The event is scheduled to take place over three days, from August 7th to 9th, 2026, at Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Tran Nhan Tong pedestrian street, and several other locations throughout the city.
The festival is organized by the People’s Committee of the city, with the Department of Culture and Sports as the lead implementing agency. According to the plan, the event will bring together approximately 1,500 to 2,000 martial arts masters, students, coaches, athletes, and artists from domestic and international martial arts delegations. It is expected that 10,000 to 15,000 spectators will attend in person, and over 100,000 will follow the event online.
With the message “The Spirit of Thang Long – The Quintessence of Vietnamese Martial Arts,” the Festival aims to honor, preserve, and promote the value of traditional martial arts; while also promoting the image of Vietnam, its people, and the capital city of Hanoi to international friends. The event also contributes to creating a space for exchange and cooperation between martial arts schools, promoting tourism and sports economics , and gradually building Hanoi into a destination for regional-scale cultural and sports events.
The opening ceremony will take place on the evening of August 7-8 at Thang Long Imperial Citadel, featuring an artistic program combining martial arts performances, traditional music , and modern performance technology. In addition, many thematic activities will be organized, such as seminars on the history of the development of traditional martial arts in Hanoi and solutions for investing in and developing martial arts in the current context.
Within the framework of the Festival, promotional parades will showcase the image of martial arts associations and federations from both domestic and international backgrounds. Participating groups will wear martial arts uniforms, traditional costumes, and other traditional attire, combining performances of martial arts movements and weapons, creating an attractive highlight for the event.
In addition, the exhibition spaces will showcase the history, cultural values, and chivalrous spirit of martial arts through images, artifacts, and equipment, combined with digital technology-based experiential activities.
A variety of martial arts competitions and exchanges are also organized, featuring many disciplines such as traditional martial arts, Vovinam, Karate, Pencak Silat, Taekwondo, Wushu, and mixed martial arts.
Besides its professional activities, the Festival is also linked to a series of activities promoting the culture and tourism of the capital city, such as organizing tours of heritage sites, historical relics, and traditional craft villages; exchange and performance programs at local venues; competitions to learn about traditional martial arts and folk games.
Through the Festival, Hanoi aims to create a unique, annual cultural and sporting event that contributes to the integration of culture, sports, and tourism, while also spreading the values of Vietnamese martial arts in contemporary life.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/ha-noi-to-chuc-festival-vo-thuat-quoc-te-2026-743634.html
