Hoi An Creative Week 2026 is set to open with nearly 20 official activities and a wide range of accompanying events taking place across Hoi An Creative Heritage City.
Hội An Creative Week 2026, themed “Embrace Heritage, Inspire Creativity”, is about to officially begin. From August 28 to September 2, 2026, nearly 20 activities will take place at Sông Hoài Square, An Hội Sculpture Garden, Hội An Ancient Town, Hội An Theatre, museums, traditional craft villages and various creative spaces across Hội An, Hội An Đông and Hội An Tây wards and Tân Hiệp Commune, Da Nang City.
The event celebrates the 81st anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam (September 2, 1945 – September 2, 2026) and contributes to fulfilling Hội An’s commitments as a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of Crafts and Folk Art.
The event aims to connect heritage, traditional crafts and folk art with design, technology, education, markets and contemporary creative practices, gradually fostering a cultural and creative ecosystem rooted in the local community.
Hội An Creative Week 2026 is directed by the Da Nang People’s Committee and hosted by the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with the UNESCO Office in Hanoi, UN-Habitat Viet Nam, municipal departments and agencies, local authorities, businesses, schools, artisans, artists and creative communities from within and beyond Hội An.
Opening the journey of “Embrace Heritage, Inspire Creativity”
The Opening Ceremony will take place at 7:30 PM on August 28, 2026, at Sông Hoài Square. The event will introduce delegates and audiences to the pilot version of the “Hội An Arts and Creative Spaces Map” and the Hội An Creative Heritage City Handbook.
A highlight of the opening night will be the art programme “Embrace Heritage, Inspire Creativity”, where distinctive elements of Hội An’s local culture are transformed through artistic expression to retell the story of the city from familiar cultural roots while opening up new ways of experiencing a living heritage that continues to evolve through creativity.
Nearly 20 activities spanning dialogue, practice and creative experiences
Over six days, nearly 20 activities will be presented in various formats, including talks, training sessions, exhibitions, art performances, product showcases, technology experiences and community activities.
Each group of activities offers a different approach to heritage and creativity while creating opportunities for artisans, businesses, young people, experts and the public to meet, learn and participate directly in Hội An’s creative life.
Talks and training: Mobilising local resources and enhancing heritage values
From August 29 to 31, a series of talks and training sessions will be held under the overarching message: “Hội An – Mobilising Local Resources; Promoting Heritage Values in the Flow of Cultural Industries and the Creative Economy”.
The programme considers heritage, craft villages, artisans, women, small businesses, enterprises, local communities and younger generations as resources that can collectively contribute to the creative ecosystem when connected with new capabilities, technology, markets and appropriate models of cooperation.
The two components, the “Nghệ Cả Làng” Talkshow Series and the “Digital Transformation of Craft Villages” Training Programme, are designed to complement one another.
The discussion sessions explore policies, resources, urban data, the creative economy and ways of transforming heritage values into drivers of sustainable development. From building a creative ecosystem to recognising the role of younger generations, the programme focuses on identifying the resources Hội An already possesses, the gaps that need to be addressed and opportunities to establish collaborative models that can continue beyond the event.
Alongside the discussions, the training sessions turn these ideas into practical applications. Artisans, household businesses, enterprises and young people will gain access to innovative tools for sustainable product design, methods for identifying craft village resources, artificial intelligence applications for content creation and product promotion, visual and video storytelling skills, digital destination development and co-creation methods involving multiple stakeholders.
Local products, stories and real-world conditions will also be used as practical learning materials throughout the sessions.
The programme will simultaneously test different functions of the Hội An Creative Space. Sông Hoài Square will serve as a venue for dialogue, learning, consultation and networking, while Thanh Hà Terracotta Park will become a space for hands-on practice and co-creation.
Data, ideas and connections generated through the programme are expected to provide further input for future innovation activities in Hội An.
Exhibitions: From craft knowledge to heritage digitalisation
Exhibitions form one of the event’s key activity groups, showcasing different ways in which Hội An’s heritage, crafts and everyday life can continue to be studied, interpreted and developed in a contemporary context.
The “Embrace Tradition” Space presents traditional crafts as living bodies of knowledge shaped through generations of observation, practice and experience.
From pottery, woodworking, bamboo crafts and lantern-making to mat weaving, corn hammock weaving, tailoring and many other crafts, visitors can gain a closer look at materials, tools and techniques, as well as ongoing experiments that continue to expand the possibilities of contemporary craftsmanship.
The “Dấu ấn Sáng tạo Hội An” exhibition brings together stories, people and creative achievements from Hội An in one space. With Thanh Hà pottery as its main material and the Thanh Ha Terra Pavilion as its central inspiration, the exhibition also invites visitors to share their impressions of the event and contribute ideas to Hội An’s next creative journey.
At Hội An Theatre, “Xuyên mạch Văn hóa – Sáng tạo vươn xa” focuses on the digitalisation of heritage.
Cultural materials such as Bai Choi cards, the rooflines of Hoi An’s old houses, Hat Boi traditional theatre and even a traditional sweet soup street stall are documented, digitalised and restructured into typefaces, animation, multimedia design, souvenirs and art toys.
Through this process, cultural data becomes a starting point for new ways of seeing, storytelling and creative application.
Also at Hội An Theatre, “Thủ công kiến tạo” by designer Võ Quang Tỵ opens a dialogue between indigenous knowledge and contemporary design thinking.
Three collections have been developed through research and collaboration with Dao Tiền and Kh’Mú communities and artisans from coastal fishing villages in Phú Yên. The exhibition offers young creative communities in Hội An a perspective on the potential of traditional craft knowledge when it continues to be explored, experimented with and transformed for new contexts in contemporary life.
Art performances: Experiencing folk culture through multiple senses
Art performances will take place throughout the event at Sông Hoài Square, featuring artists, artisans, folk-art clubs and local children.
Following the Opening Ceremony, a series of cultural and artistic exchange programmes will continue at 7:30 PM each evening.
On August 29, audiences can enjoy the “Dấu ấn phố Hội” fashion show, folk singing, the traditional water-carrying dance, the musical performance “Quê em vang hội Bài Chòi”, and the “Hương sắc Quảng – Đà” art programme.
The Bai Choi Folk Singing Clubs Festival will take place on the evening of August 30, bringing traditional melodies to life through the communities that continue to practise and preserve them.
The series will conclude on the evening of August 31 with festival drumming, folk songs, instrumental performances and dance featuring Ganh Hat Thong Dong, the art troupe of the Hoi An Center for World Cultural Heritage Preservation and local children’s groups.
The coming together of different generations of artists and cultural practitioners helps folk traditions continue to thrive in contemporary performance spaces that are accessible, engaging and inspiring to the public.
The Closing Ceremony will take place at 7:30 PM on September 1, highlighting the achievements of Hoi An Creative Week 2026, presenting awards for the Hoi An Creative Space Design Competition 2026, recognising commitments to support local creative activities and featuring an accompanying art programme.
reative product showcase: A meeting place for Vietnamese creative brands
The “Inspire Creativity” Space brings together Vietnamese creative brands presenting handicrafts, design products and creative practices from Hội An, Da Nang and other localities across the country.
From products rooted in traditional craftsmanship to brands reinterpreting indigenous cultural materials through new design languages, the space offers a diverse snapshot of contemporary Vietnamese creativity.
It also provides a meeting point for artisans, designers, brands, businesses and the public, creating further opportunities for market access, professional exchange and connections that may continue to develop beyond the event.
Community interaction: Discovering Hoi An in new ways
Interactive activities extend the experience beyond exhibition spaces and stages, taking participants directly into Hội An Ancient Town, museums, craft villages and creative spaces that are part of everyday life in Hội An.
Through the “Xuyên mạch Nghệ” challenge, GPS technology is used to guide participants through different locations across the city.
At each stop, participants can discover additional layers of information, explore heritage details and complete interactive tasks, turning sightseeing into a more active and engaging way of experiencing local culture.
Meanwhile, the pilot version of the “Hội An Arts and Creative Spaces Map” is introduced as an open tool connecting craft villages, cultural destinations, art spaces, artisans, artists and creative communities.
Residents and visitors can scan QR codes to explore locations across Hội An, Hội An Đông and Hội An Tây wards and Tân Hiệp Commune, while also submitting feedback to help improve the tool.
Craft workshops, check-in activities, museum experiences and journeys connecting traditional craft villages will also create more opportunities for residents and visitors to engage directly with the materials, techniques, stories and people of Hội An.
When the entire city takes part in Creative Week
Hội An Creative Week 2026 is not centred around a single venue.
Alongside the main programmes in Hội An Ancient Town, accompanying activities will also take place across Hội An, Hội An Đông and Hội An Tây wards and Tân Hiệp Commune.
In Hội An Đông Ward, demonstrations of traditional bamboo weaving combined with culinary experiences and folk games will take place at Thanh Tâm Mini Park throughout August 31, 2026.
These accompanying activities will reflect the cultural characteristics, traditional crafts and communities of each locality. Bringing activities to craft villages and creative spaces across the wider area is also part of the event’s overall direction.
Businesses, organisations, individuals, artisans and artists throughout Hội An Ancient Town will also contribute to the event in various ways.
Craft workshops, shops, museums, studios, businesses and community spaces may open their doors to visitors, provide access to restrooms and drinking water, organise workshops, introduce products, share craft stories, offer their own experiences or contribute gifts for participants in Creative Week’s interactive activities.
Through this network, Creative Week expands from a series of individual events into an initiative involving the entire city.
Local communities become direct storytellers of Hội An through their own spaces, professions, products and creative practices.
From one creative week to long-term connections
Hội An is home to more than 50 traditional crafts and a wide range of folk-art forms practised within its distinctive “village within the town, town within the village” structure, where craft skills, community memories and creativity have been accumulated and passed down through generations.
This cultural foundation was also central to Hội An’s decision to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of Crafts and Folk Art.
With nearly 20 main activities and numerous accompanying creative touchpoints, Hội An Creative Week 2026 aims to connect the resources already present within the city with new capabilities, technology, markets and collaborative models.
The dialogues, experiments and connections formed during the six-day event are also expected to contribute to future product development, the digital transformation of traditional craft villages, the development of the Hội An Creative Space and broader programmes supporting the development of Hội An Creative Heritage City.
DANANG TOURISM PROMOTION CENTER
