Korean culture gathers at Hanoi's Lotte Mall, with the First Lady in attendance
On April 23, 2026, the "Korea Culture and Tourism Festival 2026" opened at Lotte Mall West Lake (Tay Ho) in Hanoi's West Lake area. The theme is "Feel Your Korea." Co-hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the Korean Cultural Center, the Korea Creative Content Agency, and the National Museum of Korea, it's a large festival made up of four zones—K-food, K-pop, K-beauty, and K-heritage. On the opening day, timed to President Lee Jae-myung's state visit to Vietnam, First Lady Kim Hye-kyung visited the venue. The festival ran for four days through April 26.
Built on three pillars: K-food, K-content, and K-beauty
The festival is broadly divided into four zones. The K-Food zone set up booths recreating dishes that appeared in Korean dramas, with gochujang-butter bibimbap and black-sesame macarons drawing attention. Free tastings of a fruit soda blending Korean strawberries with Vietnamese mango and dragon fruit were also offered.
K-Contentポップアップエリアでは、韓国ドラマ『シェフ殿、召し上がれ（Bon Appétit, Your Majesty）』や人気ウェブトゥーン『俺だけレベルアップな件（Solo Leveling）』に登場した小道具やグッズが展示された。さらに、国立中央博物館はBTSとの共同プロジェクト「BTS X MU:DS」のアルバム『Arirang（アリラン）』関連コラボ商品を初公開している。
In the K-Beauty zone, Vietnamese K-beauty influencer Emmi Hoang gave demonstrations of Korean cosmetics, with hands-on booths where visitors could try them on the spot.
Background—accelerating Korea-Vietnam cultural exchange and a state visit
This festival was held as part of Korean President Lee Jae-myung's state visit to Vietnam. Korea is one of Vietnam's largest sources of foreign visitors, and in the first quarter of 2026 alone, China, Korea, and Taiwan topped the list of foreign arrivals to Vietnam. The KTO's Vietnam office also introduced a pilgrimage-style tour of Korea branded the "Hallyu Fan Tour," proposing travel plans that visit K-pop music-video filming locations and e-sports facilities.
In a tie-up with ARTE Museum, a multimedia art experience themed on Gwanghwamun, hanbok, Hangul, and Korean forests was also prepared.
| Zone | Details | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| K-Food | Korean-drama recreation dishes, fruit-soda tasting | Gochujang-butter bibimbap, black-sesame macarons |
| K-Content | Drama and webtoon prop displays | 『Solo Leveling』『Bon Appétit, Your Majesty』 |
| K-Beauty | Cosmetics experience booths | Demonstrations by Emmi Hoang |
| K-Heritage | ARTE Museum tie-up art experience | Gwanghwamun, hanbok, and Hangul themes |
| Hallyu Talkshow | Talk event (4/23) | Actor Jung Il-woo, Quang Vinh |
| BTS X MU:DS | National Museum of Korea collaboration display | アルバム『Arirang（アリラン）』関連グッズ |
Korean actor Jung Il-woo appears at the opening-day Hallyu talk show
At the Hallyu talk show on April 23, Korean actor Jung Il-woo, who starred in the Vietnam-Korea co-production "Mang Mẹ Đi Bỏ," took the stage. Along with Vietnamese singer and YouTuber Quang Vinh, broadcast personality Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hà, and K-beauty expert Emmi Hoàng, he held a talk on the themes of travel, food, beauty, and film.
On the K-Food stage, the First Lady joined a cooking demonstration with actor Jung Il-woo and chef Ji Joon Hyuk, actually preparing gochujang-butter bibimbap and black-sesame macarons—a scene that thrilled the venue.
Reactions from social media and visitors
On Vietnamese social media, the response spread widely from the opening day. A university student living in Hanoi posted on Facebook, "I never thought I'd get to see a BTS exhibit. Admission is free, yet the content is substantial." A Vietnamese owner running a Korean restaurant commented, "Vietnamese interest in Korean food is tied to watching dramas, and thanks to the festival, reservations at my own restaurant have gone up too." A Japanese expatriate in Hanoi also remarked, "Korea's soft-power strategy is thorough. Japan should do this at this scale too."
Practical information for Japanese travelers
For Japanese travelers staying in Hanoi, it's well worth stopping by during the run through April 26. Lotte Mall West Lake is about 20 minutes by Grab from central Hanoi. Admission is free, and K-food tastings and K-beauty experiences are all self-contained within the booths. Nearby is a cluster of luxury hotels includingFairmont Hanoi, making it easy to work into a half-day plan combining shopping and dining.
Late April in Hanoi is hot and humid, around 30-35°C, but the interior of Lotte Mall is air-conditioned and comfortable. If you're planning to visit Hanoi in the first half of Golden Week, take this chance to experience the fusion of K-food and Vietnamese ingredients.
The expanding trend of Korea-Vietnam tourism exchange
The number of visitors from Korea to Vietnam remained on an upward trend in the first quarter of 2026. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), foreign arrivals to Vietnam in Q1 2026 reached 6.76 million, up 12.4% year on year, with Korea one of the main source countries after China.See here for details on Vietnam's Q1 tourist recordfor reference.
The Korean side also positions Vietnam as a priority market, and the KTO runs year-round promotions. The Hallyu Fan Tour introduced at this festival is a strategic measure to steer young Vietnamese K-pop fans toward travel to Korea. Meanwhile, direct flights from Vietnam to Korea are operated by VietJet Air, Vietnam Airlines, Korean Air, and others at more than 100 flights a week, and, in tandem withVietnam Airlines' route expansion,two-way passenger flows are growing.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Event name | Korea Culture and Tourism Festival 2026 |
| Dates | April 23-26, 2026 |
| Venue | Lotte Mall Tay Ho, Hanoi |
| Admission | Free |
| Theme | Feel Your Korea |
| Organizer | Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), Korean Cultural Center, Korea Creative Content Agency, National Museum of Korea |
| Access | About 20 minutes by Grab from central Hanoi, along Lạc Long Quân Street |
| Language | Korean, Vietnamese, English |
Summary—experiencing the cutting edge of Korean culture in Hanoi
The Korea Culture and Tourism Festival 2026 is one of Hanoi's largest Korean-culture events, letting you experience K-food, K-pop, K-beauty, and K-heritage across four days. As the First Lady's attendance shows, Korea-Vietnam relations are growing closer at the government level too, and cultural exchange is driving expansion in both tourism and business.
If you're staying in Hanoi through April 26, head to Lotte Mall West Lake to check out the K-food tastings and the BTS exhibit. If you're planning a trip to Vietnam over Golden Week, it's smoother to also checkthe latest information on the digital arrival cardbefore you go.
