Festival «Liên hoan Sân khấu Hà Nội mở rộng 2026» (Hanoi Extended Theatre Festival)

   Ten days of theatre with no ticket price: from 14 to 23 October Hanoi hosts 15 productions by 15 professional companies across ten stages around the city. Tickets are not sold but handed out, and the handout starts on the morning of 13 October.

   Key facts

   — dates: 14 – 23 October 2026
— scale: 15 works by 15 companies from the national level, Hanoi, the armed forces and other provinces
— forms: spoken drama, chèo, tuồng, cải lương, circus and Nghệ Tĩnh folk opera
— admission: free, with tickets distributed by the organisers
— theme: «Bringing together the values of the stage, spreading the creative spirit of the capital»

   Where to collect tickets: at Rạp Đại Nam, 89 phố Huế, from 9:00 on 13 October, mornings 9:00 – 12:00 and afternoons 14:00 – 17:00. The organisers ask you to bring an identity document; the ticket enquiry numbers are 0972 945 258 and 0915 118 064. The day-by-day schedule — which play, which stage, what time — is published on the festival's official page.

   The capital's theatre festival dates back to 2014 and is held every two years; five editions have taken place so far. Since 2024 it has opened to companies from across the country and taken its present name. This year it is run by the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism together with the Vietnam Stage Artists Association, marking 72 years since the Liberation of the Capital.

   The line-up includes «Ai là cha tôi» from the Hanoi Drama Theatre, «Người con gái Hà thành» from the Hanoi Cải lương Theatre, «Người con gái Hà Nội» from the Army Drama Theatre, «Cô gái đội mũ nồi xám» from the Youth Theatre, «Đạo học» from the Hanoi Chèo Theatre, «Lời của tre» from the Vietnam Circus Federation, «Nhị vị Bồ Tát tổng Nam Phù» from the Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema, «Phèo» from the Xóm Kịch stage and «Cuốn truyện bị đốt» from the Hồng Vân stage. «Ảo ảnh» by the Vietnam Drama Theatre plays on 21 October.

   Performances are spread across ten venues: the Army Drama Theatre, the Vietnam Youth Theatre, the Vietnam Drama Theatre, the Central Circus, Rạp Kim Mã, Rạp Hồng Hà, Rạp Công Nhân, Rạp Đại Nam, the Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema and the Vietnamese Women's Museum. According to the event page of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association, the festival opens at 19:30 on 14 October at Rạp Công Nhân, 42 Tràng Tiền — a stage that returned to work in early October after renovation.

   This is a rare chance to see chèo, tuồng and cải lương staged by professional companies without paying for a seat. Tickets are limited and given out in person, so come early and carry your ID; if you have a particular play in mind, check the schedule on the festival page before you go for tickets.