The festival is organized to reaffirm the city's commitment to implementing ethnic policies and to respecting and ensuring people's freedom of belief and religion.

It also aims to preserve and promote the cultural identity and traditional values of ethnic groups and religious organizations in the period of integration and development, while affirming Hanoi's position as a national center where culture converges and flourishes.

The event will create a cultural exchange space for ethnic communities and religious organizations, encouraging them to work together to strengthen the great national unity bloc.

The festival will promote and showcase typical cultural activities of ethnic groups and religious organizations across the capital to domestic and international visitors, creating a new tourism attraction and supporting the development of cultural industries.

It will also enhance investment, trade, and tourism promotion while introducing distinctive products from ethnic minority communities, helping connect businesses with producers and contributing to Hanoi's goal of achieving double-digit economic growth in 2026.

The first Capital Ethnic and Religious Festival is one of the events celebrating the success of the 14th National Party Congress, the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term, the 80th anniversary of the traditional day of ethnic affairs agencies, and the 51st anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification.

The festival is expected to take place at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel and around Hoan Kiem Lake, with the participation of representatives from ethnic groups, religious organizations, city departments and agencies, local authorities, provinces and cities, and domestic and international visitors.

List of festival activities during the event:

(1) Incense offering ceremony at Kinh Thien Palace – Thang Long Imperial Citadel.

(2) Mass performance and parade with representatives of ethnic groups and religious organizations, including displays of traditional costumes, musical instruments, and distinctive cultural symbols, along with a large-scale performance celebrating unity and spreading the message "Hanoi – Converging Faith, Connecting Identities, Rising with the Nation."

(3) Opening ceremony of the first Capital Ethnic and Religious Festival and the art program "Converging Faith – Radiant Identity – Aspiration of the Capital," marking the 80th anniversary of the traditional day of ethnic affairs agencies.

(4) Ethnic cultural spaces featuring exhibitions and architectural models representing different regions, such as stilt houses, Guol houses, and Chu Quyen communal house.

Activities will include reenactments of traditional festivals, artistic performances, and folk games of ethnic minority communities, such as fire dancing of the Pa Then people, Long Tong festival of the Tay people, Kate festival of the Cham people, Chol Chnam Thmay festival of the Khmer people, Xoe dance of the Thai people, Sap dance of the Muong people, and bell dance of the Dao people.

Other cultural performances include gong performances, Then singing, Ca tru, Quan ho folk singing, Xoe dance, and Apsara dance. Folk games such as con throwing, stick pushing, crossbow shooting, and traditional costume performances representing all 54 ethnic groups will also be featured.

(5) Religious cultural spaces, including a Zen tea and Buddhist culture area displaying statues, ritual instruments, and Buddhist cultural symbols.

Tea discussions in Buddhist cultural spaces will be organized with guests and Buddhist followers. Vegetarian cuisine areas will also be introduced.

The event will also feature exhibitions of ceremonial scarves and traditional costumes used in the Mother Goddess worship tradition, calligraphy activities, and virtual reenactments of Hau Dong rituals and ceremonial offerings to deities, village guardian spirits, and historical figures at communal houses and temples.

These activities will combine virtual and 3D spaces for visitor interaction and check-in experiences, along with demonstrations on preparing vegetarian dishes and brewing traditional tea.

(6) A press conference will be held ten days before the opening ceremony. Communication and promotion will be conducted before, during, and after the festival through central and Hanoi media outlets, electronic billboards, and other platforms in accordance with regulations.

The festival will also feature cultural experience zones, regional cuisine spaces, demonstrations of traditional handicrafts, and booths displaying OCOP products and specialty agricultural goods from ethnic minority communities.

In addition, discussions on the role of ethnic groups and religions in the development of the capital will be organized, combined with investment, trade, and tourism promotion activities.

The festival will be directed by the Hanoi People's Committee, with the Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs serving as the lead agency and coordinating with city departments, agencies, localities, and related organizations in its implementation.