Visitors will have the chance to explore these heritage sites for free during the upcoming Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2024, where they will host art performances, exhibitions, and forums. Normally, not all heritage sites are open to the public regularly, but people will have many opportunities to engage with these sites during the Creative Design Festival.

Hanoi National University is a prominent architectural heritage of Hanoi, blending Asian and European aesthetics.

Many surprises await

Young people today often admire the giant murals of Western architecture, especially Renaissance religious buildings. However, right in the centre of Hanoi, on Le Thanh Tong Street, there is a giant mural painted in a European style.

Painted in the Western style, the mural’s content, however, is distinctly Vietnamese. This mural is located in the lecture hall of Hanoi National University, formerly the University of Indochina, later known as Hanoi University.

The mural’s focal point is the familiar three-entrance gate of the Northern Delta, set under a canopy of lush ancient trees.

In the space before the gate, the artist vividly portrays the people of Vietnam from a century ago, when Vietnam was still a colony.

The mural depicts people performing various tasks related to the subjects taught at the school: a veterinarian treating a cow, chemists conducting analyses, doctors administering injections and vaccines, judges debating, and engineers teaching farmers how to operate a tractor.

The mural measures 11m by 7m and is combined with the architecture of huge columns and arches, giving the lecture hall the feel of a cathedral - but this is the cathedral of knowledge.

The artist behind this mural, which features 200 characters, is Victor Tardieu, the first principal of the Indochina Fine Arts University, which trained many talented artists for the country.

Built about 100 years ago, many people still consider this structure to be French architecture. However, in reality, the architects used many Eastern decorative motifs to create a new architectural style – Indochina architecture.

The Hanoi Opera House is one of Hanoi’s most iconic landmarks, but not everyone knows it was once a swamp. It’s only when you get closer that you discover the interesting stories behind it.

To build this massive building, workers had to drive in 35,000 bamboo piles. Many construction materials had to be imported from France.

If the University of Indochina’s lecture hall feels like a cathedral, the interior of the Hanoi Opera House is as grand as a European palace.

A special mural in the lecture hall of Hanoi National University.

Right behind the Hanoi Opera House is the Vietnam History Museum, which was once the French School of the Far East. While the University of Indochina marked the beginning of Indochina architecture, the French School of the Far East prominently used Eastern architectural and artistic elements. As a result, even those without a deep understanding of architecture feel an immediate sense of familiarity upon seeing it.

The Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2024 is titled “Creative Crossroads”, with the crossroads formed by the connection between the north-south axis (Ly Thai To Street-Le Thanh Tong Street) and the east-west axis (Bac Co Street-Trang Tien Street).

Famous architectural landmarks such as the Hanoi Children’s Palace, the Government Guesthouse, the Hanoi Opera House, the Vietnam National History Museum, Hanoi University, and several flower gardens, including those at the Hanoi Opera House, Co Tan, Dien Hong, Tao Dan, and Ly Thai To, will be the venues for various festival activities.

Exploring freely

Every day, people walk past or stop to check in at these old French architectural sites. But it would be a waste to simply pass them by in November. During this time, many French-style architectural landmarks will open their doors to the public for the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2024, named “Creative Crossroads.”

If you follow the north-south axis, the Hanoi Children’s Palace marks the starting point. This is where the most packed cultural and creative events will be held.

People, regardless of their different tastes in art, will find something they love in this space, where exhibitions, workshops, and forums on visual arts are held, such as the Cheo Meo exhibition featuring works by autistic children, the Diem Phung Thi playground, a painting contest on the field, and discussions on cinema, such as ‘Culi Never Cries,’ a forum discussing the city as a cinematic character, and ‘Building Hanoi’s image in cinema across time.’

Meanwhile, the Vietnam National History Museum will showcase fashion exhibitions by organisations that research and restore traditional costumes and practice music.

The Hanoi Opera House - a masterpiece of Hanoi architecture, built on swampy land.

At the Hanoi Opera House, alongside music and fashion shows, there will be a parade to honour and promote seven creative fields: handicrafts and folk arts, design, film, cuisine, literature, traditional arts, and music.

The final point of this ‘creative axis’ is Hanoi National University. Here, the organisers will showcase a series of unique interactive art pieces, invoking nostalgic feelings about Indochina architecture and fine arts through the diverse perspectives of current architects, artists, and designers.

The public can explore these iconic heritage sites through activities at the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2024. In particular, there will be a deeper opportunity to explore through a specially designed tour focusing on the architectural heritage of the city.

Many young people are eagerly awaiting this exploration. Luong Nhat Duc, a third-year student at Hanoi Law University, said, “I’ll explore with my friends. I pass by these architectural sites every day, but I’ve only heard that they are very special and haven’t experienced them firsthand. I think this is a great opportunity.”