Hanoi International Film Festival 2026: Screenings & Heritage

The 8th Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF VIII) returns to the Vietnamese capital from 28 November to 2 December 2026, uniting contemporary world cinema, centuries-old architectural heritage, and urban tourism across Hanoi. Organised under the theme Cinema, Connection, Development, the five-day festival opens on 28 November with a ceremony at the Vietnam Exhibition Centre (VEC), closes there with the awards on 2 December, and brings together feature films, short-film competitions, country-in-focus retrospectives, and the festival's first film market. Because late November marks the crisp, dry autumn-to-winter transition in northern Vietnam, visitors can pair afternoon auditorium screenings with walks around Hoan Kiem Lake and the 36 guild streets of the Old Quarter.

Competition Categories, Heritage Showcases and Outdoor Screenings

HANIFF VIII structures its programme around several distinct strands that appeal to both industry delegates and independent travellers:

• Feature-Length and Short Film Competitions: Selected works from Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas compete before international juries at the National Cinema Center on Lang Ha Street and partner screening halls across central Hanoi, with English and Vietnamese subtitles provided for competition screenings.
• Panorama and Country-in-Focus Programmes: Curated non-competitive sections spotlight award-winning festival titles from the past year alongside dedicated national cinema tributes and restored Vietnamese classics that trace the country's visual history.
• Outdoor Community Cinema across Five Districts: To connect cinema directly with local neighbourhood life, mobile open-air screenings and live stage performances take place across Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Cau Giay, Dong Anh, and the historic walled town of Son Tay.
• Heritage, Film Location Exhibitions and Market Forums: Alongside the festival's first film market, a film promotion exhibition at 93 Dinh Tien Hoang (27 November to 2 December) highlights filming locations across northern Vietnam, linking directly with things to do in Hanoi such as the Temple of Literature and the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long.

Combining Hanoi's Cinema Hubs with Regional Southeast Asian Routes

Many international visitors build the festival into a broader Southeast Asian cultural itinerary, flying into Noi Bai International Airport from regional hubs such as Bangkok or combining northern Vietnam's autumn cinema week with a southern leg in Ho Chi Minh City. Within the capital itself, screening venues sit within easy reach of French Quarter boulevards, specialty egg-coffee cafes, lakeside walking zones, and historic pagodas, allowing filmgoers to experience both red-carpet premieres and Hanoi's everyday street life in a single trip.

Festival Cinemas, Passes and Ticket Collection

• Screening Venues: The primary screening hub is the National Cinema Center (87 Lang Ha), complemented by central partner cinemas such as CGV Vincom Center Ba Trieu, BHD Star Pham Ngoc Thach, and exhibition halls at the Vietnam Exhibition Centre. Check the official site for the daily screening grid, language subtitle notes, and free public voucher distribution counters across the capital.
• Collecting Invitations and Public Tickets: While red-carpet opening and closing ceremonies require accredited invitations, HANIFF traditionally releases complimentary or public screening tickets at participating box offices in the days leading up to each screening block. Arrive early for evening premieres, gala showcases, and post-screening director discussions to secure central auditorium seating.
• Moving Between Districts: Line 2A (Cat Linh to Ha Dong) and Line 3 (Nhon to Cau Giay) of the Hanoi Metro, together with electric VinBus routes and ride-hailing apps, connect the western cinema corridors around Lang Ha and Cau Giay with Hoan Kiem Lake. Check how to get to Hanoi for airport express bus and rail connections.

• Check Subtitle Listings Before Selecting a Hall: Competition and Panorama titles screen with English subtitles, whereas certain domestic community retrospectives may screen in Vietnamese only; verify the language code on the daily schedule board before queuing.
• Pair Afternoon Screenings with Pedestrian Weekend Zones: If your festival days overlap with Friday evening through Sunday around Hoan Kiem Lake, the streets surrounding the water close to motor traffic, creating an open promenade for outdoor cultural stages and street music.
• Pack a Light Jacket for Late-November and Early-December Evenings: Dry northeast breezes cool the city noticeably after sunset, and cinema auditoriums maintain strong air conditioning; consult where to stay in Hanoi to choose a base between the Old Quarter and Ba Dinh.
• Allow Extra Buffer Time for Rush-Hour Crossings: Traffic along Lang Ha, Kim Ma, and Nguyen Chi Thanh builds steadily between late afternoon and early evening, so set off well ahead of your screening slot and use elevated metro stations wherever possible to stay on schedule.