Ha Long Carnival - the center of attraction
On the evening of May 1, Ha Long Carnival 2025 with the theme “Connecting Heritage - Pioneering Shining” took place vibrantly at Sun Carnival Square (Ha Long City). The program was created by lively performances with top-notch sound and lighting systems, bringing a colorful feast to about 20,000 locals and tourists.
The highlight of the festival is the art program consisting of 3 chapters: "Ha Long Heritage - Brilliant Wonder", " Quang Ninh - Heritage in the Heart of Heritage" and "Integration of Five Continents - Shining Pioneer". The 3 main chapters of Ha Long Carnival 2025 depict the journey of Quang Ninh, from a legendary land, a vibrant cultural heritage, to a symbol of global integration. The performances "Heritage Cycle", "Ha Long Legend", "Sacred Yen Tu", "Miner's Footprints" ... take the audience from historical slices to the depth of indigenous culture.
The highlight of this year's program is the performance of intangible cultural heritages of humanity recognized by UNESCO, such as Then Tay Binh Lieu, Quan Ho Bac Ninh , Hue royal court music, Southern amateur music... These heritages are performed in a contemporary art style, combining 3D projection technology, modern sound and lighting effects, creating vivid visual experiences, attracting both young audiences and international tourists. Nearly 1,000 actors, artists, folk artisans and international art troupes have come together to recreate a unique cultural space, connecting tradition and modernity.
Thomas Markle (American tourist) said: We were invited by friends in Ha Long to watch Carnaval. This is the first time I have attended and I am extremely impressed with this program. The performances are very elaborate, with only melodies and images but they recreate the extremely unique cultural features of the locality in particular and Vietnam in general. This is the most unique and special program I have ever seen.
The final part of the program was imbued with the spirit of integration, with the participation of international art troupes and modern performances such as electronic music (EDM), a parade of art model cars, paragliding performances and high-altitude fireworks. Five model cars representing the cultural, religious, entertainment and tourism symbols of Ha Long appeared one after another with bustling music and vibrant colors, affirming the message of a dynamic, innovative and globally integrated Quang Ninh.
Ms. Pham Thi Anh (tourist from Hanoi) shared: It is difficult to describe in words the scale and grandeur of Ha Long Carnival. Although it was quite crowded, we witnessed extremely impressive performances, the stage was so beautiful, and the investment was extremely professional. Especially the magnificent parade and fireworks brought many memorable emotions to me and my family members.
Ha Long Carnival 2025 is a program to kick off a series of activities and tourism products for the peak summer tourism season in 2025, promoting the potential and outstanding strengths of Ha Long City; at the same time, it is a key cultural activity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day on April 30 (1975-2025). Ha Long Carnival 2025 is the 18th year it has been held, increasingly affirming its role as a typical cultural - tourism product of Quang Ninh. With the consistent message "Connecting heritage - Pioneering to shine", the event contributes to enriching the cultural identity of the Northeast region, enhancing the position of Ha Long - Quang Ninh tourism on the international map.
Island tourism boom
This year's holiday season, Quang Ninh recorded a record boom in island tourism. During the 5-day holiday, Van Don district became an attractive destination attracting 120,000 tourists. Tourism activities in the area recorded excitement and bustle, with a sharp increase in the number of tourists, reflecting the attraction of a locality that is increasingly asserting its position on the island tourism map of the Northern region.
Right from the beginning of the holiday, prominent destinations in Van Don such as Minh Chau beach, Quan Lan, Son Hao, Eo Gio Quan Lan, Cai Bau pagoda... have welcomed a large number of visitors. It is noted that at some community tourism areas and accommodation facilities in the area, most of the rooms were fully booked before the holiday. Food, sightseeing, and tourist transportation services are all operating actively, promptly meeting the needs of tourists for relaxation and experience in favorable weather conditions.
According to Head of the Department of Culture, Science and Information of Van Don district Ly Thanh Nguyen, to ensure good service for tourists during the holiday, Van Don district has directed functional forces to coordinate with local authorities and tourism businesses to proactively strengthen inspection and supervision of service activities, ensuring security and order, traffic safety and environmental sanitation. At the same time, tourism businesses have also actively renovated the landscape, improved service quality, contributing to building the image of a friendly and civilized destination. During the 5-day holiday, tourism activities took place safely and healthily, without price increases, price gouging, or negative activities affecting the tourism business environment.
Not only Van Don district, Co To district also welcomed about 34,000 visitors. Co To district currently has more than 300 tourism service businesses, including nearly 200 accommodation establishments with more than 2,500 rooms, 40 dining establishments and 40 entertainment venues. During the recent holiday, the system of hotels, homestays and motels all operated at full capacity, showing the high demand for tourism and the growing attraction of Co To to tourists.
Currently, many accommodation establishments on the island district have proactively upgraded rooms, expanded restaurants and implemented online booking and electronic payments, creating convenience for visitors from afar. Restaurants and eateries are committed to not suddenly increasing prices, ensuring the quality of input materials and strictly implementing regulations on food origin and preservation. In addition, the pilot organization of water entertainment activities and island tours has contributed to creating more options for exploration, thereby enhancing the value of island tourism experiences for visitors.
Along with the active preparation of localities, weather factors also contribute to influencing the trend of tourists choosing destinations. The weather during the holiday season remains at 23-30 degrees Celsius, dry, quite hot and sultry, making tourists prioritize going to island tourist areas. In addition, convenient traffic infrastructure with fast connecting highways helps Quang Ninh's island routes to be chosen by many tourists. At Ao Tien International Port alone, there were about 550 ships taking 40,000 tourists to Co To, Quan Lan, and Minh Chau islands.
In order to meet the increasing travel demand during the peak tourist season, especially during holidays such as April 30 - May 1, ports and authorities have proactively implemented many solutions to increase transport capacity, as well as coordinate traffic, ensuring safety and convenience for tourists. Ships to the island routes are increased daily, flexibly adjusting schedules according to passenger traffic. At the same time, local authorities coordinate with shipping companies to implement measures to ensure safety, control train tickets and service prices, avoid overloading, or profiteering. From now until the peak summer tourist season of 2025, the number of visitors to the island routes of Quang Ninh is forecast to continue to increase sharply.
Good news for the tourism industry
According to information from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in 5 days (from April 30 to May 4), the whole province welcomed over 1.1 million tourists, reaching 112% over the same period in 2024. Of which, the total number of overnight guests reached nearly 500,000. International visitors are estimated at 102,000. Total tourism revenue is estimated at VND 3,121 billion. This revenue is 1.4 times higher than the same period in 2024, aiming for the tourism industry's target of VND 55,000 billion in 2025.
In particular, on April 30, the province organized a program to welcome a group of tourists on the Pacific World cruise ship managed and operated by Peace Boat Company (Japan), bringing about 1,700 tourists (mainly Japanese tourists) to Quang Ninh. This cruise opens up opportunities to promote cruise routes connecting Japanese ports with Quang Ninh, a positive signal from one of the key international tourist markets of Quang Ninh tourism, a potential market with high-spending customers.
During the holidays, a series of cultural, sports and tourism events also took place in localities attracting many tourists. Specifically, Ha Long City organized the Tran Quoc Nghien Temple Festival; the 2nd Ha Long Lion and Dragon Festival in 2025; Ha Long Beer and Squid Festival... Mong Cai City organized a series of events: Kite flying and beach volleyball festivals, the art program "Mong Cai - Rising in the new era"...
With a series of attractive and unique events, the number of tourists to the localities also increased sharply. The key tourist destinations of Ha Long City welcomed nearly 651,000 visitors; Mong Cai City welcomed 280,000 visitors; Uong Bi City welcomed over 112,600 visitors; Van Don District welcomed nearly 120,000 visitors; Co To District welcomed about 34,000 visitors...
In addition, tourist attractions in the province continued to affirm their attraction, the number of visitors increased 2-3 times compared to normal days. Ha Long Bay welcomed 98,400 visitors, international visitors to the bay were 33,000; Sun World Park welcomed nearly 55,000 visitors, Quang Ninh Museum welcomed nearly 41,400 visitors, Yen Tu National Special Relic Site welcomed about 15,300 visitors, international visitors entering through Mong Cai border gate reached nearly 26,000 visitors...
To ensure that tourists have a safe and convenient holiday, the Provincial People's Committee has issued a series of documents directing the strengthening of inspection and supervision of tourism business conditions and environment. In particular, accommodation establishments are required to improve service quality, ensure environmental hygiene and food hygiene and safety. Tourist areas and spots with water entertainment services and tourist transport vehicles must seriously implement solutions to ensure security and safety for tourists. Tourism businesses must strictly implement regulations on registration and public posting of prices of goods and services.
In particular, the work of ensuring a tourism business environment is carried out continuously and regularly. The hotline of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is available 24/7 to receive and promptly handle information from tourists. During the 5-day holiday, the hotline received information, supported 6 calls from tourists, 5 calls asking for information, prices of tourism services, and handled situations that were difficult for tourists to use the services. Through understanding, tourism service activities are stable, no arising or complicated problems affecting tourism have been detected.
It is expected that in the second quarter of 2025, the Quang Ninh tourism industry will aim to welcome 5.3 million visitors. Total tourism revenue is estimated at VND 14,720 billion. To attract tourists during this peak season, the tourism industry will organize 55 programs and events, including 25 programs, events and activities to stimulate international, national and provincial tourism. The activities are built on the unique characteristics of Quang Ninh.
According to Chairman of Quang Ninh Tourism Association Nguyen The Hue, businesses and units have planned and aimed to build a unique culinary brand of Quang Ninh, originating from the culinary festival programs, beer and squid spring rolls festivals that Quang Ninh has organized before. In addition, developing cruise tourism, exploiting the full potential of the province's synchronous infrastructure; strongly promoting the abundant potential of community tourism, creating new products and increasing competitiveness with destinations in the region.
Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/khoi-dau-bung-no-cho-mua-du-lich-boi-thu-3356287.html
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