Italian, US fireworks to amaze spectators at second night of DIFF 2024

The second competition night of the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF) 2024 on June 15 is expected to wow spectators with surprising performances of the highly experienced Italian and US teams.

The Italian team prepares for their display at DIFF 2024.
The Italian team prepares for their display at DIFF 2024.

Hanoi (VNA) – The second competition night of the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF) 2024 on June 15 is expected to wow spectators with surprising performances of the highly experienced Italian and US teams.

Competition between two fireworks veterans

The Martarello fireworks company of Italy, the runner-up of the DIFF 2023, was established in 1921 and quickly became one of the largest fireworks producers in the world.

Its rival, Rozzi Fireworks from the US, has been constantly one of the leading fireworks display companies for the last 125 years. It has produced and organised more than 300 shows from Cincinnati to every corner of the world.

Nadia Shakira Wong, Director of Global 2000 – the consulting firm for DIFF 2024, said the teams from Italy and the US are arranged to face each other at the second competition because both are experienced in displaying fireworks for four - five generations, nearly 130 years, which means they possess over-a-hundred-year experience in the fireworks industry.

She said she believes that the two teams sharing similar histories and an equal capacity level could create a breathtaking match.

The Italian team gained a painful lesson at last year’s DIFF, when a heavy rain ruined many of their fireworks.

second competition night of DIFF 2024 2.jpg
The US team will show the strength of femininity at DIFF 2024.

Meanwhile, this is the first time the US team has come to the festival. After watching the opening competition between Vietnam and France – the former champion, the team said they need to show a better performance.

Wong noted each team wants to fare better than the other, and spectators could expect a strong fireworks competition this Saturday.

About the US team, she described them as a team of femininity which has never been recorded at a DIFF, so it’s now time to show the strength of women.

One team determined, the other pledges utmost efforts

Returning to Da Nang city after missing the trophy at DIFF 2023, Italy demonstrated huge determination to win.

Damiano Baraldo, head of the Martarello team, shared that they come here to make all-out dedications because they want to advance to the final to face the strongest team. Last year, their team reached the final but lost to a better-performing France. But this year, they return with more energy, wishing to once again advance to the final and win.

second competition night of DIFF 2024 3.jpg
The US team is quickly preparing for the second competition night at DIFF 2024.

Unlike Italy, Rozzi Fireworks from the US participates in DIFF 2024 not for the purpose of victory. Nancy Rozzi, a representative of the team, said they have never watched any performances by the Italian team or known what their rival will display.

Instead of victory, Rozzi Fireworks only thinks about how to ensure the most beautiful possible fireworks display. They will try their best to bring to spectators a worthy visually entertaining show, Nancy added.

Italy to create a shock, US promises complicated display

The team of Italy said DIFF 2024 will be a stage of new products that have never been used before.

They tried to seek the best quality products to guarantee wonderful effects. They even prepared products with extremely high quality as they want to create a shock for spectators, said head of the Martarello team Damiano Baraldo.

second competition night of DIFF 2024 4.jpg
The Italian team brings to DIFF 2024 new products that have never been used before.

As the festival’s second competition is themed “Made of Nature Wisdom”, Italy will reflect both day and night colours of the nature through the combination of fireworks and music.

Meanwhile, the US team hopes to create a beautiful and also complicated display to send out a message of unity as the theme of DIFF 2024, “Made in Unity”, goes.

Nancy Rozzi, head of the Rozzi Fireworks team, said music is an experience full of emotions. Therefore, accompanied by music, their fireworks will tell a story about how the world is complicated and the hope that people around the world could be in harmony with one another. By creating a visually complicated show, they hope spectators can feel or be satisfied with it.

second competition night of DIFF 2024 5.jpg
The US team will create an extremely complicated light show at DIFF 2024.

A large number of special effects will be used at the second competition night, she went on, adding that looking at the water surface, spectators could see truly novel things.

New and surprising things are awaiting spectators at the second competition night of DIFF 2024 in the city on the banks of the Han River, apart from a wide range of interesting shows and festivals at famous local destinations such as Ba Na Hills, Da Nang Downtown, and My Khe beach throughout summer.

The second competition night of DIFF 2024 will be broadcast live at 8pm on June 15 by the Da Nang Radio and Television Station and 19 stations of other localities.

After that, Germany and Poland will compete on June 22 and China and Finland on June 29. The final is slated for July 13./.

VNA

See more

An art performance at the Vietnam-Japan Festival 2026 in Da Nang city. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam-Japan Festival 2026 opens in Da Nang

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People's Committee and head of the festival's organising committee Nguyen Thi Anh Thi said that after many editions, the festival has become one of the city's signature external affairs events, helping reinforce the increasingly close partnership between Da Nang and Japanese localities and partners.

Visitors participate in a live demonstration of pho roll preparation at the event. (Photo: VNA)

Pho takes Vietnam’s flavours, identity on Europe journey

More than a food showcase, the programme combines live cooking demonstrations, cultural talks, chef-to-chef exchanges, and business networking to strengthen the global profile of Vietnamese cuisine and promote deeper international connections through gastronomy.

The opening ceremony of The Grand Esports 2026 on July 9 (Photo courtesy of the Sports Authority of Vietnam)

The Grand Esports 2026 opens in Hanoi

The Grand Esports 2026 officially opened in Hanoi on July 9, demonstrating that esports has entered a new stage of development and is increasingly recognised as an important part of Vietnam's national sports strategy, cultural industries and digital economy.

The poem inscribed on the roof ridge of Ngo Mon Gate is part of the Poetry on Hue Royal Architecture collection, which was recognised by UNESCO as documentary heritage under the Memory of the World Programme for Asia and the Pacific. (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Workforce vital to documentary heritage

The combination of a transparent legal framework, a comprehensive digitisation strategy and an internationally qualified workforce will provide a solid foundation for preserving, utilising and disseminating the value of Vietnam’s documentary heritage, enabling the nation’s collective memory to be passed on sustainably to future generations.

Members of the Vovinam club in Paris. (Photo: VNA)

Paris Vovinam club promotes Vietnamese culture in France

The club currently has nearly 50 members aged from seven to over 70, with regular training sessions held on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, alongside extended weekend classes for both children and adults. The classes are led by a father-and-daughter team, assisted by between two and six instructors depending on the session.

Viewers watch Thang Long Capital show featuring 3D mapping and digital experiential spaces. (Photo: VNA)

Digital technologies unlock new value from Vietnam’s cultural heritage

Vietnam possesses a wealth of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, with tens of thousands of historical and cultural sites nationwide. Experts believe that, supported by digital technologies, these resources can become a major driver of culture, tourism, education and creative industries.

Children experience traditional craft (Photo: VNA)

Promoting souvenir industry to spread national image

Experts said that with market-oriented development, improved functionality, stronger storytelling and greater involvement from designers, businesses and market-connecting organisations, souvenirs could become a bridge linking Vietnam with the world while contributing to the growth of cultural industries and the creative economy.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Slovakia Pham Truong Giang presents a certificate of merit from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front to the executive board of the Vietnamese People Association in Slovakia in recognition of its efforts to unite and support the overseas Vietnamese community. (Photo: published by VNA)

Vietnam Day 2026 promotes Vietnamese culture in Slovakia

Jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy and community in Slovakia, the annual event showcased Vietnam's rich cultural heritage while promoting people-to-people exchanges and strengthening friendship between the two countries.

Vietnamese players will compete at the Esports Grand Championship 2026 this July. (Photo: Sports Authority of Vietnam)

Vietnam to host Esports Grand Championship for first time

The international tournament, endorsed by the Southeast Asian Esports Federation and recognised under Olympic-standard achievement criteria, will take place from July 9 to 12 at the My Dinh Athletics Palace in Hanoi as part of The Grand Esports 2026 series.

At Ha Long Carnival 2026 (Photo: VNA)

📝OP-ED: Unlocking Vietnam's cultural strength: From copyright to heritage economy

Taken together, the simultaneous push on copyright enforcement, heritage protection and heritage economy shows that Vietnam is delivering on the Resolution 80-NQ/TW’s core goals. By unlocking cultural soft power, policymakers aim to make culture a strategic engine of rapid, sustainable and identity-rich national development in a new era.

Delegates cut the ribbon to open the exhibition. (Photo: VNA)

60 artworks honour Temple of Literature values

The "Quoc Tu Giam in Art" exhibition features 60 works by 34 artists, capturing the historic site of Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature) complex in Hanoi through everything from archival documents to contemporary pieces.