Opening of the first Ho Chi Minh City River Festival

Boat racing teams perform at the opening ceremony of the first Ho Chi Minh City River Festival.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the festival will take place from August 4th to 6th, featuring a series of unique cultural, entertainment, artistic, and sporting activities along the river, combined with experiential activities and a variety of attractive programs to stimulate tourism, aviation, and trade.

At the festival, locals and tourists can experience waterway tours ; the "On the Wharf, Under the Boat" atmosphere on the Nhieu Loc Canal (District 1), Binh Dong Wharf (District 8), activities recreating the lifestyle of the Saigon - Cholon - Gia Dinh - Ho Chi Minh City communities through different periods, and shop for agricultural products and local specialties.

Locals and tourists can also immerse themselves in the vibrant atmosphere of water sports activities with the Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Boat Race Championship; parades on the Saigon River; and cultural, artistic, and folk game activities at Bach Dang Wharf and Lam Son Park…

According to Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the River Festival is organized to provide a unique, novel, and modern image of the city's culture and tourism, along with selected artistic activities that reflect the distinct cultural identity of the nation, locality, region, etc., contributing to stimulating tourism demand, supporting businesses, and promoting tourism and trade programs in Ho Chi Minh City.

"Through this event, we hope to develop the festival into an annual program, creating a wider impact on the community and attracting domestic and international tourists to Ho Chi Minh City," Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa expressed.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai emphasized that, along with the development of Saigon - Cholon - Gia Dinh - Ho Chi Minh City, over more than 300 years, along the rivers and canals, ports, wharves, markets, craft villages, and services on the docks and waterways have been formed and developed bustlingly, creating a unique characteristic of a riverside city, a place not only connected to alluvial soil but also harmonizing culture and economy, tradition and modernity, identity and integration. "On the docks and waterways" is not only an activity that needs to be further promoted to develop the city's economy, but also a way of life, a culture, and a precious heritage that needs to be preserved and promoted.

“In order to preserve and promote cultural and historical values, develop distinctive products and events; boost the exploitation of economic and tourism values from the river and sea resources in the city; and aim to position the brand of a riverine city rich in cultural identity, the City People's Committee is organizing the first City Riverine Festival in 2023,” said Comrade Phan Van Mai.

The highlight of the event is the art program themed "The River Tells Stories" on the evening of August 6th at Saigon Port - the cruise ship passenger port. The program will recreate the formation of nature and people through the periods of Saigon - Gia Dinh - Cholon - Ho Chi Minh City in five chapters: "Reclaiming Land - Building the City - On the Wharf - Flourishing Trading Port - Brilliant City by the River," with the participation of nearly 700 actors and folk artists, along with a team of leading directors, experts, consultants, and artists.

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai emphasized that the program contributes to creating momentum and driving the economic, cultural, and social development of the city in the new phase - the phase of implementing the National Assembly's Resolution on piloting some specific policies for the development of Ho Chi Minh City and the Government's Resolution on key tasks and solutions to accelerate the recovery and development of tourism effectively and sustainably.

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