After a three-year hiatus of Covid-19, the Danang International Fireworks Festival - DIFF 2023 officially returned on June 2 with a spectacular showdown between Vietnam and Finland.

The vibrant Danang International Fireworks Festival - DIFF 2019. Photo: Hidden Hoian

Themed "Warm up the Heart," Joho Pyro's vibrant fireworks display promised to conquer the hearts of any audience, according to Captain of the Finnish team Johan Hollander, who said that the team said its first-time participation in 2019 was impressive with incredible power and creativity.

"To set the mood for the night, our fireworks will start with a lively melody. Then we will soothe the audience's emotions with the song 'Listen to Your Heart'. Finally, the show, which aims to call for solidarity, love and peace among people around the world, will end with the upbeat melody 'Circle of Life' (from the animated musical drama film The Lion King)," he said.

Finland's opponent, the Vietnamese team, will perform a 20-minute and 25-second fireworks display with the theme "Danang - The Timbre of Peace".

At the opening ceremony, many famous Vietnamese singers and international artists joined the colorful banquet, including famous singers Tung Duong, Ho Ngoc Ha, and young artist Lam Bao Ngoc, among others.

Audiences to the Danang International Fireworks Festival 2019. Photo: Hidden Hoian

Under the theme "A World Without Distance", DIFF 2023 will be held from June 2 to July 8 on the banks of the Han River with the participation of eight teams, including seven from Italy, Poland, France, Australia, Canada, Finland, the United Kingdom, and the host Danang.

After the opening match between the Vietnamese and Finnish teams, there will be matches between teams from Canada and France on June 10, Australia and Italy on June 17, and Poland and the UK on June 24. The final will be held on July 8.

DIFF 2023 is part of the "WOW Danang" program, a component of the "WOW Vietnam" tourism promotion campaign initiated by the Sun Group. The nationwide campaign aims to introduce a number of attractive tourist sites in Vietnam to local and international travelers.

DIFF has become a prominent event that has made the city of Danang the center of Vietnam's summer festivals for the past 11 years.

The return of DIFF this summer marks the strong recovery of Vietnam's tourism after Covid-19.

A riverboat on the Hann River is packed with spectators at the 2019 fireworks festival. Photo: Hidden Hoian