; Future Space across the city’s park network; Ecological Space in the Red River delta; and Community Space throughout the city.

In these spaces, creators and designers will integrate heritage with innovation, pilot models of commercial and cultural development zones and connect artisans, designers and small business owners, forming heritage-creativity-commerce experience routes.

Organisers will also revive 'City - Street - Craft' spaces and establish 'Creative Streets' aligned with cultural industries, offering experiential zones for exhibitions, performances and interactions that link craft street life with Hà Nội's elite craft villages.

The festival will include areas dedicated to students and children, alongside spaces for public design, international pavilions, competitions, workshops, creative camps and community activities.

A pilot project on urban-ecological symbiosis will be launched as a testing ground for innovative ideas, emphasising landscape art, local materials and circular design. Research will also be conducted to develop a waterway experience route along the Red River.

Across the city, people are encouraged to take part in creative activities held in every corner, with participation from embassies, international organisations, cultural centres, historical sites, universities, creative spaces, exhibitions, museums, theatres, restaurants and cafes.

At the announcement, UNESCO Chief Representative in Việt Nam Jonathan Wallace Baker said developing a creative ecosystem would generate sustainable opportunities for artists, students, businesses and communities, and expressed UNESCO’s strong support for Hà Nội’s long-term creative vision.

Architect Hoàng Thúc Hào, vice chairman of the Việt Nam Association of Architects, highlighted the role of architects, designers and artists in shaping cultural spaces that nurture ideas and provide practical solutions for the city.

He said that with the city’s clear vision, the active involvement of the creative community and the pioneering spirit of the architectural sector, Hà Nội would realise its potential as a 'Creative City.' It would become a hub for the creative industry, where heritage is honoured, people are inspired and the future is shaped day by day.

The festival will be held every two years. The 2026 edition will begin in January with the 'Creative Convergence' event at Đông Kinh Nghĩa Thục Square and the Hoàn Kiếm Lake area, showcasing a unique interdisciplinary artistic connection. The main activities will take place in November.

Since its launch in 2021, the festival has become a platform connecting heritage, art and technology, contributing to the capital’s cultural identity and the growth of its creative economy. VNS