Weekend Coffee: To spread simple, lasting happiness

From December 5 to 7, at Hoan Kiem Lake walking street, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism presided over and coordinated with the Hanoi People's Committee, Vietnam Television and the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists to organize "Vietnam Happy Fest 2025".

With a series of 13 activities spread around Hoan Kiem Lake, the festival promises to be a large event in both scale and symbolism, carrying the aspiration to build Hanoi into a "happy destination" of the world .

According to the Organizing Committee, this year’s festival will tell a complete story about “Vietnamese happiness” through messages hung on the Happiness Tree, moments of sharing towards the Central region and the image of 80 couples holding hands walking into the symbolic wedding ceremony. But besides the richness of the experience points, what is more remarkable is the spirit that this event aims for: Happiness exists in simple things, in kindness, in every moment when the community shares the same emotions.

However, to position Hanoi as a “happy destination”, one big event every year is probably not enough. The values ​​that the festival conveys - kindness, sharing, optimism, connection - need to be nurtured by an ecosystem of cultural events that may be smaller in scale but durable, regular, and have a strong influence. There needs to be more activities that can create a “Hanoi emotional rhythm” every week and every month: Simple street concerts, open reading spaces, community activities connecting people, volunteer programs designed so that everyone can easily participate... Not every festival needs to have a scale of tens of thousands of people or a series of grand spaces. Sometimes, a weekend afternoon with a few independent music groups on the walking street, a small exhibition in the park, an interactive point where people write their wishes for the new year is enough to create a feeling of warmth and connection. The most important thing is regularity, so that residents feel that their city is moving, that it is sincerely concerned about spiritual happiness.

Sustainable happiness comes from good living habits, from kindness spreading in daily life. This year's festival has sparked an inspiration and I am sure that if we can maintain cultural activities, community experiences, and creative interactions continuously, then "happy destination" will not just be a slogan.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/ca-phe-cuoi-tuan-de-lan-toa-hanh-phuc-gian-di-ben-bi-725953.html