WDSF Asian Dancesport Championship Hanoi: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Hanoi)

Two days of championship ballroom

The dates are December 19-20, 2026, a Saturday and Sunday. The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) is the international governing body for competitive ballroom and Latin. Its sanctioned events follow one rulebook, so scoring and dress rules are the same as at any WDSF event worldwide.

The title event is the WDSF Asian Championship Latin Senior II. That is a continental championship for one of the federation’s senior age groups, so the couples on the floor have usually been competing for decades. Around it sit multiple open solo divisions in both Standard and Latin, where dancers perform alone and are judged without a partner.

What happens on the floor

Every competitor wears a number pinned to their back. Judges sit around the edge of the floor and mark who goes through to the next round. Early heats are packed. Each recall round cuts the field until a small final group is left to dance for the medals.

The two styles look nothing alike:

• Latin: cha-cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso doble, jive. Fast, sharp hip action, fringed and stoned costumes.
• Standard: waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot, quickstep. Long travelling lines around the floor, tailsuits and full gowns.

Solo divisions dance the same steps without a partner. Footwork and timing are much easier to follow when only one dancer is moving in each spot.

Watching from the rail

Ballroom audiences have their own habits, and they differ from theatre manners.

• Calling numbers: supporters shout a couple’s back number during a dance to cheer them on. It’s normal and welcome.
• Clapping: applause starts as couples take the floor and builds at the end of each dance. People don’t wait in silence until the music stops.
• Moving around: spectators usually walk to their seats between dances, not during one, so nobody blocks the judges’ view.
• Photos: flash is generally unwelcome during heats because it distracts dancers mid-turn. Most people film without it.
• Finals: the final rounds and medal ceremonies usually draw the biggest crowd of the day. Senior II medals are the ones most supporters come for.

Results for WDSF events are posted on the federation’s competition records, which is where competitors and fans look up placings and scores afterwards.

Getting to Hanoi in December

International arrivals land at Noi Bai International Airport, north of the city. The drive into the centre takes roughly 30–45 minutes, depending on traffic. Grab, the ride-hailing app, is the usual way to get between the airport, hotels and venues.

Most out-of-town visitors stay around Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter, where you’ll find most of the hotels and evening food streets. December is Hanoi’s cool season. Days are mild and often grey, and evenings get chilly, so dancers usually bring a warm layer to wear over costumes between rounds.

A weekend competition leaves the evenings free. Ta Hien Street has the plastic-stool beer corners, and Hoan Kiem Lake is close by. The Temple of Literature and the Hoa Lo Prison relic site both work as half-day visits for anyone staying an extra day.