Hanoi Ao Dai Festival 2024 Weaving Together Culture and Tourism

3:40:38 PM | 10/28/2024

The successful Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival has opened a new pathway for developing tourism products closely tied to cultural heritage.


Ao Dai Festival 2024 made a good impression on visitors, creating new opportunities for the city’s tourism industry

The Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2024 officially wrapped up after three exciting days at Doan Mon Square, Thang Long-Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center. This special event celebrated the 70th anniversary of Hanoi Liberation and widely promoted the image of Ao Dai - a traditional Vietnamese dress and cultural symbol of the Vietnamese people - to international friends. The festival attracted more than 63,000 visitors.

This festival was also expanded to many rich activities besides traditional Ao Dai performances. Impressively, the "Quintessence of Ao Dai" City Bus brought the image of Ao Dai through famous landmarks of Hanoi such as Hoan Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature and the Opera House. Passengers not only admired the city’s landscapes, but also participated in the festive atmosphere with Ao Dai performances right on the bus.

Bui Lien, a participant, said: Attending the event deepened my appreciation for the ancient beauty of Hanoi and the Vietnamese Ao Dai. It was a creative and impressive approach to promoting cultural tourism.

The Ao Dai Design Competition for students from four universities in Hanoi particularly encouraged young talents to express their creativity and pride in traditional costumes. With the participation of 40 contestant teams, the designs were highly applicable and outstandingly creative, creating an inspiring artistic space. The judges highly appreciated the works imbued with national cultural identity but illustrated with innovation and modernity.

The festive cultural space was also highlighted with more than 100 booths displaying Ao Dai made by artisans and designers from all over the country. These booths not only brought artistic experiences to visitors but also helped spread the love of Ao Dai, thus generating a deep connection between traditional values and modern culture. Visitors also had the opportunity to participate in such activities as experiencing handicraft demonstrations and seeing artisans embroidering and tailoring Ao Dai at the event.

Mr. Pham Tien Dung, Vice President of the Hanoi UNESCO Travel Club, Director of Golden Tour, said: “The festival strengthened tourism attraction in Hanoi, especially during low season. Tourism activities associated with Ao Dai not only help promote cultural images but also create unique, attractive tourist products.”

Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh, Deputy Director of Hanoi Tourism Department, shared positive reviews of the event. “The Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2024 successfully achieved the goals stated in Plan 207/KH-UBND of Hanoi People's Committee. After three years of implementation, the Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival (in 2016, 2022 and 2023), combined with the goals of stimulating tourism, preserving, honoring and tapping national Ao Dai values, has become a unique tourism product for domestic and international tourists. The department hoped that through the festival, Ao Dai tourism will become a "tourism ambassador" that conveys the message that Hanoi tourism is a ‘Safe - Friendly - Quality - Attractive’ destination.

The Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2024 made many good impressions on tourists and opened up new opportunities for the city’s tourism industry. With the spirit of ‘Connecting culture - Stimulating tourism’, the festival has truly become an unforgettable experience, serving as a bridge between the past and the present, and connecting cultural heritage with sustainable tourism development. Ms. Dang Huong Giang, Director of Hanoi Tourism Department, stated: "This year's festival has been successful in promoting the images of Ao Dai and Hanoi to international visitors. We will continue to uphold these cultural values to attract more tourists to explore the cultural and heritage values of the capital city.”

By Thu Huyen, Vietnam Business Forum