INSPIRE FEST 2026, commemorating Việt Nam Persons with Disabilities Day, takes place in Hà Nội. — Photo vietnamplus.vn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam Persons with Disabilities Day – INSPIRE FEST 2026, organised by the Việt Nam Disabled Youth Association, drew large crowds of people with disabilities, social organisations and community in Hà Nội on Saturday.

Phạm Văn Thành, chairman of the Vietnam Disabled Youth Association, said coordinated efforts by ministries, agencies, organisations and businesses had produced positive changes in disability support. 

Recent initiatives, from beauty contests and fashion shows to Vụn Art’s vocational support space in Hà Nội, have expanded job opportunities and helped shift public perceptions for the better, he said. 

The festival handed out 100,000 AI-tool scholarship packages, 1,000 personal development courses, essential assistive devices and offered free surgeries for people with complex medical needs, according to organisers.

Activities included handicraft exhibitions, career counselling, medical services, technology demonstrations and arts programmes. The evening concert INSPIRE NIGHT featured performances by artists with disabilities alongside guest singers.

“They met peers in similar situations and became bolder in communication,” said Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo, a representative of a group of deaf children from the Thành An Social Work Centre.

The event coincided with nationwide observances of the 28th Việt Nam Persons with Disabilities Day under the theme “Promoting the right to participate, creating breakthrough development,” aimed at raising public awareness of the role and potential of people with disabilities.

INSPIRE FEST organisers said they planned to develop the event into a nationwide annual festival to provide platforms for people with disabilities to network, showcase skills and access social resources. — VNS