Photo Hanoi’25 Biennale will bring together 170 artists and photographers from 21 countries for a vibrant celebration of creativity across the city from November 1 to 30, 2025.
The photo titled Storyteller by Jean-Charles Sarrazin captures the people of Hanoi during the 1980s.
The international photography festival, now in its second official edition since being launched by the French Institute in Vietnam in 2021, will once again transform Hanoi’s cultural landscape with exhibitions, installations, and community engagement.
Co-organized by the Hanoi People’s Committee and the French Embassy in Vietnam, the Biennale seeks to establish itself as one of the capital’s signature cultural and tourism highlights, enhancing Hanoi’s reputation as a rising regional hub for art and creativity.
This year’s event gathers 170 artists, photographers, curators, and experts from 21 countries, alongside 25 professional partner organizations.
Throughout November, the public will be invited to explore 22 solo and group exhibitions, all free of charge, along with 29 engaging side events such as seminars, workshops, art tours, book launches, film screenings, and portfolio reviews offering professional consultation in photography.
French photographer Firmin-André Salles (1860–1929) captured this scene of the Thi Huong or Provincial Examination in the Year of Dinh Dau, 1897.
Exhibitions will be presented not only in Hanoi’s well-known cultural institutions, such as the Exhibition House (No.45 Trang Tien Street), the Centre for Art Exhibition (No.93 Dinh Tien Hoang Street), Cultural and Art Center (No.22 Hang Buom), Ho Guom Cultural Information Center (No.2 Le Thai To) and the Old French Villa (No.49 Tran Hung Dao)- but also in popular art venues including the French Institute in Vietnam, Japan Foundation, Casa Italia, Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA), Complex 01, Long Bien Art Space, Matca, S+ Six Senses Space and Chau & Co Gallery.
Beyond traditional galleries, Photo Hanoi’25 will bring art into the heart of the city, with exhibitions and installations in iconic public spaces such as Dien Hong Flower Garden, Hoan Kiem Lake, the wall of the Temple of Literature and even the façade of the French Embassy, transforming Hanoi into an open-air museum of photography.
“The Cyclo” by Jean-Charles Sarrazin
According to Bach Lien Huong, Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, Photo Hanoi’25 Biennale aims to promote the cultural and tourism image of the capital to international audiences, foster artistic exchange and creative cooperation, and enhance the development of Hanoi’s cultural industries. The event also reaffirms the city’s strong commitment to advancing UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network initiatives, emphasizing artistic diversity and cultural innovation.
Eric Soulier, Counselor for Cooperation and Cultural Activities at the French Embassy in Vietnam and Director of the French Institute in Vietnam, shared: “This event is a tribute to culture, to the capital Hanoi, and to Vietnam itself. It will be a meeting point for generations of Vietnamese and international artists, offering diverse and exceptional perspectives on the world.”
Photo Hanoi’25 Biennale also acknowledges the important contributions of foreign embassies, delegations, and cultural centers in Vietnam, including the European Union Delegation, and the Embassies of France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ireland, as well as the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation (Belgium), Japan Foundation (Japan), British Council (UK), Goethe-Institut (Germany), Casa Italia (Italy), and the Czech Cultural Center. Their collaboration plays a vital role in connecting artists and supporting this major cultural and tourism event in Hanoi.
Blending art, innovation, and cross-cultural dialogue, Photo Hanoi’25 Biennale invites residents and visitors alike to see Hanoi through a new lens, where heritage meets modernity and the city itself becomes a living canvas of photographic storytelling.
By Jenna Duong
