The Hà Nội Tourism Áo Dài Festival 2025 concludes on November 9. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Hà Nội Tourism Áo Dài Festival 2025 wrapped up at the Hà Nội Museum on November 9, celebrating the cultural beauty of Việt Nam's traditional long dress and promoting Hà Nội as a “civilised, creative, and heritage-rich” capital to domestic and international visitors.

Deputy Director of the Hà Nội Department of Tourism Nguyễn Trần Quang emphasised that the four-day festival served a dual mission, honouring and preserving the intangible cultural heritage of the áo dài 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 Hà Nội as a safe, friendly, high-quality, and attractive destination.

As an annual cultural-tourism highlight within the Thăng Long–Hà Nội Festival series, this year’s event featured nearly 80 booths from fashion designers, craft villages, fashion brands, and design schools.

Renowned names such as Đức Hùng, La Hằng, Ngọc Hân, Quang Hòa and Quyên Nguyễn joined traditional artisans from Vạn Phúc silk village and Trạch Xá 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 Hà Nội landmarks such as the Khuê Văn Các (the pavilion of the constellation of literature) in Văn Miếu - Quốc Tử Giám (the Temple of Literature).

A standout moment was the opening night show Hà Nội Áo Dài – Shining Heritage Elegance, which showcased the evolution of the áo dài from the craft village of Trạch Xá to all regions of Việt Nam, combining modern creativity with traditional charm.

The festival also featured the I Love Hà Nội programme for children, engaging hundreds of young models in colourful áo dài collections to nurture pride and love for the national costume.

A child model at the festival. — VNA/VNS Photo

The design contest Áo Dài – 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 Hà Nội Áo Dài Parade 2025 on November 15 at Đông Kinh Nghĩa Thục Square and Hoàn Kiếm walking street, along with a Touching Hanoi Autumn bus tour encouraging visitors to explore the city in áo dài.

The festival reaffirmed the cultural and aesthetic significance of the áo dài in modern life, enhancing Hà Nội's image as an elegant, welcoming, and innovative capital. — VNA/VNS