A dazzling fireworks display in last year's festival (Photo: VNA)
Da Nang (VNA) – Vietnamese diva My Tam and singer Trong Tan will perform songs espousing the beauty of the Han River in Da Nang and the Volga of Russia in the opening performance of the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival on June 1.
The general director of the festival, Do Thanh Hai, made the announcement at a press conference in Da Nang on May 26, confirming the art performance will spark the one-month long festival with an amazing water space stage.
He said top Vietnamese singers such as Hong Nhung, Tung Duong, Uyen Linh, Phuong Vy and Thao Trang and European artists will also perform at the festival.
Hai said the fireworks festival will be promoted by art performances and street carnivals every weekend during the festival between June 2 and July 7.
The festival’s organisers will also host the final round of National Flashmob Contest at Da Nang Sun World Wonders on June 29.
Meanwhile, the Sunshine Dance Festival will be held at Sun World’s Ba Na Hills from May 31 through September 30. More than 200 dancers and artists will offer two performances each day during the period.
The fireworks festival – the 10th edition since 2008 – will feature teams from Russia, Brazil, Belgium, Finland, the UK, China, Italy and Vietnam lighting up the Han River from June 1 to July 7.
Vice chairman of the Da Nang municipal People’s Committee, Le Trung Chinh, said Da Nang was the only place in Vietnam to have hosted a fireworks festival since 2008.
He said the festival had become a magnet for the best fireworks producers from around the world each year.
He added tourists could also enjoy the beaches and festive summer atmosphere.
Director of the city’s Culture and Sports Department, Huynh Van Hung, said Da Nang had successful built a reputation as a ‘fireworks festival city’, promoting it as the ‘must see’ destination in central Vietnam.
This year’s event, titled ‘Stories by the Rivers’, will see teams describing the beauty and culture of typical rivers in their countries during the month-long festival.
Teams will come together for a pyrotechnic competition in five nights themed “Origin”, “Seed”, “Love”, “Colours” and “Going out to Sea”, which will be live broadcast on Vietnam Television channel.
Vietnam and Russia will perform during the curtain-raiser on June 1, while Brazil and Belgium will take the stage on June 8.
Three-time champions Italy and Finland will play the third night on June 15, while England and China will perform on June 22.
The top two teams will be selected for the final on July 6.
Last year, Italy’s Martarello clinched the title for the third time after winning in 2011 and 2012.
In 2018, Italy’s Martarello clinched the title for the third time after winning in 2011 and 2012.
In 2013, the US team Melrose Pyrotechnics took first spot. Canada’s Davis Whysall took the top prize in 2008, while China’s Liuyang Dancing won in 2009. France’s Jacques Couturier Organisation won in 2010.
The Da Nang International Fireworks Festival was voted one of the 10 most impressive cultural events of 2018 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
According to Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Truong Thi Hong Hanh, Da Nang welcomed 7.66 million holidaymakers in 2018, up 15.5 percent over the previous year, including 2.87 million international tourists, a yearly rise of 23.3 percent.
The total revenue collected from tourism activities was estimated at 24 trillion VND, an annual increase of 23.3 percent.
Notably, the city developed a number of activities to draw visitors such as the international firework festival, the sea tourism programme, and the travel contest on Da Nang.
In 2018, the Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills was ranked among the top 100 World’s Greatest Places by Times magazine.-VNA
