Amidst the applause and cheers of thousands of spectators, each sparkling streak of light from the unprecedented fireworks system not only lit up the sky and sea but also awakened the tourism industry and night economy of the green island of Cat Ba.
Across the country, world-class entertainment complexes are also lighting up the tourist capitals at night.
Vietnam has many attractive night tourism product models that need to be replicated.
Photo: NA
The spotlight shines on every land
On the evening of May 30, thousands of spectators on the green island flocked to the central square and Cat Ba beach to witness a special moment: the awarding ceremony of two Guinness World Records for the show "Green Island Symphony" - the first time in Vietnam that a show has set two world records at the same time. The show was recorded as "Jetski Fireworks Show with the largest formation in the world" and "Acrobat with the most turns on a flyboard in one minute". This is the first time Cat Ba people have witnessed such a large art program right on their own land.
The "Green Island Symphony" was built at lightning speed in just 2 months, turning the sea area that had never hosted a large-scale performance in Cat Ba Central Bay into the stage of an international-class sports and art show. The project was simultaneously completed from infrastructure, thousands of seats, operating multi-level performance technology in the middle of the sea, gathering nearly 40 of the world's top international athletes to perform at the same time, to passing 3 rounds of strict inspection to set 2 unprecedented Guinness World Records. Not only Vietnamese people but also foreign guests were overwhelmed by the scale and uniqueness of the performance.
The grandstand was packed with spectators during the performance of “Green Island Symphony”
Photo: NA
A visitor from Sydney, Australia shared: "I thought I was watching a CGI production, because the precision and overwhelmingness of each movement was unbelievable." "Green Island Symphony" maintains a performance schedule of 5 nights a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) until early September. The listed ticket price starts from 1 million VND/ticket, thousands of seats are full every night. The same number of visitors, after watching the show, flock to Vui-Fest Night Market to continue enjoying the vibrant space with mini-shows, games, music and cuisine. Right next door, two coastal restaurants, The Forest Beach Club and The Sea Beach Club, serve visitors all day with special cuisine - from fresh seafood to grilled dishes, along with Sun Kraftbeer craft beer, the first in the North.
In just 1 year, a synchronous ecosystem from green transport infrastructure, central square, night market to a chain of coastal restaurants providing a seamless travel experience day and night, has turned the entire Cat Ba Central Bay into the new "tourist heart" of the green island. Cat Ba has "transformed" rapidly, becoming the new entertainment tourism center of the North in the summer of 2025 with a series of different experiences with entertainment and art standards that are not inferior to any country.
The success of "Green Island Symphony" immediately reminds people of the world-class show "Kiss of the Sea". Launched in Phu Quoc in January 2024, "Kiss of the Sea" marks the first appearance of a multimedia show in Vietnam, competing with previous famous shows in the region and the world such as Wings of Time in Singapore, Big O in Korea... Similar to "Green Island Symphony", "Kiss of the Sea" overwhelms visitors with a seawater screen with an area of 920 m2, a 5,000-seat auditorium, and was awarded the title of the Outdoor Theater show with the largest water screen and capacity in the world by the Guinness World Records Organization. Currently, "Kiss of the Ocean" along with Vui Phet Night Market (VUI-Fest Bazaar) and the entertainment complex in the center of Sunset Town are magnets attracting millions of tourists to the South of Phu Quoc Island.
Meanwhile, the tourism capital of the Central region - the coastal city of Da Nang continues to maintain its appeal with a series of new entertainment experiences when the sun sets. Not only the night market and walking street, Da Nang's "trump card" Ba Na Hills is also attracting visitors to sleep later when it becomes the first and only place in Vietnam where visitors can enjoy the cabaret show After Glow. Belonging to the Cabaret genre - a type of theatrical art originating from France in the late 19th century - After Glow has a spirit of freedom, surpassing the traditional framework and full of experimentation, where artists can blend music, dance, drama and fashion in an intimate space, interacting directly with the audience. The thrilling, dramatic script combined with the magical, romantic beauty of Ba Na at night has captivated thousands of visitors. After the exciting music parties at the craft beer factory on the top of the mountain nearly 1,500 m high, bringing the Cabaret show to Ba Na Hills with famous Thai transgender beauty queens, Drag queen artists (performers - usually male - with feminine dressing style) and famous directors has breathed new and attractive air into the night entertainment industry in Da Nang.
"Lighting up" the night economy
World-class shows and well-invested nighttime entertainment complexes in recent times have officially broken the "formulaic" model: bars, clubs, night markets... that tourist capitals have been struggling to light up the night economy for many years. Art is increasingly proving to be a powerful "weapon" for Vietnam to break through tourism and light up the night economy.
The grandstand was packed with spectators on the opening night of the show "Green Island Symphony"
Photo: NA
Looking at other countries, this "weapon" has been used very effectively. Last year, Singapore was Taylor Swift's only Southeast Asian destination as part of The Eras Tour. The American star's 6 exclusive shows helped the economy and tourism of the lion island nation "make a fortune". The Straits Times reported that Singapore earned an estimated 500 million USD in tourism revenue after 6 shows at the Singapore National Stadium. Previously, The Eras Tour was estimated to generate 4 billion USD in net consumer spending in the US alone. In addition, the local economy also grew strongly thanks to tourism activities. Airfares to Singapore increased nearly 3 times while the number of accommodation bookings increased 5 times. The number of bookings for attractions and tours increased more than 23 times, while the number of searches for hotels in Singapore during the time The Eras Tour was on sale increased 160 times compared to normal.
It can be seen that art performances or international-class cultural and entertainment events not only attract visitors to buy tickets, check-in, and experience, but also stimulate spending on accommodation, culinary, and shopping services. Right in Vietnam, the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF) is also the "trump card" attracting tourists to the largest city in the Central region. According to data from the Da Nang Department of Tourism, the number of visitors served by tourist accommodation establishments over the 1 month of the DIFF 2024 event reached more than 1.5 million, an increase of 60% compared to DIFF 2023. The number of visitors staying to experience or going to Ba Na in the evening also recorded positive growth. The room occupancy rate of Mercure French Village Ba Na Hills hotel always maintains above 85% during the peak season.
Similarly, Phu Quoc, an island where tourists only came to sightsee, swim, eat seafood and then return, has completely transformed. Festivals, vibrant parties and non-stop entertainment activities 24 hours a day from the north to the south of the island create a bustling and energetic feeling. Not only is the scale and class not inferior to any tourist destination in the world, the shows on the pearl island are also considered to have more unique content because they effectively incorporate the cultural, folk and traditional values of Vietnam.
This is also evidenced by the growth of more than 160% in the total number of visitors to the show "Kiss of the Sea" in the first 8 months of the year. Every day, Sunset Town alone welcomes more than 4,000 visitors. International visitors are staying longer, sometimes up to 2 weeks or even a month, willing to spend a lot of money for unique experiences.
Fabrizio Angelo Orlando, Global Director of Industry Affairs at Tripadvisor, said: "After the Covid-19 pandemic, night tourism is crucial for a city to thrive. Travellers' habits have changed from shopping to seeking cultural experiences and immersion in the destinations they visit. Therefore, the night economy will encourage them to extend their stay beyond the usual one-day visit."
Building a solid foundation for tourism to take off
Ms. Dong Thi Ngoc Anh, Deputy General Director of Sun Group, commented: Today's tourists do not just stop at sightseeing or relaxing during the day, but also want to have a complete experience at night. That is the need to explore local cuisine, enjoy high-class shows, shop, and immerse themselves in the vibrant festival atmosphere. This is a common trend of the global tourism industry, especially in the young and high-spending customer segment. In fact, at the destinations invested by Sun Group, the number of tourists exploring the night experience is constantly growing.
Cat Ba Central Bay lights up with world-class art experience
Photo: NA
However, looking at the whole country, Vietnam's night products in general have not really created a strong brand for the destination. In Singapore, Thailand or China, tourists' nighttime spending can account for 60-70% of the total trip budget, while in Vietnam this figure is still quite modest. That shows that the room for night-time economic development in Vietnam is still very large.
According to Ms. Dong Thi Ngoc Anh, the night-time economy can only take off when it is built on a solid foundation. The coming years will be a pivotal time for Vietnam to invest synchronously in infrastructure, from connecting traffic systems, safe public spaces, urban lighting, to digital infrastructure supporting promotion and smart payments. These are the factors that help night-time tourism products operate smoothly and bring a complete experience to tourists.
In that context, leading enterprises such as Sun Group are always ready to create high-class night entertainment complexes. However, to encourage investment capital more strongly, a more open and transparent policy environment is needed. Mechanisms that allow extended nighttime operations, diversify entertainment types, along with preferential policies, rights protection and reduced procedures, will help businesses feel secure in investing in long-term projects on a large scale. At that time, the night economy will not only stop at small-scale activities such as night markets or walking streets, but can develop into an economic sector with full components: art, cuisine, entertainment, shopping, and high-end services.
According to a study published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the night-time economy contributes 35.1 billion USD/year and creates more than 300,000 jobs for New York (USA) - the most vibrant city in the world. In particular, the culinary restaurant sector plays an important role, bringing in 12 billion USD in economic value and creating 141,000 jobs each year (night-time only). Next, the art industry also generates large revenue for New York at night. New York bars may earn billions of dollars when the sun goes down, but art organizations, from museums, galleries to theaters, create more than 18,000 jobs and bring in more money, further solidifying New York's title as "The City That Never Sleeps".
We expect that in the coming period, Vietnam will be able to create iconic products that are competitive in the region and internationally. When all three factors converge - synchronous infrastructure, open policies, and systematic investment from businesses, the night economy will certainly become a new driving force for tourism, contributing to the development of this industry as a key economic sector, creating great spillover value for the economy and society.
Ms. Dong Thi Ngoc Anh
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thap-sang-nhung-thu-phu-du-lich-185251010175638785.htm
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