Can Tho River is bustling with festival season

Can Tho City People's Committee cooperated with OLaBay Vietnam Joint Stock Company and sponsors to organize the Can Tho River Culture Festival 2025 with many attractive activities. The festival will take place from December 26, 2025 to January 1, 2026 at Ben Ninh Kieu Park (Ninh Kieu Ward), Hau River Park (Cai Khe Ward) and neighboring areas of Can Tho City.

Sông nước Cần Thơ rộn ràng mùa lễ hội- Ảnh 1. — The pedestrian bridge at Ninh Kieu Wharf, colorful in the night of the flower lantern river festival

Colors of Can Tho River

The festival program opened with the "Colors of the River" parade starting from Can Tho River (Ninh Kieu Wharf Park area and pedestrian bridge) with hundreds of colorfully decorated boats following each other out to Hau River moving to Hau River Park where there is a large-scale floating stage on the river, brilliant with flags, flowers and lights. The traditional music echoed in the scene of the wharf, the boats created a unique space of the hospitable and generous "Cam Thi" land. Along with the boat parade on the river, Tay Do streets were bustling with dragon-lion-unicorn floats beating drums, urging everyone to hurry towards Hau River Park, contributing to creating a bustling atmosphere, imbued with the identity of Can Tho river, the center of the Mekong Delta region.

Sông nước Cần Thơ rộn ràng mùa lễ hội- Ảnh 2. — Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Diep speaks at the press conference of the Can Tho River Culture Festival 2025

Mr. Le Minh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho City, said that at 8:00 p.m. on December 26, the opening ceremony and art performance program officially opened. The program was broadcast live by Vietnam Television, and rebroadcast by Can Tho Newspaper and Radio and Television, creating a strong spread to the provinces and cities. The program was elaborately and attractively staged by director Duong Quang Minh with many professional artists, singers, actors and dancers from many theaters and art units across the country. The program brought a semi-realistic stage space on the Hau River, vividly recreating the rich culture, life and cuisine of the people of the river region, while honoring the rustic beauty and affection of the people of the South.

"After the opening ceremony and art performance, at 9 p.m. on the same day, the audience will continue to enjoy the drone light show combined with artistic fireworks, blending sound, light and folk cultural colors. The combination of modern technology and traditional symbols will create a shimmering picture of river colors to convey the message of a dynamic, creative, and unique Can Tho in the heart of the West...", Mr. Le Minh Tuan informed.

Sông nước Cần Thơ rộn ràng mùa lễ hội- Ảnh 3. — Can Tho, a river city in the West

Unexpected experiences

According to director Duong Quang Minh, the art program on the opening night will gather People's Artist Bach Tuyet and artists Duong Hong Loan, Tuan Khuong, Duc Phuc, Ho Phi Nal, Truong Tran Anh Duy, Long Non La, Le Duy... to participate in the performance. The Drone show appearing twice in the program will create a special highlight. 350 artists and actors performing on the floating stage will contribute to conveying the story of the pioneering period, the flow of alluvial deposits, on the wharf and under the boat, the land rich in identity and vitality, morality, humanity beside the rivers, and sweet fruit trees all year round. "Good music, beautiful scenery" appearing in the art program will bring many strong emotions to audiences near and far.

Sông nước Cần Thơ rộn ràng mùa lễ hội- Ảnh 4. — Can Tho river shimmers with lights at night

This festival is an opportunity to introduce and promote the cultural characteristics of Can Tho river in particular, and the Mekong Delta in general to people and tourists at home and abroad. The Can Tho River Culture Festival 2025 has special highlights such as the "Colors on the River" parade, water sports experience, flyboard performance, composite boat racing, SUP racing, sailboat racing, releasing flower lanterns on the river, river environmental protection activities, seminars to improve safety knowledge and skills on the river, photo exhibition "Rhythm of life on the river - The West past and present", acoustic street music performances, seminars "Can Tho City Tourism - A breakthrough development push", Yoga performances, typical culinary performances, OCOP product introduction space, promotion of local tourism products, nightly art performances for visitors, organizing activities to visit sports and health booths, etc.

Sông nước Cần Thơ rộn ràng mùa lễ hội- Ảnh 5. — Can Tho River Culture Festival 2025 Pano

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Diep, Vice Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee, said that the first Can Tho River Culture Festival aims to create a highlight to enrich the typical tourism products of the Southern river region. The festival continues to contribute to raising public awareness in preserving the river ecological environment, encouraging sustainable tourism development. The festival connects river tourism between Can Tho City with Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta provinces and countries along the Mekong River. The festival will bring surprising experiences to visitors when they set foot in Tay Do, a peaceful river land with many tourist tours. Through the festival, Can Tho City hopes to build the image of Can Tho as a "Mekong River Tourism Center", promote national and international promotion, stimulate demand for tourism - cuisine - accommodation services, create strong spillover effects, helping the economy develop rapidly and sustainably.

In the 11 months of 2025, Can Tho City tourism continued to grow. Accordingly, the number of visitors and tourists reached 9,985,000, an increase of 25.83% over the same period in 2024. The number of guests staying was 4,461,575, an increase of 33.51% over the same period. Total revenue from tourism was VND 8,670.5 billion, an increase of 24.86% over the same period last year. The Can Tho River Culture Festival in 2025 is expected to attract a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to Tay Do to visit, shop, enjoy cuisine and welcome the new year 2026 happily and peacefully.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/song-nuoc-can-tho-ron-rang-mua-le-hoi-185251203203125004.htm