One example is the Tuyen Citadel Festival, which has made Tuyen Quang province a popular tourist destination during the mid-autumn festival. The festival is known for its giant lanterns and has set several Vietnam Guinness records.
Moving to the central region, Thua Thien – Hue province’s city of Hue is dubbed the city of festivals with over 500 royal, traditional, and religious festivals. The city has successfully organized the Hue Festival and Traditional Craft Festival, which have helped promote the region’s cultural heritage and showcase its local identity to the world.
Da Nang city has capitalized on the International Fireworks Festival, which has become a prominent festival brand. The city hosted over 63,000 tourists, including 19,000 foreigners, during the final night of the 2023 event.
Hoi An ancient town in Quang Nam province, Vietnam’s leading tourist destination, celebrates the Full Moon Festival, recognized as a national intangible heritage item. The festival is a post-harvest celebration, where people gather to make cakes and offerings from farm produce to express gratitude for a bountiful harvest. The festival also features Lion and Unicorn Dances, lantern decorations, and candle-lit paper flower releases. It serves as a favorite rendezvous for both locals and foreign tourists to explore and experience the culture and lifestyle of Hoi An.
Festival tourism has emerged as a new trend to improve competitiveness in the ASEAN region. ASEAN welcomed approximately 143.5 million international visitors in 2019, with a growth rate of 6.1%, surpassing the global average of 4%. Developing festival tourism is seen as an effective strategy to enhance competitiveness and foster sustainable growth.
The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism recognizes festivals as attractive tourism products that enhance foreign tourists’ experiences and contribute to ASEAN’s tourism growth. Festival tourism has been developed in Southeast Asia, with countries emphasizing sustainable tourism and the revival of traditional festivals. Renowned festivals attract large crowds of tourists and offer unique features such as traditional art performances, folk games, and culinary festivals.
ASEAN member states are actively working together to develop festival tourism, including leveraging digital technologies to promote festival tourism offerings. A digital marketing campaign targeting 10 million potential tourists within a year will be implemented, along with the preparation of high-quality digital content for regional festival tourism.
Vietnam Ethnic Groups’ Unity–Vietnam Cultural Heritage Week to open
NDO – On November 10, the Management Board of Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism officially announced the activities of Vietnam Ethnic Groups’ Unity–Vietnam Cultural Heritage Week.
Lung Van- the Roof of the Muong Area
Lung Van (Muong Bi), about 40km from downtown Hoa Binh City, is famous for its spectacular natural scenery and the unique culture of the Muong people.
Programme invites youngsters to explore Vietnam’s heritages
NDO – A programme entitled ‘Travelling to the Root – Experiencing Vietnam’s intangible cultural heritages’ was launched by the Hanoi Cultural Fund on August 18.
Vietnam announces eight more national intangible cultural heritages
NDO – The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued Decision No. 4069/QĐ-BVHTTDL, dated October 30, 2018, on announcing an additional eight national intangible cultural heritages.
Mexican sunflower festival kicks off in Gia Lai province
NDO – The Chu Dang Ya Volcano Mexican sunflower festival officially opened on the night of November 10 in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.
