The 2024 Ha Long Carnaval in Vietnam's northeastern coastal province of Quang Ninh kicked off on the night of April 28 under the theme "Bright with Wonders," wooing tourists with fireworks and drone light shows.

Delegates attend the launching ceremony of Carnival Ha Long 2024. Photos: Quang Ninh Newspaper

Speaking at the kick-off ceremony, Chairman of the Ha Long City People's Committee Nguyen Tien Dung said that the highlight of this year's festival is the real scene demonstration and the first-ever carnaval on the sea in Vietnam.

“It marks the 16th year that the festival has been held and will kick off the summer tourism season of Ha Long city and other localities in the province with cultural, art, sporting, and tourism activities,” Dung stressed.

He added that the festival aims to popularize the images of Ha Long Bay with a 30-year journey to be inscribed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site while reaffirming the brand of Ha Long Carnaval.

A large number of people and tourists eagerly join the opening ceremony of Carnival Ha Long 2024.

Ha Long Carnaval 2024 features performances and parades at sea and on the beach of the famous UNESCO-listed bay, highlighting the beauty of this World Natural Heritage Site at night.

For the first time, a floating stage was built off Bai Chay beach with about 200 boats. Fireworks and LED displays thrill both local and foreign visitors, along with a unique drone light show of 1,600-2,300 drones depicting the city's typical symbols.

Numerous people and tourists enjoy recording the Ha Long Legend art performance through drone light technology.

The artistic program includes five scenes: "Legends of Ha Long", "Fishing Village", "Trading Port", "Ha Long Heritage Carnaval" and "Brighten up with Wonders" with the participation of thousands of professional and amateur performers.

Taking place on the ongoing holidays of National Reunification Day [April 30] and May Day [May 1], the festival will bring together local creative teams, leading artists and craftsmen, as well as international singers and dance troupes from Japan's Hokkaido, China's Guangxi, Laos, Thailand, and Europe. It will also feature about 2,000 beauty queens, professional artists, and folk artisans.

Cruises are offering tours to view the displays from the sea at VND300,000-450,000 (US$12-16) per person. The cruises will depart from Tuan Chau and Ha Long international tourism ports at dusk and sail to Bai Chay beach.

On the way, passengers will enjoy teas and pastries in an afternoon tea session, followed with fine dining and several activities on board before contemplating extravagant firework displays on Ha Long Bay.

Furthermore, as part of the Ha Long tourism week 2024, the city will host a series of events, including the opening of a culinary pedestrian street, a sport tournament, a festival of beer and the province’s famous Cha Muc (fried squid patties), as well as lion-dragon dance, modern dance, and kite festivals.

Beer and Squid Pie Festival 2024 is held from April 27 to May 1 in Ha Long Bay.

Ha Long Bay was recognized as the world natural heritage site by UNESCO twice, in 1994 for its globally outstanding aesthetic values and in 2000 for its geological - geomorphological values. The recognized area covers 434 sq.km and consists of 775 limestone islets of all sizes, one of the core factors of the heritage’s values.

The Ha Long authority informed that nearly 50 cultural, sports, and tourism events will be held in the second quarter of this year. The locality is striving to draw at least 17 million tourists (of which 3 million are international visitors), and generate VND39.1 trillion (US$1.5 billion) in tourism revenue by 2024.

The Ha Long 2024 Carnaval shines with a combination of art forms and modern performance technologies.

A drone light performance closes the special art program of Carnaval Ha Long 2024.