The annual Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2024 will be held from October 4 to 6 at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.

Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2024 would be ideal for promoting Vietnamese traditional ao dai. Photo: Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai

"The festival is aimed at promoting the image of Vietnam and ao dai and the capital's image as "safe and welcoming, high quality and appealing" for tourists and international visitors," he said at the August 27 press conference in Hanoi.

It also aims to turn the traditional Vietnamese ao dai into a "tourism ambassador" and the annual Hanoi Ao Dai Tourism Festival into a typical travel offer of the city's tourism sector.

The highlight of the event is the art program entitled The Essence of Ao Dai, which celebrates the Vietnamese traditional long dress in three chapters (Golden History, Interference Bridge, and Spreading Journey).

The performances on stage will use the Vietnamese ao dai (traditional long dress) as a metaphor to depict the historical journey of the capital over 70 years since its liberation, from October 10, 1954 to 2024.

A creation by Vietnamese ao dai designer Do Trinh Hoai Nam. Photo: Anh Thuy

The lively music and dance will be accompanied by ao dai fashion shows featuring the pieces of local designers such as La Hang, Cao Minh Tien, Thuy Nguyen, Duc Hung, and many others.

In addition, the grand finale will be the Ao Dai Carnival, themed "Hanoi Women in Integration and Development," where the city will come alive with a vibrant display of fashion and cultural expression. The event will be held at Hanoi's iconic Thang Long Imperial Citadel on October 5, with the participation of women from 579 communes, wards, and townships in Hanoi.

In addition to the parade, the program will feature activities such as an ao dai fashion show by designers, the final round of the ao dai design contest, and exhibitions of ao dai designs by various designers and brands. Visitors can also explore tourism products and services, traditional craft villages, live demonstrations by artisans, and enjoy Ha Thanh cuisine at the "Thang Long Ngu Vi" (Five Spices of Thang Long Former Citadel) food space.

There will also be about 80 to 100 booths at Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2024, showcasing the creations of ao dai designers and brands from North, Central, and South Vietnam.

Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2024 is organized by the Hanoi Department of Tourism in the fall to market Hanoi tourism by combining tourism with fashion and spreading people's love for ao dai.

Dang Huong Giang, Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism, with designers, artists, and models at the press conference on August 27 for the Hanoi Ao Dai Tourism Festival. Photo: Anh Thuy.