The Signify Vietnam Company under the Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation Philips Electronics NV has just completed a design for Da Nang’s Han River art lighting project themed ‘River of Light’.

The purpose of the project is to enhance the value of the urban landscapes alongside the Han River, and create a unique tourism product and an inviting night-time entertainment destination for both locals and visitors.

Pictured is the Signify Vietnam Company’s vision for the panoramic view of Da Nang at night under the ‘River of Light’ project.

Enhancing urban landscape value

According to the Signify Vietnam Company - the design consultancy unit of the project, the project aims to give the Han River, an iconic Da Nang beauty, an artistic makeover, thereby making the city more vivid and romantic when the night comes

Accordingly, five bridges spanning the Han River in the city center will be bathed in light to 'breathe new life' into Da Nang at night. This will help to create an attractive nighttime tourism product for the city in order to increase tourist numbers and enhance the spiritual lives of local residents, hereby significantly contributing to driving the city’s economic tourism. Especially, the project will help enhance the value of the general urban landscape alongside the Han River, creating a new symbol for the central coastal city.

Under the project, the artistic lighting system will be installed at the Nguyen Van Troi pedestrian bridge, whilst the current lighting systems on four other bridges, namely Thuan Phuoc, Song Han (Han River), Tran Thi Ly and Rong (Dragon), will be upgraded.

In addition, urban landscapes along the both banks of the Han River, and riverside parks and green trees will be illuminated.

With regard to the space on the water surface of the river, the project’s design consultancy unit has proposed to add lighting activities for the city’s large-scale events and organise lighting events in the city such as laser light shows, water music programmes, lighting systems in the sky, drone light shows, and 3D water screen projection shows.

Most notably, the Nguyen Van Troi Bridge will play a central role and be a focal point of spreading the long axis of art lighting along the river.

There are two ideas about arts lighting decorations for the bridge: ‘lighting thread’ and ‘carp turns into dragon’. In particular, the ‘lighting thread’ idea will represent the connection of the past to the present and towards the future, whilst the ‘carp turns into a dragon’ theme will feature the dynamic image of Da Nang as the embodiment of success and complete happiness.

Meanwhile, the city will upgrade the current lighting systems on Thuan Phuoc, Song Han (Han River), Tran Thi Ly and Rong (Dragon) bridges with the aim to promote the development of waterway tourism on the Han River.

All lighting systems on the Han River will be connected and controlled via the internet with the use of the Interact Landmark software. The use of the software makes it easy to create and trigger light shows from anywhere.

The total costs of the installation of a new lighting system for Nguyen Van Troi Bridge, and the upgrade of lighting systems for Song Han, Dragon, Tran Thi Ly and Thuan Phuoc bridges are estimated at VND110 billion.

In his speech delivered at the inauguration ceremony of the expanded APEC Sculpture Park on January 10, 2022, Da Nang People's Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh revealed that the city planned to implement a public art lighting project themed ‘River of Light’ in combination with festival and cultural activities to create a chain of attractive tourism products for the city, thereby contributing to improving the spiritual life of local residents and increasing tourist numbers in the city.

Mobilising more investment resources to implement the public lighting systems

Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Construction Vo Tan Ha said, according to Decision No. 1043 dated March 30, 2021 on plans for managing and developing public lighting systems in the city, his Department was asked by the municipal authorities to soon implement the art lighting project along the Han River.

Also, the Department was urged to enhance the capacity of managing, operating and maintaining the public lighting systems, as well as to mobilise more potential resources to implement more public lighting systems along the river.

In addition to the city's preparations for its public lighting works, a number of works alongside the Han River have been invested in art lighting systems.

Specifically, the Novotel Hotel's facade has been already illuminated with more than 1,200 sets of smart color LED lights. Color-changing LED lights combined with IoT Interact Landmark solutions create splendid and unique light shows on the 37-storey hotel.

Thanks to impressive light shows in order to celebrate seasons, festivals, sporting wins, commemorate events and react to unplanned events, Novotel Da Nang has turned into an even more memorable landmark at night.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vicoland Construction and Housing Development Corporation (Vicoland Group) Bui Duc Long proposed to build a water music - sound - light system along the Han River at the Nhu Nguyet Street (opposite the Mövenpick Hotels & Residences tower - Risemount Apartment Da Nang) in order to give Da Nang a new look at night.

Reporting by TRIEU TUNG - Translating by M.DUNG