Hanoi International Jazz Festival 2026: "Hanoi Jazz – Melodies without borders"
WVR - On the afternoon of August 12, the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism held a press conference for the Hanoi International Jazz Festival 2026 with the theme “Hanoi Jazz – Melodies Without Borders”.
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| Press conference for the Hanoi International Jazz Festival 2026 with the theme “Hanoi Jazz – Melodies Without Borders”. (Photo: Phi Khanh) |
Aimed at becoming an annual international cultural and artistic event of the capital, Hanoi Jazztival 2026 is one of the activities contributing to the realization of the cultural industry development strategy. It concretizes Hanoi's commitment to joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, while gradually positioning the capital on the map of international music festivals.
According to Le Thi Anh Mai, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Hanoi is not only known as a thousand-year-old cultural city but is also transforming vigorously, gradually affirming its position as a Creative City, a vibrant cultural destination, and a globally integrated city. To realize this vision, Hanoi needs international-scale cultural events with unique identities. Hanoi Jazztival 2026 has been nurtured and emerged from this very aspiration.
“Our desire is to make Hanoi Jazztival an annual International Jazz Festival, creating a unique cultural brand for Hanoi, resonating in the region and reaching out to the world. This is concrete evidence of the city's commitment to implementing the Party and State's policies: Developing the cultural industry and further illuminating the title of Hanoi – Creative City awarded by UNESCO. Hanoi Jazztival 2026 is also the starting point for a series of international art events that Hanoi is building, alongside the Thang Long – Hanoi Festival, World Culture Festival, Expanded Hanoi Theatre Festival, and Hanoi International Film Festival,” emphasized Le Thi Anh Mai.
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| Artist Quyen Van Minh becomes the brand ambassador for the Hanoi Jazztival 2026 project. (Photo: Hoang Quyen) |
Musician Duong Cam, the General Director and Music Director of the Hanoi International Jazz Festival, stated that with professionally invested programs, Hanoi Jazztival 2026 is expected to go beyond the framework of a mere performance event.
“We aim to build a modern Jazz program that dialogues with traditional cultural art spaces. This is not just a music series but also creates a surrounding life, bringing cultural and spiritual values to the community,” shared musician Duong Cam.
| Taking place from September 17 to 19, the Hanoi International Jazz Festival includes a rich array of activities such as art performances, exhibitions, international seminars, workshops, artist exchanges, and street music programs. The festival occurs at various iconic cultural spaces in Hanoi such as: the Music Garden of the Hanoi Opera House, the Octagonal House (Ly Thai To Statue Garden), the Thang Long Music and Dance Theater, the Cultural and Artistic Center (22 Hang Buom), the Vietnamese Women's Museum, the Thang Long Opera Hotel, and Jazz clubs across the city like Binh Minh Jazz, Long Waits... This organization method expands public access, bringing Jazz closer to urban life. |
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| Artists perform at the press conference. (Photo: Phi Khanh) |
On September 17, the festival opens with the exhibition “Jazz & Streets” at the Thang Long Music and Dance Theater, and the program “Woman in Jazz” at the Vietnamese Women's Museum. The highlight is the Opening Ceremony with the theme “Hanoi Jazz Sounds” at the Music Garden of the Hanoi Opera House.
On September 18, the festival includes activities: the international seminar “Hanoi and Jazz”; the workshop “Jazz Language in Traditional Music”; the Jam Jazz Session program at the Thang Long Opera Hotel; the “Jazz Without Borders” night at the Music Garden of the Hanoi Opera House, and Night Jam Jazz at Club activities at Jazz clubs.
On September 19, Jazz continues to spread into public spaces with a series of Street Jazz activities on Ho Guom walking street. The program “Jazz and Heritage” at the Cultural and Artistic Center – 22 Hang Buom will open another approach by placing Jazz in the intersection with the heritage space of Hanoi's Old Quarter.
The three-day event concludes with the Hanoi Jazz Festival 2026 Gala at the Octagonal House.
The Hanoi International Jazz Festival features the participation of many prestigious artists and bands from Vietnam, the United States, France, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and many other countries, along with prominent figures of Vietnamese Jazz such as artist Quyen Van Minh, Longwaits Ensemble...
With professionally invested programs, Hanoi Jazztival 2026 is not just a music festival but also a significant step in Hanoi's cultural industry development strategy. It contributes to building a distinctive cultural product bearing the capital's brand, promoting international exchange, developing cultural tourism, and affirming Hanoi's position as a destination of creativity, art, and integration in the region.
