West Lake for the 2026 Ha Noi Open Dragon Boat and SUP racing tournament is a vibrant sport festival where traditional rowing strokes blend with modern spirit and brings international friends closer to the country’s capital.
West Lake for the 2026 Ha Noi Open Dragon Boat and SUP racing tournament is a vibrant sport festival where traditional rowing strokes blend with modern spirit and brings international friends closer to the country’s capital.
Drawing nearly 900 local and international athletes, the event took place on October 3 and 4, celebrating the 72nd anniversary of Capital Liberation Day (10/10/1954-10/10-2026). The event is organized by Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in cooperation with VietNam Airlines Joint Stock Company (JSC), at Ly Tu Trong flower garden and on the waters of West Lake, along Thanh Nien - Nguyen Dinh Thi road, Tay Ho ward, Ha Noi.
With athletes coming from Embassies, international organizations, provinces, cities and sport clubs, the tournament is expected to create an exciting waterside sporting atmosphere in Hanoi this autumn. Each rowing stroke brings the image of dynamic, welcoming and culturally rich Hanoi closer to visitors.
As part of the “Cham Thu Ha Noi” (Touching Hanoi Autumn) campaign, a cooperation program between the Ha Noi People’s Committee and Vietnam Airlines, the tournament has increasingly emphasized the appeal of sporting events connected with the capital's cultural spaces, landscapes and urban life.
This year’s event has expanded scale and international participation. The dragon boats have 48 teams, including international teams such as Bomba Pilipinas (the Philippines), Argo Naga (Malaysia), GuangZhou Knight Dragon Boat (China), as well as teams from Ha Noi, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Thai Nguyen.
With the participation of 10 teams of diplomatic missions and international organizations from Germany, the UK , Denmark, the USA, Australia, Japan, United Nations, European Union and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office creates a distinctive international character for the tournament. Other participating teams come from universities, schools, communes, and wards across Ha Noi with a tradition of boat racing festivals; as well as businesses and organizations and clubs.
Athletes compete on the West Lake amid Hanoi’s autumn scenery. Photo: Khanh Long/VNP
On the West Lake, each rowing stroke not only requires strength, skill and endurance of each competitor but also showcases collaborative and united spirit, a key factor to make this traditional sport particularly appealing. While dragon boats carry the rich cultural river life and the memories of folk festivals, SUP boards represent a youthful, modern spirit to water sport.
This year, SUP boards have gathered 127 excellent rowers, including 29 international athletes. The thrilling bursts of speed on the water created dynamic moments that attract the locals and visitors. The combination of traditional dragon boats and modern SUP boards shows how Ha Noi keeps traditional cultural values and creates new experiences from its heritage spaces, landscapes and communities. The tournament is not only a competitive sport but also serves as a cultural bridge where the sound of traditional boat drums meets the spirit of modern sport, and where athletes coming from different countries to compete and interact on the West Lake. From this culturally rich setting, Ha Noi continues to highlight an image of the capital that values its heritage, is open, modern and active international integration./.
- Story: Quynh Chi
- Photos: Khanh Long/VNP
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