Art performance of the 2022 Do Son Festival.

The Vietnam Sea and Island Folklore Festival will be co-organised by the Communist Review, the Party Committee and People’s Committee of Hai Phong, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

This will be an opportunity for Hai Phong to promote its image and economic potential to both domestic and international friends, and honour and preserve values of traditional culture, said Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Khac Nam.

The festival is also intended to raise public awareness of the role, strategic position and huge potential of Vietnam’s sea and islands, of exploiting and protecting economic values of sea and islands, and of defending the country’s sovereignty over its sea and islands, he continued.

The highlight will be an art performance at the Doi Rong international tourist site square – Dragon Beach, in Do Son district on April 29, with elaborate performances in ideas, arts, and stages.

Notably, a firework display, which will last from 10-15 minutes, will wrap up the programme, and open up a tourism season in Do Son.

The Communist Review will coordinate with the municipal Department of Culture and Sports to organise a national symposium on Vietnam’s sea and islands on April 28, with the participation of many scholars and researchers.

There will be sea and island folk games on April 29 like dragon boat racing (with the participation of six teams from Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Nam Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ho Chi Minh City), beach volleyball (with six teams from Hai Phong, Kien Giang, Can Tho, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa and Ca Mau), and tug of war (with six teams from Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Nam Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ho Chi Minh City).

More than 300 athletes from 10 coastal cities and provinces are expected to join the competitions.

Data from the Hai Phong Statistics Office said that in the first quarter of this year, the city served over 1,38 million visitors, up 17,86% year on year, including 226.700 foreigners, 6 times higher than that in the same period last year.

Hai Phong city is focusing on developing new tourism products and enhancing the quality of services to provide best experience to visitors during the upcoming peak tourism season.