Da Nang shines brightly on the night of the "opening ceremony" of DIFF 2026

On the evening of May 30th, the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF 2026) officially opened. The competition between the host team Da Nang (Vietnam) and the defending champion China brought an outpouring of emotion to tens of thousands of spectators.

With the theme "Nature," the opening night of DIFF 2026 officially kicked off a series of six fireworks displays running from May 30th to July 11th.

The competition between the host team Da Nang (Vietnam) and the defending champion China painted a vibrant picture of life, the beauty of the green planet, and a message of connection between humanity and nature. Masterpieces of light , music , and artistic effects transported tens of thousands of spectators on an emotionally uplifting journey along the Han River.

The DIFF 2026 stage is elaborately designed to accommodate world-class performances.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Chairman of the Da Nang City People's Committee, said that the city is entering a vibrant summer season with a series of large-scale domestic and international economic , cultural, sports, and tourism events, welcoming tourists and friends from all over the world to the coastal city. Da Nang is embarking on a new development journey, aiming to build a modern city with rich identity, humane people, and a high quality of life.

DIFF 2026, themed “Da Nang – Connecting Horizons,” reflects the aspiration to build Da Nang into a dynamic destination, a hub for cultural exchange, tourism, creativity, and international cooperation. The six nights of fireworks displays will tell six stories of Da Nang's journey connecting with the world through the themes of Nature, Heritage, Culture, Creativity, Vision, and the grand finale, “Connecting Horizons.”

Host team Da Nang (Vietnam) and defending champion China kick off DIFF 2026.

The Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee also expressed pride that DIFF was selected by the prestigious travel magazine Travel + Leisure as one of the 9 most worthwhile summer festivals on the planet. This is seen as recognition from the international community of the attractiveness, scale, artistic value, and widespread influence of an event bearing the Vietnamese brand.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung also expressed his gratitude to the Government, central ministries and agencies, localities, partner businesses, embassies of countries with participating fireworks teams, and domestic and international press and media agencies for their continuous attention and support, contributing to the success of DIFF as well as the development journey of Da Nang.

Explosion in the skies of DIFF 2026

With the theme "Nature," the opening night of DIFF 2026 launched a month-long journey of light along the Han River. Brilliant fireworks displays from Da Nang (Vietnam) and the reigning champion, China, continuously illuminated the night sky, telling stories of life, the beauty of the green planet, and conveying a message of connection between humanity and nature.

In an atmosphere brimming with music and color, tens of thousands of spectators were guided through a range of exhilarating emotions, marking the beginning of the most anticipated festival season of the year in the coastal city of Da Nang.

The Da Nang team opened DIFF 2026 with an elaborate and emotionally charged fireworks display.

The Da Nang team presented a spectacular fireworks display, opening DIFF 2026.

The Da Nang team opened with a story about the beauty of Vietnam's nature, from its rich heritage sites to a message about environmental protection and a green future. The fireworks display continuously shifted colors, interspersed with dazzling grand displays and emotionally charged moments of silence, leading the audience from admiration for the beauty of nature to reflection on their responsibility to preserve the green planet.

The combination of innovative and ever-improving techniques along with emotional elements helped the Da Nang team create one of their most distinctive performances in recent years.

“I’ve watched DIFF for many years, but I’m really impressed with the changes in the Da Nang team this year. The performance had a rich emotional story and much better technique. I’m placing my hopes on our team reaching the final for the first time in history,” shared Hoang Minh, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City, excitedly.

Meanwhile, the Chinese team continued to demonstrate their class as the reigning champions with their performance of "Flower of the Orient." The Chinese team showcased their strengths in staging techniques, their ability to synchronize fireworks with top-notch music, and high-quality smokeless pyrotechnic effects.

The performance by defending champions China brought many surprises to the audience, becoming a highlight of the opening night of DIFF 2026.

Spectators were amazed to witness incredibly sophisticated fireworks effects resembling bamboo and rice stalks… The graceful, dense layers of fireworks, constantly changing in form and color, transformed the sky over the Han River into a mesmerizing Eastern painting.

In particular, the appearance of the song "Vietnam's Quintessence" in the performance created an unexpected highlight. The familiar sound of Vietnam resonated like a warm welcome from the competing team. Especially, the finale with the "wolf howling" fireworks effect combined with hundreds of continuously exploding fireworks left the audience exclaiming, "It was more than spectacular!" The performance received strong applause from the audience and left a strong first impression on DIFF 2026.

A spectacular artistic feast unfolds on the biggest stage in DIFF history.

"I think it's hard to find a fireworks festival as well-organized as DIFF. For example, the world-famous Montreal Fireworks Festival doesn't have the large-scale grandstands or performance stages like in Da Nang," affirmed Nadia Shakira Wong, CEO of Global2000, a leading global fireworks consulting company.

DIFF is one of the rare festivals, not only in Vietnam but also in the region, that continuously upgrades its infrastructure and audience experience. This year, for the first time, the DIFF stage featured a giant mechanical dome system, over 40m wide and 10m high, considered the largest in the festival's history. Along with many integrated modern performance technologies such as high-power lasers, 3D LED matrix, Retro Amber lighting system, and multi-layered translucent LED lighting, the DIFF stage helped the high-class artistic performances on the opening night to truly shine according to artistic vision.

The DIFF 2026 fireworks stage stands out with its modern and impressive design.

Against a backdrop of a dynamic mechanical arch system, LEDs, lasers, and multi-layered lighting, the performances continuously transform the performance space, creating a visual feast where music, art, and fireworks blend into a complete festival experience on the banks of the Han River.

This year, DIFF not only expands the on-stage experience but also, for the first time, offers audiences personalized "digital gifts" powered by artificial intelligence (AI) through the Sun Paradise Land app. With just a few taps, visitors can transform their moments with the fireworks into vintage-style postage stamps or design e-postcards to send to loved ones. These new experiences not only prolong the emotions after the show but also help each audience member take home a very personal memory of the DIFF 2026 season.



Images of Da Nang as a civilized, friendly, clean, and beautiful city at DIFF 2026.

Beautiful images after the opening night of DIFF 2026: Forces, locals, and tourists joined hands to clean up the streets.

Da Nang looks clean and beautiful after the opening night of DIFF 2026.

Late on May 30th, immediately after the opening night of DIFF 2026 concluded, hundreds of youth union members, police officers, border guards, and environmental workers simultaneously mobilized to collect waste and clean up the streets. The image of these forces working tirelessly through the night to restore a green, clean, and beautiful environment to the city left a positive impression on residents and tourists alike.

Along Nhu Nguyet Street, a popular spot for locals and tourists watching the fireworks, a significant amount of waste was generated. Hai Chau Ward mobilized over 50 youth union members and young people to cooperate with the Da Nang Port Border Guard to assist workers from Da Nang Environmental Joint Stock Company in collecting and transporting the waste for processing.

According to a representative of Da Nang Environmental Joint Stock Company, the amount of waste collected in the Nhu Nguyet street area alone is estimated at about 6 tons. The main reason is the large concentration of people and the food and beverage businesses along the street.

"We are working urgently to collect and clean up throughout the night to ensure the roads are clean and clear before tomorrow morning," a representative of the unit said.

Meanwhile, in the DIFF viewing area, along the Han River waterfront and Tran Hung Dao Street, the amount of waste generated was not significant. The reasonable placement of waste collection points, along with the awareness campaigns by the organizing committee and local authorities, contributed to raising the environmental hygiene awareness of residents and tourists.

By approximately 11:30 PM that same day, the cleanup was largely complete. Most of the roads used for the festival had been cleaned, and the waste was transported to processing facilities, restoring a clean and beautiful environment to the city after the vibrant opening night.

Hoai Thu

Source: https://cand.vn/da-nang-ruc-sang-trong-dem-khai-hoa-diff-2026-post812496.html