Year-end festival events create a highlight for tourism.

In early December, the Dong Hoa Hiep Ancient Village Cultural and Tourism Festival, themed "Memories of the Ancient Village" (December 3-7), concluded with many memorable moments in Dong Thap. In the second week of December, the 5th Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Week, themed "Vibrant Ho Chi Minh Fest," took place (December 5-12). This marked the beginning of a series of vibrant tourism events aimed at stimulating domestic and international tourism and boosting tourism economic growth at the end of the year. Numerous tourism, cultural, sports, and music activities took place throughout the event, most notably the Cho Lon Food Festival, the Southern Traditional Cake Space, the "Recycled Costume Party - The Dinh River in My Heart" Festival, and the Ho Chi Minh City International Marathon... The main activity was the participation of hundreds of tourism businesses showcasing new tourism products and services, as well as promotional programs to attract tourists from near and far.

A highlight of the year-end tourism season in the Southern region is the Can Tho River Culture Festival 2025. This is the first time this event has taken place in Can Tho, creating a cultural and tourism highlight to welcome the new year 2026; at the same time, promoting the unique river culture of Can Tho in particular and the Mekong Delta in general. The festival, themed "Can Tho - Colors of the River," will take place from December 26, 2025 to January 1, 2026 at Ben Ninh Kieu Park (Ninh Kieu Ward), Song Hau Park (Cai Khe Ward) and surrounding areas.

Tourists visit Cai Rang floating market. Photo: Kieu Mai

The highlight of the festival is the opening ceremony with many unique artistic performances recreating the history of land reclamation and the cultural life associated with the rivers and waterways of Can Tho and the Mekong Delta. The festival also includes many activities: boat parades, recreating the atmosphere of the Cai Rang, Nga Bay, and Nga Nam floating markets; exhibition spaces showcasing typical products and cuisine, OCOP products, and promoting tourism products of various localities; street acoustic music performances; photo exhibitions; sports activities reflecting the unique riverine culture; releasing lanterns on the river; and tourism seminars.

Meanwhile, in Dong Thap, the Sa Dec Flower and Ornamental Plant Festival officially returns for the second time at the end of the year, with the theme "Colors of Flowers for a New Day," taking place from December 27, 2025 to January 4, 2026 in Sa Dec ward, Dong Thap province. This event honors the value of the flower and ornamental plant village, aiming to enhance the value of flower and ornamental plant production; promote the image of Sa Dec and Dong Thap; connect and expand the flower and ornamental plant market; build a brand; and promote Sa Dec flowers and ornamental plants, contributing to the sustainable development of Dong Thap's tourism industry.

The highlight of the festival is the opening ceremony and the Sa Dec flower display area showcasing 1,000 varieties of ornamental flowers. In addition, there are many other activities: a "Heritage Region" space, a live performance show "A Hundred Years of Fragrance and Beauty of the Flower Village"; exhibitions of domestic and international flowers and ornamental plants; the Sa Dec flower and ornamental plant market; the "Southern Flavors" food street; a hot air balloon event with the theme "Sa Dec - Soaring with a Myriad of Flowers"... and conferences and seminars on ornamental flowers and tourism.

In addition, there are many supporting programs: the "Women in Floral Ao Dai" parade, the second "Beautiful Flower Gate, Flower Street, and Flower Garden at Offices" competition, the art and news photography contest in response to the 2nd Sa Dec Flower and Ornamental Plant Festival 2025, folk dance exchange program and "Singing Nightingale" festival, folk games... offering visitors many experiences.

In fact, festival events often attract hundreds of thousands of tourists to experience and visit local tourist areas and attractions. This is considered an effective way to connect and promote local tourism through diverse festival activities. Therefore, many provinces and cities are focusing on developing tourism products from festivals. Besides scale, the unique identity of the festival is also considered so that each locality can create its own distinct impression in the hearts of tourists.

AI LAM

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/cac-su-kien-le-hoi-cuoi-nam-tao-diem-nhan-du-lich-a195338.html