DIFF to open with spectacular performances by the host and Austrian teams
Tickets for the 2017 Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF) are available at 7 trading centres and venues in Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi, Lao Cai and Quang Ninh Provinces.
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| A fireworks performance in the sky over Da Nang's Han River (Photo: VNS) |
The festival’s organising committee said ticket sales were launched last week for residents and tourists planning to visit Da Nang between 29 April and 29 June.
Prices range from 300,000 VND to 500,000 VND for each night performance on the Han River banks.
The festival orgnaniser, Sun Group, said each night performance will reserve 13,000 tickets, including 8,000 seats, at 4 main stands on 29 April, 20 May, 25 May, 3 June, and 6 June.
The Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, Mr Huynh Van Hung, said the biennial fireworks competition will be promoted as an official culture and tourism festival.
Eight teams - from Austria, Italy, Australia, the UK, Switzerland, China, Japan and host Da Nang-Viet Nam, will compete in 5 performances on the Han River over a 2-month period.
The host Da Nang-Viet Nam and Fireevent Die Feuerwerker from Austria will perform on the opening night on 29 April, whilst the Tamaya Katahara Fireworks team from Japan and Sugyp from Switzerland will do the 2nd night on 20 May.
China’s Dancing Fireworks Group and Pyrotex Fireworx team from the will spark the 3rd night performance on 27 May. Meanwhile, Howard&Sons Pyrotechnics from Australia and Italy’s Martarello will stage the 4th night performance on 3 June.
The best teams will compete in the final rounds on 24 June.
The festival’s General Director, Le Quy Duong, said the event is expected to attract over 2 million tourists. It will also feature a wide range of exciting acitivities, including barefoot beach races, food and beer festivals, street music performances, Cham Culture performances and stone sculpture exhibits.
Inspired by the Marble Mountains with their elements of ancient oriental philosophy, the 5 performance nights will be entitled ‘Fire’, ‘Earth’, ‘Metal’, ‘Water’ and ‘Wood’ respectively.
The General Director of Sun Group, Mr Dang Minh Truong, the fireworks festival organiser, said the event would be a prelude to the 2017 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation) Summit in Da Nang in November.
General Director Truong said he hoped the Da Nang festival would soon become one of the best known in the world, along with those in Canada, Korea, Japan, and Macao.
In 2015, five teams - from South Africa, Australia, Poland, the US and Viet Nam - competed in 2 nights of fireworks competition.
The festival was held annually from 2008 until 2013, then 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 last October.
Da Nang was also named amongst the Top 10 Holiday Destinations in Asia by Smart Travel Asia – an online tourism magazine for Asia last November.
Last year the city hosted 5.6 million tourists, of whom 1.6 million were foreigners.
The city has reserved more than 16,000 rooms in preparation for the fireworks festival.
(Source: VNS/ DA NANG Today)