Ho Chi Minh City River Festival 2024 opens on the Saigon River on the evening of May 31 - Photo: QUANG DINH
Modern trains with Vietnamese brand travel far - Photo: QUANG DINH
Ho Chi Minh City River Festival honors the value of heritage rivers
Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai welcomes guests to the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City River Festival - Photo: QUANG DINH
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai said that, following the initial results of the first Ho Chi Minh City River Festival, listening to the opinions and expectations of the people and tourists, the second Ho Chi Minh City River Festival was held to honor the beauty and value of heritage rivers, spreading pride and love for the city through a series of diverse and unique activities that harmoniously combine tradition and modernity.
City leaders also reviewed the history of the formation of Saigon - Cho Lon - Gia Dinh - Ho Chi Minh City over the past 300 years, with strong imprints of rivers.
The generation of fathers and brothers followed the river to build villages, build ramparts, establish citadels, establish palaces, create Gia Dinh, open Nha Be, Thu Duc, Thanh Da... Villages, markets, and bustling ports were constantly formed along the river banks and canals to create a vibrant, prosperous, and bustling Southern City.
Not only creating the shape of the city, the river and canal system of Saigon - Cho Lon - Gia Dinh - Ho Chi Minh City is also a place to preserve the cultural sources, family, village and homeland sentiments, and is a witness of the legendary train that has entered the heart of every Vietnamese person.
The Ho Chi Minh City River Festival is also the 113th anniversary, taking place on June 5, 1911, "from this city he departed" on the ship Amiral Latouche-Tréville leaving Nha Rong Port with an iron will to find a way to liberate the nation, starting a journey of 3 decades.
The festival's activities take place simultaneously at many locations across the city from May 31 to June 9, aiming to build the Festival into a long-term, large-scale annual event, bearing the unique mark of Ho Chi Minh City.
The musical Legendary Train tells the story of activities at the Ba Son shipyard in the early decades of the 20th century - Photo: QUANG DINH
The legendary train ride was simultaneously broadcast live on VTV1, VieON and two LED TV screens from the riverside park.
The organizers have issued about 9,000 tickets and invitations to watch the show live. This is a grand outdoor musical taking place on the Saigon River, recreating historical stories through a completely new artistic language with many technological elements and effects.
Recorded from 5pm on May 31, a large number of spectators were present at the stage, right after the rain had stopped. Around Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, District 4, traffic jams occurred, people inched forward to be present before the Legendary Train show officially began.
Historic Trains
A corner of the stage of "Legendary Train" was built right next to the Saigon River - Photo: HK
According to the revelation of general director Le Hai Yen, Storytelling River season 2 - Legendary Ship continues the direction of season 1, telling stories taking place on the Saigon River through the chapters: Launching - Arriving - Setting sail - Making waves - Reaching far.
On the river, the ship Amiral Latouche-Treville with its journey linked to the historical destiny of the Vietnamese nation, the journey that took the young man Nguyen Tat Thanh to find a way to save the country, is vividly recreated, combining history, cinema, and entertainment to convey meaningful messages from the heroic historical story of the nation, taking viewers from one surprise to another.
What's in 'Legendary Train', the highlight of Ho Chi Minh City River Festival?
The show will have exciting climaxes with grand scenes, emotional highlights, delving into the characters' inner psyches, exploiting historical stories and anecdotes about historical figures in important historical contexts, associated with special trains.
Those were the first Vietnamese ships launched; the resounding battles on the river by the Rung Sac special forces; the Song Huong ship - the first ship carrying 541 Southern cadres to the North to regroup and return to take over the South after the liberation day, with tearful reunions after more than 20 years of separation; the ships bringing the Vietnamese brand all over the world...
The musical mobilizes nearly 1,000 extras, and is a story about special trains that have come and gone on the Saigon River, historical trains associated with important milestones of the nation.
The show is a collaboration between general director Le Hai Yen, stage director Pham Hoang Nam, music director Duc Tri, choreographer Tan Loc and designer Viet Hung. The show also incorporates many modern technologies such as cinematography, 3D mapping projection technology, water screens, water-based moving stages, drone performances, and fireworks.
In addition, the organizers included in the festival artistic fireworks display, reenactment of the Western floating market, open river swimming competition, stand-up paddleboard championship, jet ski performance and waterway tourism products...
Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Dung said that through the program, Ho Chi Minh City hopes that when people watch these stories, they will be filled with national pride, the vision, intelligence, heroic spirit, and indomitability of the previous generation and the dynamism and creativity of today's generation.
The musical Legendary Train tells the story of activities at the Ba Son shipyard in the early decades of the 20th century - Photo: QUANG DINH
Revolutionary Ton Duc Thang mobilized workers at Ba Son factory to fight, strike, and prevent French colonialists from suppressing the revolution in neighboring countries - Photo: QUANG DINH
The tragic battle of Sac Forest commandos - Photo: QUANG DINH
Photo: QUANG DINH
The ship Amiral Latouche-Treville is closely associated with the history and destiny of the Vietnamese nation, the ship that carried the young man Nguyen Tat Thanh to find a way to save the country - Photo: QUANG DINH
From now on, "the waves crashing under the ship are not the waves of the homeland" - Photo: QUANG DINH
Modern and youthful city by the legendary river - Photo: QUANG DINH
Modern freight trains reaching across five continents bring prosperity to the city and the country - Photo: QUANG DINH
Fireworks are launched from the flower boat parading through Bach Dang wharf - Photo: TTD
Photo: TTD
Low-altitude fireworks display combined with boat parade at Vinhomes Central Park (Binh Thanh District) from the perspective of Saigon Bridge - Photo: THANH HIEP
The boat parade is like lanterns lighting up the Saigon River. Tourist boats shine their lights through the smoke from low-altitude fireworks - Photo: THANH HIEP
People stop their vehicles to take photos of fireworks on the opening night of the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City River Festival - Photo: THANH HIEP
Trailer of the 2nd Ho Chi Minh City River Festival 2024
Artisans rebuild kites after the rain on the afternoon of May 31 - Photo: TTD
People play bamboo dance at Bach Dang wharf on the evening of May 31, before the opening ceremony of the Ho Chi Minh City River Festival - Photo: TTD
New Wind Club of District 1 Cultural Center, Ho Chi Minh City performs - Photo: TTD
Mai Thao (District 11, Ho Chi Minh City) learns Hue royal cup dance in the Heritage Exchange performance at Bach Dang wharf - Photo: TTD
A large audience watched the musical Legendary Train on a screen installed on Nguyen Hue walking street - Photo: PHUONG QUYEN
Many viewers did not have time to hunt for tickets to watch the show live, so they chose to watch it on the LED screen on Nguyen Hue walking street. "The feeling will not be the same as on stage, but when seeing the elaborate and magnificent show, my whole family enjoyed it. I hope that big festivals like this will be maintained so that people in the city can participate," said Ms. Mong Tuyen (District 6).
Coming to the Ho Chi Minh City River Festival 2024, people and tourists can experience waterway tourism programs, attractive tourism and shopping stimulus programs; immerse themselves in the exciting atmosphere of the river swimming championship, stand-up paddleboard championship and water sports activities.
In addition, people also have the opportunity to experience the Fruit Week "On the wharf, under the boat" at Binh Dong Wharf - District 8; the space "Recreating the floating market of the West" at Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe inner city wharf; the Southern Fruit Festival at Suoi Tien Tourist Area with activities such as a parade on the river, culinary contest, artistic lighting decoration, cultural space, art performances, folk games...
Not stopping at the activities of the city and in the city, the second Ho Chi Minh City River Festival this year also has the participation and response of the provinces of the Southeast and the Mekong Delta like the resonance of an orchestra to make the harmony of the rivers of the South stronger and more resounding.
In the first 5 months of 2024, international visitors to Ho Chi Minh City are estimated to reach more than 2.2 million, an increase of more than 32% over the same period in 2023. Domestic visitors reached 14 million, an increase of 1.6% over the same period in 2023.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dai-nhac-kich-chuyen-tau-huyen-thoai-mo-man-le-hoi-song-nuoc-tp-hcm-20240531183125303.htm
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