The city is seeking public feedback on a draft resolution on business activities related to nighttime products and services.
Authorities hope the policy will help unlock Hanoi’s potential while promoting economic, cultural, and tourism development.
The nighttime economy encompasses a wide range of production, business, and consumption activities, including cultural, tourism, commercial, culinary, entertainment, sports, and supporting services, primarily between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Ta Hien Street in Hoan Kiem Ward in central Hanoi is a popular nighttime destination for both tourists. Photo by Read/The Bang |
From 6 p.m. to midnight will be the core period, with both locals and visitors being catered to.
During this period, tourism-related activities and services will be encouraged in areas that meet infrastructure, environmental, security, and public order requirements.
A second slot, from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., will apply to commercial and cultural districts, walking-only streets, tourism zones, areas designated for nighttime economic development, and other qualified business models.
The city is also considering allowing limited operations from 6 p.m. all the way until 6 a.m. in selected areas, streets, and standalone service venues that meet higher standards for infrastructure, security, public order, and urban management.
The goal is to increase tourist spending and encourage longer stays, particularly by foreign visitors.
Six nighttime economy models are being considered: historic and heritage districts; cultural, artistic, and creative spaces; commercial, services, and new urban areas; ecological corridors and landscape zones; heritage sites, festivals, and traditional craft villages; and the Red River landscape.
In the historic and heritage core, the city plans to capitalize on cultural assets through heritage tourism, artistic performances, immersive historical experiences, and traditional cuisine while ensuring heritage conservation, environmental protection, and urban order and locals’ quality of life are not affected.
Key locations include the Sword Lake, the Old Quarter, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, the Temple of Literature, the Four Sacred Temples of Thang Long, and surrounding areas.
Cultural, artistic, and creative spaces will host performances, light shows, festivals, and cultural events aimed at attracting artists, creative professionals, cultural entities, and the public at walking-only streets, parks, around West Lake, and nearby districts.
To create shopping centers, service hubs, and new urban areas in the surrounding areas, Hanoi plans to encourage integrated complexes featuring retail, amusement, sports, and wellness. Their operating hours might gradually be extended to ease pressure on the city center.
Along ecological corridors and scenic routes, the city aims to develop sightseeing and eco-tourism products on both banks of the Red River, around West Lake and other major lakes, public parks, and the historic Long Bien Bridge.
At heritage clusters, festival sites, and traditional craft villages, the city envisions creating nighttime cultural spaces linked to locations such as Tay Ho Palace, Perfume Pagoda, Co Loa Citadel, Soc Temple, and Thay Pagoda. It also plans to showcase the cultural heritage of the Muong and Dao ethnic groups while expanding community-based tourism, resort experiences, and traditional craft activities in suburban districts.
The Red River corridor is envisioned as the future nighttime cultural and creative hub, connecting cultural, artistic, commercial, and high-quality service activities and serving as a prime destination after dark.
To qualify for operation, nighttime economy zones must meet a range of standards, including having clearly designated operating boundaries and management responsibility, traffic and parking plans or public transport connectivity, adequate lighting, restroom facilities, waste collection and environmental sanitation, and security, medical, rescue, and firefighting services.
Authorities have made it clear that nighttime economy projects must not affect the community well-being and should prioritize local employment, promote traditional cultural, culinary, and craft products, and protect the local quality of life.
Hanoi has developed several nighttime economy models in recent years, including pedestrians-only streets, night food districts, night tours, and artistic performance programs, but admits these have yet to fully realize its potential due to lacking a cohesive ecosystem capable of competing with leading regional destinations.
It used to allow hotels with three stars and above citywide and selected restaurants and bars around Sword Lake to remain open until 2 a.m. on weekends.
In 2020 it also drafted a pilot nighttime economy program that proposed removing operating-hour limits for certain services, though the plan was never implemented.
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