HCMC – HCMC will stage its 12th Ao Dai Festival from March 1 to 31, 2026, with organizers expecting more than 50,000 participants at related events across the city.
The festival was launched on March 3 by the HCMC Department of Tourism in coordination with the HCMC Women’s Union. Themed “Golden Threads – Weaving Aspirations,” the event will peak from March 6 to 8.
A mass folk dance and ao dai parade at 8 a.m. on March 8 is expected to draw the largest turnout. Activities will take place at the President Ho Chi Minh Statue Park, Nguyen Hue Boulevard, the Tam Thang Tower area in Vung Tau Ward and the Becamex Administrative Center in Binh Duong Ward, along with other tourism sites, parks and cultural landmarks. Around 3,000 people are expected at Nguyen Hue alone, according to the organizing committee.
Seventeen main activities are scheduled. They include an opening ceremony on the evening of March 6, an ao dai art program on March 7, and the final round of the “Charming Ao Dai HCMC” contest on March 8. Contest teams will represent the Women’s Union from 168 wards, communes and the Con Dao special zone.
Other events include an online ao dai photo contest, a children’s ao dai painting competition, a seminar on the traditional dress, and community programs such as “Accompanying Vietnamese Ao Dai” and “Loving Ao Dai.”
Exhibition and interactive spaces will be set up on Nguyen Hue Boulevard, Ben Thanh Metro Station and Opera House Metro Station. A program titled “Ao Dai and Metro” will connect tourism sites via Metro Line No. 1.
The Export Showroom at 92-96 Nguyen Hue Boulevard will offer a free experience area where visitors can try on ao dai, take photos and learn about the garment’s development over time.
The festival will feature 37 designers, 600 actors and models, and 37 ambassadors from various fields.
Le Truong Hien Hoa, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Tourism, said the 2026 edition is the first to be organized in what he described as a newly structured, multi-centered Ho Chi Minh City. He added that organizers aim to position the festival as a signature cultural and tourism event to attract domestic and international visitors.
