2nd World Cultural Festival opens in Hanoi: Converging heritage, shaping the future
WVR - On the evening of October 1, at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the People's Committee of Hanoi coordinated the opening ceremony of the "2nd World Cultural Festival in Hanoi" in 2026.
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| The opening performance of the Festival. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Attending the ceremony were: Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra; Member of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Vu Dai Thang; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Ngo Le Van;…
From the Diplomatic Corps, there were Mr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre; EU Ambassador to Vietnam Julien Guerrier; along with ambassadors, heads of diplomatic missions, and international organizations in Vietnam.
In her opening speech at the 2nd World Cultural Festival at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra emphasized that the event is an opportunity for cultures to meet, connect, and spread the spirit of friendship, creativity, and dialogue for peace and development.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Festival holds special significance as it takes place in the year marking the 50th anniversary of Vietnam's accession to UNESCO and at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel – a World Cultural Heritage site, one of the prominent symbols of Vietnam's deep history, cultural vitality, and aspiration for peace and prosperity.
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| Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra delivering the opening speech. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
With the theme “Converging Heritage - Shaping the Future”, the Festival creates a space for cultures to interact, preserve, transmit, create, and spread cultural values.
The Deputy Prime Minister stated that the 2nd World Cultural Festival not only aims at cultural experiences but also contributes to spreading sustainable values, with three messages: convergence for mutual understanding, connection for development; cherishing heritage to transmit, while creating to enrich the heritage values of each nation and humanity; creating an international cultural space where the world comes to Vietnam and Vietnam comes closer to the world.
Through this, the Festival contributes to promoting cultural connectivity, enhancing understanding among nations, aiming to build a peaceful, humane, prosperous, and sustainably developing world.
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| Delegates attending the festival. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
The Deputy Prime Minister expressed the hope that the Festival will become a regular rendezvous for world culture, a space for dialogue, creativity, and international cultural cooperation, where heritage values converge, spread, and together shape the future.
With the participation of countries, international organizations, artists, artisans, researchers, and communities, the Deputy Prime Minister believes the Festival will leave memorable impressions and experiences, while contributing to spreading the identity, vitality, and strength of Vietnamese culture; bringing Vietnamese culture closer to the world and bringing the world closer to Vietnam.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, emphasized that the theme “Converging Heritage - Shaping the Future” reflects UNESCO's belief in the role of cultural diversity in promoting creativity, dialogue, and mutual understanding.
According to Mr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo, in the context of the world facing many upheavals, conflicts, and the increasing impacts of climate change, the gathering of over 50 countries at the Festival, bringing unique values in cultural identity and expression, sharing joy in peace, is a meaningful action, contributing to UNESCO's mission of building peace.
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| Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre Lazare Eloundou Assomo speaking at the festival. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
The year 2026 also marks 50 years since Vietnam joined UNESCO. The Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre noted that over the past five decades, the cooperative relationship between Vietnam and UNESCO has shown that culture and heritage can connect communities, bridge gaps, and contribute to building trust among nations.
Mr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo also mentioned the adoption of the International Decade for Culture for Sustainable Development initiative, initiated by Vietnam, affirming the growing recognition of the essential role of culture in social development, community resilience, and the search for common ground among nations.
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| Party and State leaders and officials performing a special ritual to open the Festival. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
According to him, cultural festivals like the 2nd World Cultural Festival offer experiences that pure policy dialogues can hardly replace, through music, stories, crafts, and cultural expressions tied to life.
These direct experiences can contribute to changing perspectives, opening new dialogues, and reminding the international community of the role of communities preserving heritage. Behind each tradition, each heritage, are vibrant communities with values and lessons meaningful for the present and future.
Some images of the booths at the 2nd World Cultural Festival:
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| This year's 2nd World Cultural Festival features the participation of 50 countries and international organizations with diverse scale, content, and experiential forms: 45 cultural spaces, 35 culinary booths, 18 countries registered for film screenings, 19 international art troupes with 220 artists from 5 continents creating multicultural music exchange spaces throughout October 1 to 4, 2026; this is a bridge fostering friendship, understanding, and trust among nations to jointly create a peaceful, humane, and sustainably developing world for humanity; with the magical power of culture, connecting people to people, overcoming all distances and differences so that no border can separate empathy, sharing, and the aspiration for peace. |
