Elaborate preparation work

Many months ago, Khanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee directed the Provincial People's Committee and agencies, departments and branches to do a good job of all preparations. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival was not held in 2021, so this time, the Organizing Committee is determined to make a difference in a festival considered a characteristic of "the land of Agarwood and the sea of ​​​​Swallows". Comrade Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, Director of Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Tourism said: "Propaganda and promotion work has been carried out extensively. The locality has held press conferences in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa). In addition, working delegations of Khanh Hoa province to China, Korea, France... to introduce tourism potential and attract investment also introduced and promoted the festival".

The opening art program featured 700 performers.

Along with that, Khanh Hoa province has strengthened state management in related fields, proactively directed the promotion of urban beautification, investment in infrastructure development, upgrading tourism facilities; ensured security, order, social safety, food safety and hygiene, and especially disease prevention and control for each activity and event. All activities have been carefully prepared, such as visual propaganda on main roads in districts, towns and cities; assembling stage, sound and lighting systems and implementing training; mobilizing hotels to support accommodation for delegates attending the event; mobilizing tourism businesses to proactively renovate business establishments, publicly posting prices of goods, preventing the situation of selling at the wrong price, wrong quality, and quantity, affecting the tourism brand of the province.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa, General Director of Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa Sea Festival, shared: “Unlike previous festivals, this year the stage is designed on the beach with a large and magnificent scale with many of the world's leading modern technological equipment. Therefore, we have to calculate to make it logical and attractive. Each performance will be a different story, each stage design is different, the space is also different and a different artistic story to create a strong impression on the audience”.

Brilliant sound and light in the sky of Nha Trang

Thousands of people and tourists came to watch and participate in the programs of the Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2023 at 2-4 Square (Nha Trang City) and tourist attractions in the province. The highlight of the opening night was the motorized paragliding team, LED-lit kites and 10 hot air balloons lighting up the festival sky with 3D effects and musical performances. The music and dance program combined sound and light, with the participation of 700 actors including professional actors from Saigon Dance Group, Hai Dang Song and Dance Group and a group of non-professional actors from Khanh Hoa University, Air Force Officer School and Khanh Hoa Provincial Children's Cultural House. Along with that is a colorful light show of 1,653 drone lights - the number represents the year Khanh Hoa province was established, arranged into images of famous landmarks and symbols of Khanh Hoa in the sky of Nha Trang city such as: Swallows, Mui Doi, Dien Khanh Citadel, Ponagar Tower, Tram Huong Tower, boats, dolphins, coral forests... The performance time is 20 minutes, of which the time to display moving frames is 15 minutes. The maximum flying height is 250m and the operating radius is 250m. The entire image is programmed on the machine at a 45-degree angle from the central grandstand area.

This is the first time in Vietnam that a light show with the largest number of drone lights has taken place. Therefore, many people are excited to record this interesting scene. Mr. Vu Tuan Anh (a tourist from Pleiku City, Gia Lai Province) shared: "I came here early but still could not go deep into the stands because the audience was too crowded, but the drone light performance in the sky gave me a captivating, impressive and strange feeling".

According to Mr. Dinh Van Thieu, Vice Chairman of Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, the 10th Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2023 with more than 70 programs and events was organized and for the first time a large, modern stage was built towards the sea. The lively opening ceremony, combined with a high-tech art lighting program, with 1,653 drone lights in the magical night sky, recreated the image of a dynamic, developed and integrated Khanh Hoa. The "ao dai down the street" parade of nearly 6,000 women in Khanh Hoa province set a Vietnamese record and many rich activities with the participation of a large number of people. The program truly touched the hearts of people and tourists, attracting them to immerse themselves in a vibrant cultural festival, shimmering with brilliant colors in the space of blue sea, white sand, golden sunshine and the kind hearts of the people of Khanh Hoa.

Taking place from June 3 to 6, the 10th Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2023 welcomed 150,000 overnight guests, including about 16,600 international visitors and more than 133,400 domestic visitors. The accommodation room occupancy rate is estimated at 78.8%. In addition, Khanh Hoa province also welcomed more than 450,000 visitors for sightseeing and entertainment. Total tourism revenue is nearly 550 billion VND.

Article and photos: DUY HIEN