Waterway activities held as part of the first River Festival in HCM City last year. VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The HCM City River Festival will take place from May 31 to June 9 with a series of tourism, cultural, entertainment, culinary, and sports activities related to waterways, according to the city Department of Tourism.

The second edition of the festival will be larger in scale, with more activities held at various venues such as the Sài Gòn River, Sài Gòn Port, Bạch Đằng Wharf, Bình Đông Wharf, Nhiêu Lộc - Thị Nghè Canal, Lan Anh cruise ship terminal, and Ngôi Sao Việt terminal.

Speaking at a press conference, Nguyễn Thị Ánh Hoa, director of the department, said the event is aimed at promoting the city’s historical and cultural heritages and bolstering the image of a culturally rich riverine city.

It would exploit the potential of riverine and maritime resources to foster exciting experiences for domestic and foreign visitors and boost tourism, she said.

The city would strengthen linkages with the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta and southeastern regions to make the festival a regional event, she added.

The city has 23km of coastline and a network of rivers.

The Sài Gòn River flows 80km through the city, accommodating large cruise ships, according to the department.

The waterways connect the city with the delta and southeastern provinces besides Cambodia.

One of the highlights of the festival will be the opening ceremony on May 31 at Sài Gòn Port featuring 1,000 artists and a fireworks show.

A fruit week will be held from June 4 to 10 at Bình Đông Wharf in District 8, with stalls and boats displaying fruits and featuring art performances.

Around 40 boats will be decorated to join a parade along the Sài Gòn River on several nights to promote river tourism.

A series of fun water activities and sports competitions will be held during the 10-day festival.

Many shopping and tourism stimulus programmes will be held during the festival.

Last year, the event attracted around 51,000 visitors. It was organised by the Department of Tourism in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Sports, with a series of unique cultural - entertainment - art - sports activities taking place on the riverside, combined with experience activities, rich and attractive tourism, aviation and commercial promotion programmes.

The special highlight of the festival was the art programme "The River Tells Stories" which recreated the history of Saigon - Chợ Lớn - Gia Định - HCM City with a combination of art forms from folk to contemporary, from music, cinema, dance to light technology with modern performance technologies and the participation of nearly 700 folk actors and artists. — VNS