On August 24th, Ha Long City will host the "Crossing the Waves of Ha Long - 2024" sailing, paragliding, and jet skiing festival. Following this, on September 1st and 2nd, the city will organize the "Heritage City - Colors of Ha Long" 2024 hot air balloon festival. With these two spectacular events, Ha Long City aims to welcome 10 million visitors in 2024, instead of the previously planned 8.7 million.
Bringing new and exciting experiences.
The sailing, paragliding, and jet skiing festival in Ha Long Bay, titled "Crossing the Waves of Ha Long - 2024," will open at 5:30 PM on August 24th in the water area opposite Vincom and Ha Long Flower Park. The festival is organized by the City People's Committee with the participation and support of the Ha Long Sailing Club; the paragliding team from Gió Biển Sports and Tourism Joint Stock Company (Team Sky Rider); the Silver Surf Vietnam Jet Ski Club; VMES Yacht Services Co., Ltd.; and the Ha Long Jet Ski Club…
Approximately 60 vehicles, 15 jet skis, 12 motorboats, and 5 paragliders are expected to participate in the festival, along with spectacular performances.
According to the program, from 2 PM to 5 PM on August 24th, the sailing team will depart from Tuan Chau beach and travel to Ocean Park beach; continuing the parade to the beach opposite Ha Long Flower Park. At the end of the parade, the sailing team will gather in formation to prepare for a performance with paragliding, jet skiing, and water motorbikes.
From 5 PM to 8 PM on August 24th, 12 jet skis will perform in formation, parading with the national flag. The jet ski team will depart from Hon Gai Passenger Port, traveling along the coastline to the area opposite Ha Long Flower Park. Simultaneously, the jet ski team will perform around the area opposite Ha Long Flower Park; the paragliding team, starting from 30/10 Square, will also proceed to the performance area on the coastline opposite Ha Long Flower Park. This is also the highlight of the "Crossing the Waves of Ha Long - 2024" program.
Mr. Nguyen Hoang Viet, Chairman of the Ha Long Sailing Club, said: "As soon as we received information that the city would be organizing a large-scale festival combining four different types of sailing, we contacted more than 100 members nationwide, from major cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hue, etc., to participate. All the sailboats on display are catamarans, built with new materials according to European standards and style, operating flexibly and stably in all conditions with superior safety features. Through the festival, we will create opportunities for enthusiasts of these sports from all over the country to come to Ha Long City to perform, exchange ideas, and contribute to promoting the development of these new sports. Especially, Ha Long Bay has special advantages for sport sailing as it is sheltered by mountain ranges both in the bay and on the shore, creating very safe conditions for sailing activities." Moreover, during the autumn and winter months, the slowest time for tourism in Ha Long, this is the golden time for sailing boats to operate and showcase their skills. Therefore, we hope that after the festival, the province will allow us to host a national-level sailing race in Ha Long Bay and grant permission for this sport to operate regularly and continuously throughout the year.
The 2024 Hot Air Balloon Festival, themed "Heritage City - Ha Long Colors," taking place on September 1-2, will feature many attractive and unique activities such as: hot air balloon rides; hot air balloon tours; a hot air balloon lantern festival; and hot air balloon decorations on the ground. The event will be held at 30/10 Square and Ocean Park Beach. Hot air balloon tours will take place at 30/10 Square from 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM and from 3:30 PM each day.
The hot air balloon lantern festival will be held from 7:30 PM on September 2nd at 30/10 Square. The ground-decorating hot air balloons will take place on September 1st and 2nd, 2024 at 30/10 Square. Alongside the hot air balloon festival, there will be a supplementary activity: motorized paragliding. The flight route will fly from Bai Chay, across Cua Luc Bay to 30/10 Square and vice versa.
In particular, Ha Long City will issue free tickets so that residents and tourists can experience flying in and sightseeing from hot air balloons.
Mr. Nguyen Tien Dat, from Hong Hai Ward, Ha Long City, shared: "When I learned that the city would be organizing a sailing, parasailing, jet skiing, and hot air balloon festival during the September 2nd holiday at locations convenient for people to visit and experience, I immediately shared the information with my friends. Many of my friends were excited and eager, and decided to choose Ha Long to enjoy their holiday. Following the success of the Fun Wheels Festival Ha Long 2024 held in July 2024, and with these two attractive festivals, Ha Long is taking the right and creative direction by targeting young people who enjoy exploration , adventure, and novelty."
Kick-off for a new festive season.
Both festivals are being held for the first time but are large-scale events, taking place in beautiful locations on Ha Long Bay and the Heritage Bay coastline, right next to residential areas. Furthermore, both festivals incorporate a variety of sports activities. To date, the People's Committee of Ha Long City has issued plans, developed and approved program content, and is urgently preparing facilities, equipment, and personnel to ensure that each festival proceeds according to schedule.
For the "Crossing the Waves of Ha Long - 2024" sailing, parasailing, and jet skiing festival, members of the participating clubs have been actively practicing since July. In particular, because the festival involves nearly 100 watercraft and four different water sports, the city has developed a very detailed underwater rescue plan, which is overseen by the City Military Command. The City Police and the Hon Gai Port Border Guard Station will deploy two boats to patrol, closely monitor the parade, and be stationed in the performance area to check for and handle any arising situations.
The city will also organize traffic diversion at sea, prohibiting vehicles from circulating in the festival areas; deploy two rescue boats to closely follow the entire procession, apply rescue and emergency response procedures throughout the parade, and ensure the safety of the participants and boats.
On the afternoon of August 20th, authorities and club members conducted a field survey, measured tidal levels, reviewed traffic diversion plans, parking locations, and rescue operations; on the afternoon of August 21st, the clubs moved their vehicles to the assembly point and rehearsed formations according to the scenario; on the afternoon of August 22nd, they coordinated formations and tested the rescue plan to prepare for the official performance on August 24th.
For the Hot Air Balloon Festival, approximately 20 hot air balloons are expected to participate, including tethered balloons and demonstration balloons, piloted by experienced pilots. The City People's Committee is currently working closely with the hot air balloon flight organizers to develop a detailed schedule and ensure the flights are appropriate and effective, providing residents and tourists with an unforgettable and exciting experience as they admire the beautiful, majestic, and romantic scenery of Ha Long City from above. Rescue plans on land and at sea, traffic safety, and security around the festival venue will also be strictly managed, controlled, and proactively handled in case of any unexpected situations.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Son, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Long City, shared: Ha Long is actively implementing the "Ha Long - City of Festivals" project with new tourism products to help bring the images and beauty of Ha Long to a wider audience of domestic and international friends and tourists. At the same time, it aims to breathe new life into the tourism atmosphere of Quang Ninh province in the coming days. We also expect that the local authorities' creative approach in preserving and honoring traditional festivals and developing new ones will meet the needs of people for entertainment and cultural enjoyment. Through this, we hope to gradually build a brand for the unique cultural and tourism festivals of the city on the shores of this heritage site.
Thus, at this point, preparations for the festivals are being finalized in anticipation of the opening day. With meticulous preparation in both content and organization, the "Crossing the Waves of Ha Long - 2024" sailing, paragliding, and jet skiing festival and the "Heritage City - Colors of Ha Long" hot air balloon festival in 2024 promise to create a special attraction for the people and tourists of Ha Long City.
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