Le Thi Anh Mai, Deputy Director of the department, said the 2026 festival will continue to take heritage as its foundation while placing greater emphasis on how heritage is passed down, reimagined and brought into contemporary life.

The festival views heritage as a continuous flow connecting the past, present and future. It will not only showcase and honour cultural heritage but also offer new and more accessible ways for today's people to engage with it, she said.

According to the organising board, this year's festival will feature a broader and more diverse event space, with activities taking place at major cultural and heritage sites, including the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, the Temple of Literature, the Hanoi Museum, Bat Trang commune, the Cam Tu (Braving death) Monument area and Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square.

The activities are designed to preserve and promote the cultural heritage values of Thang Long, an old name of Hanoi, while fostering international exchanges and supporting the development of cultural industries in the capital, a UNESCO Creative City.

Over 10 days, the festival will offer a diverse programme combining traditional culture with contemporary arts.

The highlight will be a special opening ceremony on September 11 at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, welcoming around 5,000 guests and featuring 3D mapping and augmented reality (AR) technologies, along with performances by international art troupes from Japan, the Republic of Korea and India.

Other major events include the international art exchange programme “Thang Long – Heritage Bridge” on September 12, a contemporary music programme on September 13, along with the “Colours of Hanoi” fashion show and the “Ceramic Sounds” performance on September 19.

Exhibitions and thematic displays will be held continuously at the Temple of Literature and the Hanoi Museum before the festival concludes with a closing ceremony at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square on the evening of September 20.

The event is expected to offer high-quality cultural experiences for residents and visitors while promoting the image of Hanoi as a capital rich in traditions and cultural identity, yet dynamic, creative and internationally integrated.

Through art programmes, exhibitions, traditional craft village experiences and intangible cultural heritage performances, the 2026 festival will also provide opportunities for artists, artisans, designers, cultural organisations, businesses and the creative community to meet and exchange ideas, contributing to greater public awareness and sense of responsibility for preserving, practising and passing on cultural values./.