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The festival aims to honor and promote the capital city's outstanding cultural and artistic values, while helping preserve and foster Hanoi's long-standing patriotic and revolutionary traditions.
The event is also intended to reaffirm the resilience, intelligence, and major contributions of Hanoi's Party organization, authorities, armed forces, and residents in the struggle, construction, and development of Hanoi as a Heroic City and a City for Peace.
At the same time, the festival supports Hanoi's cultural development strategy built around the values of "Civilized - Identity - Creativity - Integration - Connectivity." Authorities consider these principles a core value system, as well as an important source of internal strength and soft power in the new development period.
Based on Vietnam's national values, family values, and standards for Vietnamese people, Hanoi's culture and people will continue preserving traditional values while embracing innovation, creativity, and deeper international integration.
The festival is expected to contribute to building and spreading cultural values and standards for Hanoi residents in the new era, while reinforcing the capital's distinct identity and creating momentum for the sustainable development of both Hanoi and the country.
The event will serve as an important platform to showcase major achievements in stage arts from professional art troupes representing central agencies, Hanoi, the armed forces, and localities nationwide.
Performances and artistic programs presented at the festival will celebrate the 72nd anniversary of Hanoi's Liberation Day, while honoring the city's journey of development, renewal, and growth over the past seven decades.
The festival will also provide opportunities for professional theater groups in Hanoi and across the country to exchange experiences and strengthen creative collaboration.
According to the plan, the festival is scheduled to take place from Sept. 3 to Sept. 13, 2026, at multiple venues, including Cong Nhan Theater, Dai Nam Theater, Hong Ha Theater, the Vietnam-Soviet Friendship Cultural Palace, Ho Guom Theater, and several other theaters.
Participants will include public and private professional theater units nationwide, as well as universities specializing in stage performance arts.
Each participating unit may submit one work that has not previously competed in festivals or theater events organized by ministries or government agencies. All works must pass a selection review by an appraisal council before entering the festival.
The festival aims to introduce high-quality productions representing various theater forms, including Cheo, Cai Luong, spoken drama, musicals, circus performances, puppetry, and Tuong, reflecting Hanoi's cultural depth, history, people, and identity.
The organizing committee will award Gold Medals, Silver Medals, and outstanding achievement prizes for performances, actors, and creative contributors.
The Hanoi People's Committee assigned the Department of Culture and Sports, serving as the standing agency, to coordinate with relevant units to implement the plan while ensuring quality, content, and progress in accordance with regulations.
The department will also oversee communication activities before, during, and after the festival, while directing city media agencies to promote the event across mass media channels, external information platforms, online news portals, social media platforms, and grassroots information systems.
In addition, the department will propose commendations for organizations, units, and individuals with outstanding achievements during the festival for the Hanoi People's Committee's consideration.