An ongoing travel experiences contest, entitled ‘Da Nang FantastiCity’, is very attractive to the general public, especially young travel enthusiasts.

Some of the finalists eagerly participating into a teambuilding activity on a local beach

Co-organised by the municipal Department of Tourism and the Empire Corporation, the contest is open to travel lovers worldwide, and offers them the opportunity to visit Da Nang to experience its beauty, and leave with treasured memories.

The contest features 2 rounds.  Round 1 ended on 10 August, whilst Round 2 took place between 31 August and 27 September, involving 9 finalists. 

Under Round 2, the 9 finalists were divided randomly into 3 teams, and each team visited Da Nang for 4 days/3 nights.  All the costs of their trip were covered by the contest’s organisers. 

During their tours, the teams were requited to complete challenges set by the organisers, as well as to constantly update reports of their trips on the http://danangfantasticity.com website. 

After the trip, each team created an under 5-minute video clip, an album of no more than 50 photos, and a report (in no more than 1,000 words) about the whole trip.

During their stay in the city, the 9 contestants full of energy and vitality together paid visits to the Marble Mountains, the thousand-year-old banyan tree and red-shanked douc langurs on the Son Tra Peninsula. 

In addition, the competitors immersed themselves into the rustic daily lives of local fishermen, enjoyed local delicious seafood, and started their mornings with fresh, tasty cups of coffee in a peaceful space.

21-year-old Pham Mai Linh, a student from the Ha Noi University of Architecture, is one of the 9 finalists.  She remarked that the organisation of the contest is indeed a new, creative and unique idea to advertise Da Nang’s image more effectively than conventional tourism promotion activities. 

Apart from discovering the beauty of Da Nang’s popular attractions, Linh felt very happy to gain a deeper insight into its special cultural values and the daily lives of locals, as well as other types of tourism boasting the great potential.

27-year-old Ngo Thanh Huu, a competitor from Thai Binh Province, had unforgettable moments whilst experiencing an overnight camping trip with other finalists by a bank of Cu De River in Hoa Vang District’s Hoa Bac Commune. 

The young man said he much prefers to sleep in a tent rather than in a fully- equipped hotel room because sleeping under the stars indeed gives him a close-to-nature feeling.

According to Ms Nguyen Thi Hoai An, the Vice Director of the municipal Tourism Promotion Centre, the contest facilitates the contestants to discover Da Nang- a young, dynamic city where they can also experience a very familiar and peaceful atmosphere through challenging yet interesting activities during the contest.

In particular, the contest is considered as a new effective way to introduce international friends to the most beautiful and familiar images of the beautiful seaside city.

According to the contest’s website, the awards ceremony is scheduled to be held on 8 October.