Drones "paint" heritage sites in the sky.
Tay Ho – with its romantic West Lake, pedestrian streets, and creative spaces like Trinh Cong Son Street – has long been a popular destination for both domestic and international tourists. Recognizing the economic potential of nighttime tourism, the Tay Ho Ward People's Committee and organizing units have chosen the light festival as a way to "activate" the nighttime hours, providing a novel experience for visitors.
The "Light Concert" program, taking place on the evening of January 18, 2025, at the intersection of Nguyen Hoang Ton and Lac Long Quan streets (Tay Ho district), is one of the highlights of the Tay Ho Light Festival. It features 2,025 drones programmed to fly and create light displays in the sky. The number 2,025 is also symbolic, marking the beginning of 2025 and signifying a new milestone.
During the performance, drones were meticulously programmed to "draw" images of Vietnamese cultural heritage. The image of a Ly Dynasty dragon, a historical and cultural symbol associated with Thang Long - Hanoi , was formed by drones in the night sky. The Khue Van Cac pavilion, an iconic architectural landmark of Hanoi, also appeared in the drone-generated "heritage imagery."
“The New Year's Light Concert 2025” goes beyond just light shows; drone performances will be combined with orchestral music and state-of-the-art laser lights, creating a perfect fusion of sound and visuals. The stage will feature top Vietnamese artists, each with their own style and musical personality, creating a vibrant artistic tapestry amidst the heritage site, offering a captivating experience in the skies above West Lake.
The "Hanoi Tourism Welcomes 2024" program and the announcement of the Decision recognizing the Nhat Tan tourist area, held at the Tay Ho Creative Cultural Space (Trinh Cong Son pedestrian street, Tay Ho ward, Hanoi), featured a light show with 300 drones. With these 300 drones, the audience could admire iconic images of Tay Ho such as the Nhat Tan Bridge, the Bach Diep lotus, and the Nhat Tan peach blossoms... projected into the sky.
Previously, on New Year's Eve of the Year of the Dragon 2024, the "Hanoi Artistic Light Festival - Brilliant Thang Long" with the theme "One Day in the Capital - A Thousand Years of History" featured an artistic light show using 2,024 drones, recreating images of King Ly Thai To, flying dragons, and famous landmarks of Thang Long - Hanoi during the auspicious moment when heaven and earth meet.
Notably, these drone light festivals are all free to enter, serving the public and making it easier for locals and tourists to access and experience this high-tech art form.
Our mission is to promote heritage and attract tourists.
With its spectacular scale, the drone light festival at West Lake could be a key highlight in the strategy for developing the night-time economy. West Lake is not only a place for tourists to watch the sunset, enjoy tea, and stroll around the lake, but also a "nighttime" destination to enjoy art, technology, and light.
The light festival contributes to extending the length of stay and spending of tourists at night: visitors stay longer and spend more on food, accommodation, and transportation. The Trinh Cong Son pedestrian street (Tay Ho district) is optimally utilized: in addition to the drone stage, visitors can also experience characteristic culinary spaces, tourism stalls, traditional games, and creative photo exhibitions.
Festivals also contribute to enhancing Hanoi's tourism image – moving towards a "cultural - creative - technological" tourism model, attracting both young people and international tourists who enjoy exploring new experiences. Using modern technology such as drones to recreate Vietnamese heritage (Ly Dynasty dragons, Khue Van Cac, Hanoi memories) is a very creative way to tell historical and cultural stories to modern audiences, especially the younger generation. The "heritage imagery" performance received positive feedback: many locals and tourists expressed amazement and delight at the images of dragons and Khue Van Cac floating in the sky.
These events convey the message that Hanoi is not just an ancient city, but also a city that is striving forward, ready to innovate and integrate with the high-tech era of Industry 4.0.
While impressive, the model of using light drones in tourism festivals also presents many challenges. According to experts, these drone light festivals have high technical costs. Specifically, deploying thousands of drones, programming their flights, and ensuring safety (considering wind conditions, weather, and noise levels) requires significant resources and high technical costs. Flying thousands of drones in the night sky over an urban area can pose potential risks if not strictly controlled. The event needs to ensure that the economic benefits – night tourism – do not negatively impact the environment or the lives of residents around West Lake: in terms of light, noise, and flight safety.
If organized too frequently without innovation in content and drone-light scenarios, the public may become "familiar" and lose interest. To keep the light festival model attractive, continued investment in creative scenarios and technological innovation is necessary; otherwise, it could easily become a "one-night-and-forget" event.
It is evident that, with its initial success, Tay Ho ward can upgrade the light festival into an annual or quarterly event, attracting both international and domestic tourists; expand the performance formats: in addition to drones, laser mapping, light art installations, and interactive technology can be incorporated to diversify the experience; develop a "night light tour": combining a stop at West Lake to watch drones, then visiting the pedestrian street, enjoying nighttime cuisine, experiencing night cycling around the lake, and visiting lakeside cafes…; collaborate internationally, inviting international artists and light show companies, innovating drone displays with global themes or incorporating Hanoi - Vietnam's heritage; develop a plan to reduce environmental impact: controlling noise, light, and flight safety; organizing post-event cleanup; limiting waste and encouraging the use of environmentally friendly products at tourist stalls; Widely promoting the light festival should not only be done through traditional channels but also through social media, livestreams, TikTok/YouTube videos, collaborations with tourism KOLs and artists to attract both young and international tourists; establishing a fund or sponsorship source to maintain and develop the event regularly without being overly dependent on the state budget each year is crucial for social mobilization.
The West Lake Light Festival, with its highlight being the illuminated drone show, is a clear testament to the fusion of traditional culture and modern technology in tourism development. This is not just an entertainment event, but an innovative tourism strategy – boosting the night-time economy, promoting heritage, and showcasing Hanoi as a dynamic and innovative "Creative City" within the UNESCO network. For West Lake, this helps affirm its position not only as a peaceful and picturesque area around the lake, but also as a modern center of creativity, culture, and tourism.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Khuyen, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Tay Ho Ward, hopes that the light and drone festivals will become meaningful and civilized events, reflecting the unique cultural values and meeting the spiritual and cultural needs of the people and tourists during the Lunar New Year or other national holidays. At the same time, they will contribute to the "Creative City" strategy, affirming Hanoi's position as an international destination.
West Lake (Hanoi) has the potential to become a prominent illuminated destination in Southeast Asia, attracting international tourists and encouraging local people to participate in the night-time tourism ecosystem. At the same time, this festival affirms that in the digital age, cultural heritage is not only preserved but also serves as a foundation for creativity, innovation, and connection with the future.
Source: https://baophapluat.vn/drone-tay-ho-thu-hut-du-khach.html
Comment (0)