Opening night impressions

The Han River shone brightly and dazzlingly on the opening night of DIFF 2025 with the theme "Cultural Quintessence". Photo: XUAN SON

Attending the opening ceremony were Central Committee member and Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Duc Hai; Central Committee member and Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong; leaders of central ministries, departments, and agencies, localities, and international guests. Representing Da Nang City were Central Committee member, Secretary of the City Party Committee, and Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Da Nang City Nguyen Van Quang; Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee Nguyen Dinh Vinh; Chairman of the City People's Committee Le Trung Chinh; Chairman of the City People's Council Ngo Xuan Thang; Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Da Nang City Le Van Trung; and Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Nguyen Thi Anh Thi, Head of the Organizing Committee of DIFF 2025.

Affirming its position as a city of events and festivals.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chairman of the Da Nang City People's Committee Le Trung Chinh said that DIFF 2025 is the longest and largest-scale fireworks festival in the history of Da Nang International Fireworks Festival. This year's festival is not only a top-notch, emotionally charged experience of light technology, art, and music , but also a symphony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Da Nang city and the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country. This is an opportunity for the city to affirm its aspirations and determination to rise, and for Da Nang to assert its position as "Asia's leading city of events and festivals," continuing to attract international friends to a dynamic, creative, and friendly Da Nang.

Chairman of the City People's Committee Le Trung Chinh speaks at the opening ceremony. Photo: NH - D.L

“Da Nang City is facing new development opportunities with a larger space and greater resources and potential. “Da Nang – A New Era” is a commitment to a strong spirit of innovation, working towards realizing the goal of building Da Nang into a modern city in the future, a regional economic , cultural, and financial center, a place where excellence, compassion, and happiness converge. In this journey towards new heights, Da Nang always cherishes and hopes to continue receiving the attention, support, and companionship of the Central Government, other localities, and friends both domestically and internationally. This is a tremendous source of strength and encouragement, helping Da Nang realize its development goals,” the Chairman of the City People's Committee emphasized.

Asian-European culture shines brightly over Da Nang.

The fireworks display at the opening night of DIFF 2025 between the Da Nang (Vietnam 1) and Joho Pyro (Finland) teams brought special emotions and left a lasting impression on locals and tourists. Ms. Nguyen Thanh Phuc, a resident of Da Nang, said she felt her team's display was more beautiful this year than in previous years. The Vietnam 1 team not only presented a captivating fireworks display but also provided excellent music, using songs popular with many viewers. “We felt proud watching the soft, raining fireworks with vibrant light effects, accompanied by beautiful songs like “Bonjour Vietnam,” “Titanium,” “City of Light,” and “Glory.” Our emotions were drawn into a story told through sound and light about a dynamic and aspirational city,” Ms. Phuc said.

Secretary of the Da Nang City Party Committee Nguyen Van Quang (fourth from the left) visits, encourages, and presents gifts to congratulate the Da Nang fireworks team (Vietnam 1) after their performance on the opening night. Photo: MAI QUE

Johnny Nathan, a tourist from the United States, was impressed by the Finnish team's performance. The Finnish team knew how to evoke emotions in the home audience by unexpectedly incorporating two Vietnamese songs into their performance. The fireworks, with their Nordic feel, blended seamlessly with the melodies of the Vietnamese songs. This not only conveyed the friendly spirit of the visiting team to Da Nang but also delivered a message for the competition: integration and development while respecting local cultural identity.

Commenting on the two teams performing on the opening night, musician Nguyen Duc Trinh, President of the Vietnam Musicians Association and a member of the DIFF 2025 judging panel, said that both teams delivered very exciting and vibrant performances musically. He particularly praised the Vietnamese team, noting their boldness this year in incorporating rock music while still maintaining a distinctly Vietnamese feel, making the performance feel very familiar and relatable. Furthermore, the Finnish team, the reigning DIFF 2024 champions, maintained their strong performance, using a Vietnamese song that was excellent and perfectly suited to the atmosphere and theme of the opening night.

Meritorious Artist Tran Ngoc Tuan, Chairman of the City's Stage Artists Association and a member of the city's art council, observed that the Vietnamese team's performance this year showed a tight and seamless blend of musical rhythm, technique, and fireworks effects. Meanwhile, the Finnish team was equally impressive with their excellent handling of melody and fireworks techniques, maintaining the strong performance of the reigning DIFF 2024 champions. The two teams opened the opening night with an engaging performance, creating momentum to attract locals and tourists for the subsequent competition nights.

A world-class art program

The opening night of DIFF 2025 presented a world-class artistic program. The performance of "Homeland Lullaby" by singer Kieu Anh and divo Tung Duong was full of emotion, while Thu Hang's song "Da Nang Sunrise" was a self-reflective narrative about a youthful city full of aspirations entering a new era. The performance of "Fly Me To The Moon," featuring a modern take on traditional Finnish dance by the Mai Trang dance troupe, transported the audience to a boundless artistic space. The lively Can-can dance served as an invitation to international friends to continue their journey with the upcoming fireworks displays of DIFF 2025, "Da Nang - A New Era."

For the first time, large-scale outdoor augmented reality (AR) technology was introduced to the fireworks festival via the Sun Paradise Land app. The Sky AR project covered an area of up to 600,000m² and nearly 10 million pixels, becoming the largest outdoor AR system ever deployed at a domestic cultural event.

It might be possible to propose including DIFF 2025 in the Guinness Book of Records.

"No other country has a fireworks festival with as many as 10 competing teams. I believe it's entirely possible to propose that DIFF 2025 be included in the Guinness Book of Records," affirmed Nadia Shakira Wong, CEO of Global 2000, a leading global fireworks consulting company.

Secretary of the Da Nang City Party Committee Nguyen Van Quang encourages the Da Nang fireworks team (Vietnam 1)

On the evening of May 31st, at the fireworks display area at Song Han Port, the Secretary of the Da Nang City Party Committee, Nguyen Van Quang, visited, encouraged, and presented gifts to the Da Nang fireworks team (Vietnam 1) after their performance at the opening night of DIFF 2025. The Secretary congratulated the entire Da Nang fireworks team on their successful performance, which was enthusiastically received by a large audience. The Da Nang team showcased beautiful fireworks effects accompanied by exciting music. ( MAI QUE )

NGOC HA - DOAN LUONG

Source: https://baodanang.vn/channel/5414/202506/le-hoi-phao-hoa-quoc-te-da-nang-2025-an-tuong-dem-khai-mac-4007967/