Đà Nẵng — The 2017 Đà Nẵng International Fireworks Festival will launch April 29^th next year and run until June 29^th.

Huỳnh Văn Hùng, Director of the central city’s Culture and Sports Department, said at a press conference yesterday that the biennial fireworks competition will be promoted as an official culture and tourism festival.

Eight teams – Austria, Italy, Australia, United Kingdom, Switzerland, China, Japan and host Đà Nẵng-Việt Nam – will compete. In addition, a constant series of cultural performances will be staged over a two month period.

“The city has successfully hosted seven editions of the fireworks competition since 2008. The eighth edition will see a major face lift,” Hùng said.

“It will not be a competition among teams, but a large cultural festival featuring on different stages at the peak of summer holidays. The city aims to attract more tourists to the city. Visitors will have many options to explore the city’s culture, enjoy the fireworks festival and sample other cultural and sports activities.”

Lê Quý Dương, the festival’s general director, said the event would attract over 2 million tourists with beach barefoot races, food and beer festivals,street music performances, Chăm Culture performances and stone sculpture.

“We want to create a prolonged festive season in Đà Nẵng, luring more tourists to the city. The fireworks festival will help the city mark itself as an annual favourite rendezvous among tourists worldwide,” Dương said.

He said previous fireworks competitions were held within two nights, so many visitors missed the chance to celebrate the fireworks in their central Vietnamese vacation.

“The event’s organising committee will prepare for tourists by giving ample opportunities to see fireworks over two months,” he said, adding that more entertainment options are offered during the fireworks festival.

As scheduled, Việt Nam and Australia will debut the fireworks festival on April 29^th, while Switzerland and Japan will demonstrate on May 20^th.

China and UK will launch their fireworks on May 27^th, and Austria and Italy will perform on June 3^rd.

The final round will take place on June 24^th.

The festival’s organising committee will reserve a large audience space in the Hàn River banks with different stands on land, pontoons and on the air.

Dương also said cultural performance would sandwich days and night during the fireworks festival.

The 2017 fireworks festival would be titled Shining Ngũ Hành Sơn (or Marble Mountains) to showcase the city’s cultural symbol.

The Marble Mountains, comprised of five mountains, features five basic elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth, according to traditional philosophy).

Dương added that the symbol depicts five fingers connecting five continents together in peaceful co-operation.

Đặng Minh Trường, general director of Sun Group, the fireworks festival organiser, said the event would be a prelude to the 2017 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation) Summit in Đà Nẵng,

“The fireworks festival will help promote Đà Nẵng as a fireworks destination on the world tourism map following a 10-year development campaign,” Trường said.

It’s the first time a fireworks festival has been held by a private company with funding from sponsors and businesses only.

Trường said he hoped Đà Nẵng would soon become a fireworks destination along with five top world fireworks festivals in Canada, Korea, Japan, and Macao.   

Last year, five teams from five continents including South Africa, Australia, Poland, the US and Việt Nam competed in two nights of fireworks competition.

The festival was held annually from 2008 until 2013, then held biennially from 2015.

Teams from the US and Italy won twice, respectively, while Canada, China and France clinched the title once.

The city received an award for Asia’s Leading Festival and Event at the World Travel Awards ceremony in October.

Đà Nẵng has been named among the Top 10 Holiday Destinations in Asia by Smart Travel Asia – an online tourism magazine for Asia in November.

The city has hosted 1.6 million foreign tourists over past 10 months of the year.

The city successfully organised the fifth Asian Beach Games in October, and it continues to be a favourite rendezvous for annual international marathon the Ironman 70.3 and the annual Đà Nẵng International Marathon. — VNS