Participants will include members of the Hanoi Creative Space Network, design brands, independent creators, training institutions, research institutes, businesses, and organisations in the cultural industries.

The two-day programme will showcase initiatives from the creative community across eight cultural industry sectors, promote innovation, and highlight design-led products and services that are ready for commercialisation. Many of the featured products will be developed by local designers, artisans and manufacturers.

The programme also seeks to connect creative practitioners with retail, wholesale, gift-solution and export partners, contributing to the development of Hanoi’s creative economy.

As part of the event, the organisers will introduce a proposal to survey potential sites that could be developed into creative spaces and cultural industry hubs across the city, a move seen as a step towards building a comprehensive urban creative ecosystem.

A painting exhibition will be held at the Ho Guom Cultural Information Centre from January 10 to 18, featuring 89 works of young artists, celebrating Vietnamese cultural identity through creative and contemporary perspectives. The exhibition will be organised by UNESCO in collaboration with the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, TiredCity, with the support of SOVICO Group.

With its large scale, diverse content, and widespread participation from the creative community, the "Creative Meetups" programme is expected to become a significant event in the lead up to the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2026, while affirming the role of the capital city in the network of creative cities in the region and the world at large.

Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2026 to run year-round, building a creative ecosystem

VOV.VN - The biennial Hanoi Creative Design Festival, with major events typically in November, will run from January to November in 2026, shifting from a traditional festival model to a dynamic urban creative ecosystem.